'Seismic news': Swing state considers ballot decision that could hurt Trump

The North Carolina Board of Elections is declining for the time being to approve Robert F. Kennedy Jr. or Cornel West for the presidential ballot in November — a move that could potentially give President Joe Biden a boost in a historically Republican-favoring but perpetually close state.

According to WRAL, "In a party-line vote, the North Carolina State Board of Elections rejected initial bids for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Constitution Party candidate Randall Terry to place their names on the November ballot, saying they want more time to review their petitions. The board’s two Republican members voted to place the candidates on the ballot, while the board’s three Democratic members rejected those motions."

"The decision hangs a question mark over the November ballot in this battleground state. The decision — if it stands — could mean less competition for Trump and Biden in a state where presidential candidates have historically had small margins of victory," noted the report. "Democrats raised different issues with each petition. They questioned whether Kennedy followed the proper procedure under state law, whether the West petition was compromised by Trump allies, and whether the Constitution Party should be denied access amid questions about its chairman’s stated address."

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Democrats have carried some statewide elections in North Carolina over the last decade; however, the state has backed Republicans in every election for the last 40 years, except in Barack Obama's landslide victory in 2008.

West and Kennedy are both running independent campaigns for president after bowing out of the Green and Democratic Party primaries, respectively. West is running a far-left campaign, while Kennedy, despite having the name of a prominent Democratic political family, is running on a syncretic blend of political beliefs, including some Trump-aligned conspiracy theories about vaccines and the January 6 attack.

Polls disagree over what these candidates' overall effect on the topline race is, but at least some surveys suggest they could siphon votes from Biden.

Kennedy in particular has been fighting to qualify for the ballot in a number of states totaling 270 electoral votes, which is the minimum required to make debate stages. Earlier this month, CNN confirmed that Kennedy had not qualified for the presidential debate taking place this week; Kennedy disputes this, and has filed complaints against CNN with the Federal Election Commission.