Utah officials temporarily delay ballot access filing deadline after RFK Jr. lawsuit
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign event on October 12
(CNN) — Utah election officials have agreed to temporarily delay the enforcement of its January 8 ballot access filing deadline for independent candidates after Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign sued the officials to permanently move the deadline to August.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said in a court filing on Wednesday that Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and state Director of Elections Ryan Cowley have agreed to not enforce the deadline to apply for ballot access for independent candidates until March 5, allowing Kennedy’s campaign an additional two months to gather signatures.
The Utah officials agreed to delay enforcement of the deadline to comply with federal Judge David Nuffer’s requested schedule to process the preliminary injunction filed by the Kennedy campaign. Nuffer said the state of Utah must reply to the preliminary injunction by January 8, and he will hold a hearing on the injunction, if necessary, the following week, the court filing said.
For Kennedy – who ended his Democratic primary challenge to President Joe Biden in October in favor of an independent presidential bid – Utah provides the first test of his campaign’s ability to meet the logistical and financial hurdles of its stated goal of appearing on the ballot in all 50 states. Utah’s deadline is the earliest in the country for unaffiliated candidates, and missing the deadline could take Kennedy out of the running for Utah’s six electoral votes.
Kennedy’s campaign touted the temporary delay as a “major concession” from the state. Paul Rossi, the attorney representing the campaign in the case, praised Henderson’s “courage” to move the deadline back.
“I am pleased Lt. Governor Henderson had the courage to correct the wrong committed by the state legislature in their intentional assault on the constitutional right of Utah voters to cast their vote for Mr. Kennedy in 2024,” Rossi said in a statement released by the campaign.
Kennedy criticized the state officials who he says are attempting to “prevent popular candidates from getting on the ballot.”
“In a democracy, the people are supposed to decide with their votes who gets into office. Not state officials who prevent popular candidates from getting on the ballot,” Kennedy said in a statement.
CNN has reached out to Henderson’s office for additional comment.
The-CNN-Wire
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