Kanye West to appear on Oklahoma presidential election ballot

Kanye West has taken another major step in his bid to become the next president of the United States.

The rapper, 43, is now qualified to appear on Oklahoma’s presidential ballot, after meeting the requirements before the filing deadline.

The Oklahoma State Election Board confirmed in a tweet that independent presidential candidate West has qualified for the general election ballot in the state.

“Independent presidential candidate Kanye West has qualified for the General Election ballot in Oklahoma. (Today is Oklahoma’s deadline for Independent & Unrecognized Party presidential candidates to file statements of candidacy with their petitions or filing fee.).”

Independent presidential candidate Kanye West has qualified for the General Election ballot in Oklahoma. (Today is Oklahoma's deadline for Independent & Unrecognized Party presidential candidates to file statements of candidacy with their petitions or filing fee.)
— Oklahoma State Election Board (@OKelections) July 15, 2020

A representative for West filed the necessary paperwork and paid the $35,000 filing Wednesday afternoon, which was the deadline for a spot on the state’s Nov. 3 presidential ballot, said Oklahoma Board of Elections spokeswoman Misha Mohr.

He was one of three independent presidential candidates to pay the filing fee prior to the deadline, she added. The two others were concert pianist Jade Simmons and cryptocurrency entrepreneur Brock Pierce.

This comes after TMZ reported that West had filed the first form required by the Federal Election Commission to run for president on Wednesday, July 15. He filled out “Form 1, Statement of Organization” declaring that he will run with his party BDY, which stands for the Birthday Party.

The publication also noted that Kanye West is yet to file the more important Form 2, which are: Statement of Candidacy, which shows he’s raised or spent more than $5,000 in campaign activity and triggers candidacy status under federal campaign finance law.

However, there are still concerns about his 2020 presidential bid as the rapper has already missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in several states.