Kanye West, a late entry to the 2020 presidential elections, may have missed the deadline to file to appear on Wisconsin’s presidential ballot by just minutes on Tuesday.
A Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporter caught a video of Lane Ruhland, one of President Donald Trump‘s attorneys, at the Wisconsin election commission’s office shortly after 5 p.m., the cutoff time to drop off the signatures for West.
Matt Smith, the reporter who posted the video to Twitter, replied to the thread by saying “they called before 5p to alert election officials.”
Though the time supports that the filing was late, Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that whether the missing the deadline is disqualifying is “a question the commissioners are going to have to answer.”
The Elections Commission is made up of six people, comprising three Democrats and three Republicans.
“WEC staff will provide the Commission members with a detailed timeline surrounding the filing of the nomination papers as part of its report on ballot access for a future meeting,” Magney also said. “It will be up to the Commission to decide whether the deadline was met.”
There is speculation that West’s entry into the race is intended to support Trump’s reelection chances by drawing votes away from Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump has denied that he is connected to West’s campaign, though other Republicans have been linked to West.
“Kanye West is supporting Trump,” said Marcelia Nicholcon, chairwoman of the Milwaukee County Board. “Do not be mistaken.”
In the past, the precedent for late filings in the state has been rejection. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court rejected nomination papers that were submitted at 5:02 p.m., just two minutes past the cutoff time, in 1950.
West’s petition to be on the presidential ballot in New Jersey had also been contested as it was challenged by an attorney, who said the documents contained 600 fake signatures.
