Ballot Access Breaking News: Oklahoma! Kennedy Gains Ballot Access in the Sooner State

By Leah Watson, The Kennedy Beacon

Months ahead of the July 15 deadline, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his campaign filed a statement of candidacy and paid a $35,000 fee to appear on the ballot for the state of Oklahoma. 

That brings to 13 the number of states for which Kennedy has gained ballot access, according to a campaign press announcement. It said the total electoral votes at stake in those states is 148 – 28% of the 538 total electoral votes nationwide. 

In a presidential race, a candidate must reach 270 electoral votes to win the election. 

Kennedy and his vice-presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan are officially on the ballot in California, Delaware, Michigan, Utah, and now Oklahoma. They have collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in 8 additional states - Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Ohio. 

Across the state of Oklahoma, hope for a leader who can heal the divide is spreading. “I know the people of Oklahoma will welcome the opportunity to have an independent choice this fall,” said Kenyon Morgan, a Kennedy campaign elector and volunteer, in a campaign press release. “People are looking for a leader who will heal the divide, protect our constitutional rights, end the chronic disease epidemic, and restore the middle class,” Morgan said.

According to the Oklahoma State Board, as of January 2024, Oklahoma has over 2.3 million registered voters, with independents accounting for nearly 18.9% of the electorate​​. Although the state is largely Republican, there has been an increase in independent voters in previous years as more residents seek alternative options and grow dissatisfied with the dysfunctional two-party political system. 

Now, the residents of Oklahoma, sometimes referred to as “the Sooner State,” will be able to cast their vote for Kennedy sooner rather than later.