Kanye West won’t appear on Missouri ballot after falling thousands of signatures short

Kanye West’s presidential ambitions in Missouri are over.

The artist fell 3,443 signatures short of what he needed to qualify for the November general election ballot, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft announced Tuesday. Ashcroft’s office released a letter it sent to West outlining its findings.

West, at one point a vocal Trump supporter, has been waging a presidential campaign largely viewed as a publicity stunt to promote a new album. Still, he will appear on the ballot in multiple states.

Republican operatives have been publicly linked to efforts to get West on the ballot in other states, raising concerns that his campaign is part of an effort to help President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.

West filed for the Missouri ballot as an independent on July 27. Under Missouri law, at least 10,000 valid signatures were required for him to appear on the ballot.

Local election authorities verify petition signatures. Ashcroft’s office said it reviewed the final batch of signature verifications on Tuesday and that West was found to have only obtained 6,557 valid signatures.

“Therefore, you do not qualify to have your name placed on the November 3, 2020 general election ballot,” a letter from Ashcroft’s office to West says.

This story was originally published August 25, 2020 at 11:51 AM.