Cornel West Kept Off Pennsylvania Ballot Despite Constitutional Concerns

Cornel West will remain off Pennsylvania’s ballot for the 2024 presidential election after a federal judge ruled there was insufficient time to make changes before Election Day. The decision comes despite Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan’s acknowledgment that Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt likely violated West’s First Amendment rights by blocking his ballot access.

Ranjan emphasized that with Election Day less than a month away and over one million mail-in ballots already distributed, making changes now would create confusion and disrupt the voting process. Over 137,000 ballots have already been returned, and the court determined that altering the ballot this late in the process would not be feasible.

Ranjan’s ruling also highlighted the additional hurdles faced by minor-party candidates like West. West’s campaign was required to pay a $4,200 filing fee to appear on the ballot, a requirement not imposed on major-party candidates like Republicans and Democrats. The judge raised concerns about the fairness of these laws but declined to reverse Schmidt’s decision due to time constraints.

West’s campaign quickly announced plans to appeal the ruling. Spokesman Edwin DeJesus condemned the decision as an attack on voter choice and the democratic process, arguing that Pennsylvania voters deserve to see all candidates on the ballot. He vowed that the campaign would continue its legal fight.

Democrats, worried that West could pull votes away from Kamala Harris, have been working to keep him off the ballot in several states. Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state, has been a key target of these efforts. The legal battles surrounding West’s candidacy are expected to continue as Election Day approaches.