Kanye West's 2020 Presidential Campaign Continues After New Step Ensures Ballot Placement

Since announcing his intentions to enter the 2020 U.S. presidential election, many have wondered how serious Kanye West is about facing off against President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. However, the "Flashing Lights" rapper's latest move indicates that he is, in fact, trying to make his way to the White House.

According to TMZ, the Yeezy designer has taken a new step in order to appear on presidential ballots in his home state of Illinois. Sources close to West's campaign told the publication that those working alongside the Grammy Award-winning musician hired Let The Voters Decide, a third-party vendor, in order to collect 2,500 signatures before the 5 p.m. deadline on Monday.

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As stated by the outlet, 45 people were deployed to get the signatures, which they were able to obtain within 24 hours. Each individual signature reportedly cost West an estimated $10-12, but allowed those working to be "paid handsomely for their efforts." This means that West's newest step cost over $30K since the group ultimately produced 3,178 signatures.

While it may not be uncommon for people to pay for signatures revolving around political campaigns, Rickey Hendron, a former Illinois State Senator who currently works as a campaign consultant, indicated that West paid much more than the typical $1-3 per signature.

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Prior to the aforementioned step, experts had discussed the "major obstacles" that the "Donda: With Child" rapper would have to overcome if he wanted to appear on the ballots on Nov. 3, 2020. While gathering signatures had been one option, other routes had also emerged that could have allowed West to follow his political aspirations.

If the musician is able to pick up momentum leading up to Election Day, it remains to be seen what his presidency could look like. However, he has stated that he is not a fan of traditional "policy" and a well-known personality previously indicated that they were open to becoming his running mate.