Cornel West to appear on Virginia presidential ballot

Dr. Cornel West, the independent candidate running in the 2024 presidential election, qualified for the ballot in Virginia’s general election, according to a letter sent to West’s campaign by the Virginia Department of Elections. 

“After review, the Department of Elections has reconsidered its decision not to qualify Drs. West and Abdullah and their names will appear on the ballot,” the letter reads of West and his running mate, Dr. Melina Abdullah. 

The letter was exclusively obtained by CBS News. 

The West-Abdullah campaign was previously denied ballot access by the Department of Elections after an issue with the necessary forms required for submission in the commonwealth. 

Sources within West’s campaign tell CBS News this was due to challenges around 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 states. 

In a statement to CBS News, the West-Abdullah campaign confirms they received the letter and will appear on the ballot in Virginia. 

“Virginia voters will now have the opportunity to choose a candidate, Dr. Cornel West, who represents their values,” a spokesperson for the West-Abdullah campaign said. 

West now joins former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver, Independent Claudia De la Cruz and Green Party candidate Jill Stein on the ballot in Virginia. 

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy removed his name from the ballot in the Old Dominion after he announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump. 

The West-Abdullah campaign has tried to gain ballot access in several battleground states. 

Though Virginia is not considered a battleground state by CBS News, the Trump campaign has attempted to put the commonwealth in play this cycle by holding several campaign rallies there. President Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020. 

As well as Virginia, West and Abdullah will also appear on the ballots of the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Georgia, and could potentially have minor impacts on the outcome of the presidential race. 

The Arizona Secretary of State’s office said that West failed to file the necessary paperwork by the August deadline. In Nevada, the West-Abdullah campaign missed the deadline to submit sufficient signatures.

The campaign was denied ballot access in Pennsylvania after losing a legal challenge, which found that 14 of West’s 19 presidential electors lacked the required affidavits.

“We’ve already faced a negative outcome at the state level, which is why we’re moving forward with a federal court complaint. Despite this, we’re not at ‘game over’ yet in PA,” said a spokesperson from the West-Abdullah campaign. “We believe the federal courts may provide some relief, as the current system unfairly burdens First Amendment rights.”