The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling that rejects independent candidate Cornel West from appearing on the November ballot. Following this decision, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt has certified the official list of candidates who will appear on the ballot. The certified candidates include Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Republican nominee former President Donald Trump, Green Party nominee Jill Stein, and Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver.
The court's decision clears the way for counties to begin printing and sending out mail ballots. Schmidt stated, "Counties can now prepare their ballots to be printed, then begin sending mail ballots to voters who have requested one as soon as they are printed," according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
The Commonwealth Court had agreed with Schmidt's office that 14 of West's 19 presidential electors failed to submit the required affidavits for minor-party presidential electors by the August 1 deadline. The West campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The most recent polling of Pennsylvania’s presidential contest from USA Today and Suffolk University has Harris with a 3-point lead over Trump statewide in Pennsylvania. With its 19 electoral votes, Pennsylvania is considered a critical battleground state for presidential candidates in the 2024 cycle.
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