Georgia officials say Kennedy, 2 others have signatures for presidential ballot as disputes remain

ATLANTA– Three independent and third-party candidates moved a step closer to appearing on Georgia’s presidential ballot Tuesday. But legal challenges still loom.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has announced that officials have verified that independents Robert F. Kennedy Jr. And Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz of the Party for Socialism and Liberation each collected more than the 7,500 signatures needed to qualify.

Raffensperger said 11,336 signatures were accepted for Kennedy after county election officials reviewed the petitions, while 8,075 were accepted for Cornel West and 7,682 for De la Cruz.

While Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians have a safe spot on the Georgia ballot, other parties and independent candidates can qualify through petition.

But Georgia Democrats are still legally opposing efforts to get the three candidates and the Green Party nominee on the ballot. Jill Stein on Georgia ballots. It’s part of a nationwide effort to block candidates who could steal votes from the vice president Kamala Harris.

Hearings on Georgia’s challenges begin Monday. After an administrative law judge makes a recommendation, Raffensperger will issue a final ruling. A decision must be made in time for Georgia to begin mailing military and overseas ballots beginning Sept. 17.

While some other states routinely put minor-party and independent candidates on the ballot, Georgia voters have not had more than four options since 1948. The last time there were candidates other than a Republican, Democrat and Libertarian was in 2000, when independent Pat Buchanan qualified.

Kennedy was kicked off the vote in New York earlier this week when a judge ruled that the suburban New York City address Kennedy listed as his residence on his nomination petitions was a “fake address” he was using to maintain his voter registration and advance his political aspirations. The judge ruled in favor of challengers who claimed Kennedy’s actual residence was the Los Angeles home he shares with his wife, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” actress Cheryl Hines. Kennedy has vowed to appeal

It is unclear whether Kennedy’s home address will be an issue in the Georgia hearings. Democrats have alleged that all of the petitions followed improper procedures, making them invalid. Kennedy campaign leader Paul Rossi said in an online press conference on July 31 that there was nothing wrong with the campaign’s petitions, with Rossi describing the allegations as “throwing spaghetti against the wall.”

“Because they cannot challenge the signatures, they have made accusations that are completely false,” Rossi said.

Until this year, the only way to get on the Georgia ballot was to collect signatures from 7,500 registered voters across the state. But the Republican majority of the Georgia legislature a law passed directing the secretary of state to also place on the ballot candidates from any party that votes in at least 20 other states. The move was widely interpreted as an attempt to embarrass Biden, though former President Donald Trump’s Republican campaign has also considered the Kennedy campaign with suspicion.

The Green Party, which nominated Stein, says it wants to hold the Georgia vote under the 20-state rule.