Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Ballot Blues 

 Robert F. Kennedy Jr speaks into a microphone and points into the distance with his last name on a large screen in the background. (Courtesy/Wbur)

On Aug. 23, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he would drop out of the 2024 presidential election. 

Well… kind of.

Kennedy declared he would suspend all campaign activities but not necessarily the campaign itself. He worried he could become a spoiler candidate in battleground states and announced his decision to remove his name from the ballot. Battleground states are states that could be won by either party by a very small margin. However, some states don’t approve of this decision.

“Many months ago, I promised the American people that I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler,” said Kennedy. “A spoiler is someone who would alter the outcome of the election but has no chance of winning.”

Kennedy and former President Donald Trump have similar policies, leading some voters who are unsure of their support for Trump, to vote for Kennedy instead. This phenomenon of people casting their ballot for Kennedy instead of President Trump could cost Trump crucial votes.

“Our polling consistently showed that by staying on the ballot in battleground states, I would likely hand the election over to the Democrats, with whom I disagree on the most existential issues: censorship, war, and chronic disease.,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy wishes to remove his name in states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina, but it has proven more difficult than expected.

 Michigan’s Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, determined that it was too late to remove his name from the ballot much like Wisconsin. North Carolina refuses to allow Kennedy to remove his name as ballots have already been printed and distributed to nearly 70 counties.

Some think keeping Kennedy on the ballot is a minor problem because he is polling very low, but those small numbers can tip either way in certain swing states this November.

For example, in a recent CBS News poll, Kennedy is polling at 2% of the vote in Michigan, the exact amount that Trump is behind Vice President Kamala Harris. In North Carolina, there is a similar situation, except Kennedy is polling at 1% of the vote.

Kennedy has sued both North Carolina and Michigan to have his name removed from the ballot to not hurt Trump’s chances in the presidential election. In North Carolina, he was successful. After his original request was denied, it was appealed and granted, meaning his name will come off the ballots. However, a court in Michigan stated the deadline to withdraw as a minority candidate has passed, so Kennedy must be included in the election.

“Some of these states are such tight margins that it can matter,” said Dan Mallinson, an associate professor of Public Policy and Administration at Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg.

This complication with ballots could impact who the nation decides to make the next president of the United States