Kanye West Fails To Get On Missouri's Presidential Ballot But Is Still On Some States' Ballots

Kanye West’s controversial campaign for president hit another snag. The hip-hop mogul failed to gather the 10,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot in Missouri, state election officials confirmed Tuesday.

Jay Ashcroft, Missouri’s Secretary of State, informed West’s campaign that only 6,557 of the signatures submitted could be verified, invalidating his attempt to get on the state’s general election ballot as an independent. Signature validity has been a consistent issue for West, with some states finding obviously fake signatures from the likes of “Mickey Mouse” and “Bernie Sanders.”

“Therefore, you do not qualify to have your name placed on the November 3, 2020, general election ballot,” Ashcroft wrote in an official letter to West.

West’s candidacy has also been withdrawn, dismissed, or otherwise rejected in Montana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia and New Jersey. It has been approved in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Vermont, with ballot access pending approval in Minnesota, Iowa, Virginia, and Tennessee.

West’s campaign missed the deadline to file for ballot access in most other U.S. states, aside from Oregon, North Dakota, Arizona, Alabama, Kentucky, and Rhode Island, where ballot deadlines have not yet passed but the campaign has not yet filed.

West has been met with strong criticism over his decision to run for president. As a known supporter of President Donald Trump, his candidacy has been seen by many as a calculated move to pull undecided young voters away from Democratic candidate, Joe Biden. Some have also speculated that the campaign is little more than a publicity stunt for the rapper’s forthcoming album.

West's policy goals have mostly been vague or ill-defined. He has, however, made several promises of a very religious nature, asserting that he will fund faith-based organizations, institute prayer in school, and push for incentives for mothers who do not abort unwanted pregnancies.