Ballot Access Breaking News: Kennedy is officially on the Ballot in South Carolina

By Leah Watson, The Kennedy Beacon

On May 31, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his campaign announced that they officially achieved ballot access in South Carolina through a nomination by the Alliance Party. The nomination also includes Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan. 

The Alliance Party, in affiliation with the American Party of South Carolina, the Independence Party of Minnesota, the Independent Party of Connecticut, and the Reform Party of Florida, is an alternative party intended to compete against the dysfunction of the duopoly. 

In an appeal to independent voters across the United States, the Alliance Party recognizes that “there is strength in numbers and a deep desire to put people and country over politics and greed,” as stated on their website. Kennedy shares this same sentiment and vows to heal the divide within the United States and end political polarization. 

Kennedy is officially on the ballot in eight states – Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Texas, and now South Carolina. Kennedy has collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballots in an additional nine states – New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York. The Kennedy campaign also recently received a presidential nomination by the Reform Party in Florida.

In total, these 17 states represent 238 electoral votes. To be considered eligible for the upcoming CNN debate against President Biden and former president Trump, Kennedy must have viability for 270 electoral votes. 

If you consider states for which the campaign has handed in signatures to mean Kennedy is officially on the ballot, then he needs only 32 additional electoral votes to qualify for the debate. 

In an interview with Scripps News, Kennedy confidently stated that he “will have enough signatures for 343 electoral votes,” before the deadline hits.

As reported in The Kennedy Beacon, a second CNN criterion demands that Kennedy receive at least 15% approval in four national and reputable polls adhering to CNN’s standards. By CNN’s own criteria, Kennedy has received 15% or more in the following approved polls within the arbitrary time frame chosen by CNN which runs from March 13 to June 20 (a week prior to the debate). 

• CNN poll, 16% (April 18–April 23, 2024)

• Quinnipiac 16% (April 18–April 22, 2024)

• Marquette 17% (May 6–May 15, 2024)

Kennedy needs only one more qualifying poll to make it on the CNN debate stage, according to the network’s own criteria. 

Leah Watson is a reporter for The Kennedy Beacon. She has contributed articles to the Rangeley Highlander and is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College.