MADISON, Wis. — Rapper Kanye West filed a lawsuit Friday demanding election officials place him on Wisconsin’s presidential ballot in November.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that West's campaign filed the lawsuit in Brown County Circuit Court.
The state Elections Commission decided last week that West missed the 5 p.m. deadline for filing his nomination signatures by anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes on Aug. 4.
The lawsuit argues that the deadline did not expire until 5:01 p.m. and regardless of the timing, commission staffers still accepted the papers. The lawsuit went to allege that commission staff should have unlocked the building's doors at 4:30 to accommodate late-arriving filers.
The commission's building has been locked since the coronavirus pandemic took hold; West's campaign workers had to call the commission shortly before 5 p.m. to get them to unlock the doors.
Commission spokesman Reid Magney declined comment.
West announced a presidential bid in July, saying he’s seeking the nation’s highest office on a ticket he calls the “Birthday Party.”
Democrats claim Republicans are pushing West’s candidacy in swing states to siphon Black votes from Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
The Associated Press
