RICHMOND, Va. — A law firm with ties to prominent Democrats has filed a lawsuit attempting to keep rapper Kanye West off presidential ballots in Virginia.
Attorneys for Perkins Coie filed a lawsuit in Richmond on Tuesday on behalf of two people who say they were tricked into signing an “Elector Oath” backing West’s candidacy.
Under state law, a candidate must have 13 electors pledge their support for a candidate as part of the criteria to appear on the ballot.
The lawsuit alleges that 11 of West’s 13 electors may be invalid and asks the court to block West’s name from appearing on ballots.
Later Wednesday, Attorney General Mark Herring motioned for an emergency hearing in the case, and filed a scathing response brief.
"The Commonwealth of Virginia, including the state elections officials and entities named as Defendants, does not tolerate any type of election fraud," the brief reads. "Similarly, this Court has had little patience for keeping candidates on the ballot who have used underhanded and fraudulent tactics to 'steal a spot on the ballot.'"
In a release, Herring's office said the urgency was due to a quickly approaching deadline for printing this election's paper ballots.
