An unidentified group of petitioners collecting signatures to place independent presidential candidate Cornel West on the Virginia state ballot has reportedly been doing so under false pretenses, according to a recent NBC4 Washington report.
A report published on Tuesday states that a group of petitioners has been collecting signatures to place the Cornel West campaign on the Virginia state ballot but has drawn attention for using deceptive practices to do so. The petitioners have approached voters under the pretense that their signatures would help get Donald Trump off the ballot. In reality, the group told NBC4 that these signatures were intended to support Cornel West’s ballot access.
Presidential candidates seeking to qualify for the Virginia state ballot as independents have until late August to submit 5,000 signatures.
It is not immediately clear who the group is or what association they have with the West campaign, if any, as those collecting signatures would not disclose who enlisted their help or why some of them were misleading voters. The group’s leader reportedly claimed that he was handing the signed petitions over to the Virginia Republican Party. However, Virginia Republican Party Chair Rich Anderson has since denied any connection, emphasizing that party bylaws prohibit assisting non-Republican candidates.
As of the article’s publication, the West campaign has not responded to inquiries from NBC4 Washington about the campaign having any ties to the group.
“those collecting signatures would not disclose who enlisted their help or why some of them were misleading voters”
Isn’t the latter a crime? Just arrest those caught lying to collect signatures and figure out who hired them during their trial.