Kanye West is suing Ohio’s elections chief after he was denied a spot on the state’s presidential ballot.
The musician has been running an unconventional campaign for November’s election, having only made the ballot in eight states to date.
After Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose rejected a nearly-15,000 signature petition and other election paperwork from West, citing mismatched information on the documents, the rapper filed a complaint on Wednesday.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Gold Digger hitmaker’s election lawyers allege LaRose has a duty to accept any petition for an independent candidate as long as there is no protest filed against it and it does not violate state law.
Ohio has traditionally been a battleground state in U.S. elections, but Trump defeated Hillary Clinton handily there in his 2016 election victory.
West has already failed to get on the ballot in a majority of states, falling short in his adoptive home of Wyoming as well as his native Illinois, and the key swing state of Wisconsin. He also missed filing deadlines or was rejected in states including California, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
However, he will appear on the ballot in Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, and Vermont.
The hip-hop superstar had supported U.S. President Donald Trump until he announced his own candidacy last month. Operatives from Trump’s Republican Party have been accused of helping the rap legend’s push to appear on ballots in a bid to draw young Black voters away from his Democratic Party rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. West has refused to deny the claims.
The music and fashion mogul’s campaign got off to a disastrous start when a botched launch prompted his wife Kim Kardashian to ask for public sympathy due to his battles with bipolar disorder.
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