Weekly Ballot Access News: Kennedy Has Submitted Signatures in Illinois and New Mexico

By Leah Watson, Breaking News Reporter, The Kennedy Beacon

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has submitted petition signatures to get him on the ballot in Illinois and New Mexico.

On June 25, a Team Kennedy press release announced that the campaign had submitted over 63,000 signatures, more than twice the 25,000 required, in order to qualify for the Illinois ballot. 

Kennedy filed his signatures for the Illinois ballot along with Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Other independent candidates submitted their paperwork as well, including candidates from the Libertarian Party, the Greener Peace United Party, and the Constitution Party of Illinois. Independent presidential candidate Cornel West did not meet the submission deadline.

The X account “RFK Jr. for New Mexico” announced on June 27 that Team Kennedy turned in over 11,000 signatures, about three times the required amount, to get Kennedy on the ballot in New Mexico. 

“Now the real work of turning New Mexico purple begins!” wrote  “RFK Jr. for New Mexico” and shared pictures of Team Kennedy turning in their signatures.

Picture taken from X account: @RFKforNewMexico

Kennedy’s ballot access announcements are gaining speed as signature submission deadlines approach. Kennedy submitted his signatures in Pennsylvania only a week ago. 

Kennedy submitted an excess of signatures, as he has done throughout his ballot endeavors, to act as a buffer for the inevitable challenges the Biden and Trump campaigns will mount against him. According to the Springfield State Journal-Register, objections to Kennedy’s paperwork filled in Illinois can now be filed until next Monday.

Kennedy is on the ballot in 8 states per the campaign. He has handed in signatures, collected enough signatures, or been nominated by a minor party in 18 additional states. That represents a total of 26. He’s on track to be on the ballot in all 50 states.

Combining the electoral votes in the states where he is officially on the ballot with those where he has submitted signatures, collected enough signatures, or has aligned with a minor party, Kennedy has a total of 353 electoral votes. This is mapped on the website 270toWin.

States in beige are those where Kennedy is officially on the ballot. States in yellow are those where he has submitted, has collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, or has aligned a minor party.