Kanye West To Remain On Iowa Ballot

Is rapper Kanye West a presidential candidate to take seriously? I'll leave that question to the political pundits. But one thing is for certain. When Iowans cast their vote for President this fall, one of their choices will be Kanye West. CBS2 reports that a state panel on Monday dismissed several challenges to his candidacy.

The State Objection Panel heard the case yesterday. The panel is made up of Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General Tom Miller, and State Auditor Rob Sand. CBS2 reports that the panel dismissed two complaints. One challenged the validity of the signatures on his nomination petition. The other alleged that West improperly identified himself as unaffiliated with a political party. West is a registered Republican in the state of Wyoming.

CBS2 reports that West needed 1500 signatures from at least 10 Iowa counties to make it on the Iowa ballot. 19 of those signatures were being challenged, and even if they had been thrown out West had enough other signatures to meet the requirements. Attorney General Tom Miller said that the second complaint was dismissed because no where in the law for nominating petitions does it say a candidate is required to choose a party affiliation.

Secretary of State Pate told CBS2 that he doesn't believe that West did anything wrong and followed the proper guidelines. West has tried to get on the presidential ballot in other states, succeeding in at least nine other states.