WEC chair speaks on vote to keep RFK on Wisconsin ballot

MADISON, Wis. — Robert Kennedy Jr. will remain on the Wisconsin ballot after dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing former President Donald Trump.

The decision comes after a Wisconsin Elections Commission vote Tuesday, which commissioners said upholds state law regarding presidential candidates.

"Wisconsin law says that once you have submitted nomination papers and qualified to appear on the ballot, you may not decline nomination," WEC Chair Ann Jacobs told News 3 Now in an interview.

The only way to prevent Kennedy from appearing on the ballot would have been for him to not have submitted his nomination paperwork. Short of that, Jacobs said, the only way a candidate can be removed from the ballot is if the candidate died.

The decision by the bi-partisan commission also ensured ballot access to candidates from the Green and Libertarian parties. Jacobs, who is a Democratic appointee to the commission, said it was not a partisan decision to keep Kennedy on the ballot.

"The statute is very clear," she said. "Whether that's a good statute or not a good statute, that's for the Legislature to decide. But for us, we have to follow a statute that is that clear."

It is unclear how Kennedy's departure from the race may shape the Wisconsin electorate. The most-recent Marquette poll of likely Wisconsin voters showed Harris had a 4-point lead over Trump when it was a head-to-head matchup. Adding in other third-party candidates, Harris' lead narrowed to a single point over Trump.

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