Michigan Judge Rules Cornel West Must Appear on Ballot

A Michigan judge ruled that independent presidential candidate Cornel West must appear on the state’s ballot.

In a ruling on Saturday shared by the watchdog group Fair Election Fund, Judge James Robert Redford ruled that state officials were “ordered to qualify” West and his running mate, Melina Abdullah, as independent candidates on the Michigan ballot.

Redford wrote in his ruling:

The state defendants are ordered to qualify West and Abdullah as independent candidates for the ballot, on the condition that the Board of State Canvassers does not determine they are disqualified after a review of the signatures on the qualifying petitions and West complies with MCL 168.590d(2).

The Fair Election Fund wrote that “voter suppression efforts” from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson had been “overturned in a win for democracy and a loss for Democrats.”

“Judge Redford has just ruled that @CornelWest must be on the ballot in Michigan,” the group wrote in their post.

Redford’s ruling comes after Michigan state election officials denied West ballot access, citing notary issues, according to the Washington Post.

In response, West’s campaign announced that it would be appealing the decision.

“Victory in Michigan! We brought thousands of voices to the table, and the court listened, rejecting the Democrats’ technical challenges,” West wrote in a post on X. “This is a win for democracy and for every person fighting for truth, justice, and love. Onward!”

On Friday, Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer ruled that West could not appear on the ballot in the state, siding with the Pennsylvania secretary of state’s office, which had rejected paperwork West had submitted for his candidacy, according to the Washington Examiner.

The secretary of state for Maine recently ruled that West was allowed to appear on the ballot. This came after Maine residents had filed two different challenges regarding West being on the ballot.