(Washington Examiner) Independent candidate Cornel West was cleared to be on the Virginia presidential ballot after the state reversed its decision on Friday.
In a letter to West’s campaign, the Virginia Department of Elections said it “reconsidered” its decision to bar West from the ballot and now he and Melina Abdullah, his running mate, will be on the ballot in November.
The Virginia Department of Elections previously denied West due to a problem with forms required for submission in the state. West’s campaign told CBS News it was due to challenges on the validity of their elector forms.
“The Department has confirmed that the campaign did submit paperwork in April but was not made aware of a new form that would be required after July 1 regarding the electors’ citizenship and residency,” the letter said.
The reversal from Virginia comes nearly two weeks after West secured a legal victory in a case over his ballot eligibility in Michigan, a key battleground state. In that case, Michigan Court of Claims Judge James Redford ruled that the state erred in disqualifying West from the ballot after it had cited technical problems with the candidate’s petition.
