Third-party, independent candidates approved for Wisconsin's presidential ballot

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Wisconsin Elections Commission approved three third-party candidates to appear on the November presidential ballot despite challenges seeking to remove them.

On Tuesday, the bipartisan commission voted 5-1 to keep Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wisconsin's presidential ballot even after he suspended his campaign.

Kennedy's request to withdraw his name was rejected due to state laws that prohibit candidates from retracting their nomination this close to an election after qualifying to be on the ballot.

Kennedy tried to remove his name after dropping out of the presidential race and endorsed former President Donald Trump on Friday.

An effort by Democratic commissioners to kick Green Party candidate Jill Stein off the ballot also failed. It comes a day after the state Supreme Court declined to hear a Democratic-backed lawsuit seeking to remove Stein from the presidential ballot.

Voters will also see independent candidate Cornel West on the November ballot after the commission rejected a complaint arguing his nomination papers were not in compliance with state law.

Political operatives have raised concerns about the impact third-party candidates could have in the battleground state where four of the last six presidential elections were decided by less than a percentage point.