CBS reported on Monday that the campaign's collection of over 15,000 signatures, intended to secure Kennedy's place on the Nevada ballot, may be invalidated due to the absence of a declared running mate.
However, this situation is set to change on Tuesday, as the former Democrat is slated to announce his vice-presidential pick from Oakland, California. Speculation is rife that Nicole Shanahan, a wealthy lawyer from the Bay Area, is the frontrunner for the position.
On March 7, Mark Wlaschin, Nevada's Deputy Secretary of State for Elections, issued a letter to independent candidates stating that they must designate a vice-presidential nominee when declaring their candidacy. Kennedy's current petition for candidacy in Nevada only includes his name.
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A representative from the Nevada Secretary of State's elections division informed DailyMail.com that independent presidential candidates need to amass 10,095 signatures to secure a place on the ballot this year. Signature verification is conducted at the county level, with a deadline of July 5.
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The Kennedy campaign issued a press release on Monday, proudly announcing that it had already collected enough signatures to appear on the Nevada ballot. However, later that day, the campaign expressed indignation at the possibility that these signatures might be discarded. They pointed the finger at the Democratic National Committee (DNC), accusing them of being behind this move, given that Nevada's Secretary of State, Francisco Aguilar, is a Democrat.
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"This is the epitome of corruption," declared Paul Rossi, Kennedy's campaign ballot access attorney. "After successfully collecting all of the signatures we need in Nevada, the DNC Goon Squad and their lackeys in the Nevada Secretary of State's office are outright inventing a new requirement for the petition with zero legal basis. The Nevada statute does not require the VP on the petition. The petition does not even have a field for a VP on it. The state confirmed that the petition does not require a VP in writing on Nov. 14. The state approved our petition without a VP on it in writing on Jan. 9."
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Rossi further criticized the move as an "assault on the democratic rights of millions of Americans in Nevada, and their freedom to vote for an independent candidate," and called for a federal judge to intervene.
The Nevada Secretary of State's Office later admitted that an 'employee had provided inaccurate guidance to an independent presidential campaign.' They assured that the error would be addressed appropriately and denied any intent to favor or harm any political party or candidate. They clarified that the rules indeed require a vice-presidential candidate to be declared.
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The Nevada debacle underscores the challenges faced by independent candidates in securing ballot access across all 50 states.
Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat and the son of the late Democratic Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of the late Democratic President John F. Kennedy, launched his campaign in April with the intention of running in the Democratic primary against President Joe Biden. However, with Biden firmly leading the race for the Democratic nomination, Kennedy announced in October that he would run as an independent instead.
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This decision sparked outrage among many of his family members, who have publicly shown their support for Biden. Without the backing of a major party, Kennedy faces the daunting task of securing ballot access in every state, a process that requires significant time and resources.
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So far, Kennedy has only succeeded in securing a spot on the Utah ballot. However, his campaign asserts that he has collected enough signatures to appear on the ballot in New Hampshire as well. The Hawaii Office of Elections has confirmed that Kennedy has the required signatures to establish a 'We The People' party in the state.
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The Kennedy-associated super PAC, American Values 2024, has been assisting with the effort. However, in February, the DNC filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the PAC of illegal coordination with the Kennedy campaign.
Kennedy criticized the DNC's move, accusing the party of attempting to divert attention from the release of Special Counsel Robert Hur's report, which portrayed 81-year-old Biden as a 'sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.'
American Values 2024 previously announced that it had gathered enough signatures for Kennedy to appear on the ballot in Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, and South Carolina. These states, with the exception of South Carolina, are all battleground states. South Carolina was chosen by the Democrats to host their first presidential primary this year.
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