Kennedy and West third-party ballot drives are pushed by secretive groups and Republican donors

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — With early voting for the November presidential election set to begin in September in some states, there are signs across the country that groups are trying to affect the outcome by using deceptive means — and in most cases in ways that would benefit Republican Donald Trump. The groups’ aim is to whittle away President Joe Biden’s standing with the Democratic Party’s base by offering left-leaning, third-party alternatives who could siphon off protest votes in close swing state contests. Libertarians in Colorado want to put Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the ballot. Petition drives for Cornel West in Virginia and North Carolina are being run by groups with Republican ties.