A judge has ruled that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed a New York residence on nominating petitions, invalidating the documents he needs to appear on the ballot in the state.

A judge ruled Monday that independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name should not appear on New York’s ballot, saying that he falsely claimed a New York residence on nominating petitions despite living in California.

The scion of the famed Democratic political dynasty vowed to appeal, dismissing the ruling as partisan. If the judge’s decision is upheld, it would not only keep Kennedy off the ballot in New York but could also lead to challenges in other states where he used an address in New York City’s suburbs to gather signatures.

  • @macarthur_park
    18•1 month ago

    Curiously, this article doesn’t explain why RFK tried to claim NY residency on his ballot application. It’s an odd oversight since the AP is usually pretty good about providing context.

    There’s effectively a constitutional requirement that a president and VP be from different states. The electoral college doesn’t allow a state to award its electors to candidates for president and vice president from the same state. Since parties want both of their candidates to be elected, they make sure to pick candidates from different states.

    Since RFK’s running mate is also from California, he is trying to claim NY residency because he has long ties to the state. However it’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t actually live in NY.