Cornel West will be on Virginia ballot after state reverses course

Independent candidate Cornel West was cleared to be on the Virginia presidential ballot after the state reversed its decision on Friday.

In a letter to West's campaign, the Virginia Department of Elections said it "reconsidered" its decision to bar West from the ballot and now he and Melina Abdullah, his running mate, will be on the ballot in November.

The Virginia Department of Elections previously denied West due to a problem with forms required for submission in the state. West's campaign told CBS News it was due to challenges on the validity of their elector forms.

"The Department has confirmed that the campaign did submit paperwork in April but was not made aware of a new form that would be required after July 1 regarding the electors' citizenship and residency," the letter said.

The reversal from Virginia comes nearly two weeks after West secured a legal victory in a case over his ballot eligibility in Michigan, a key battleground state. In that case, Michigan Court of Claims Judge James Redford ruled that the state erred in disqualifying West from the ballot after it had cited technical problems with the candidate’s petition.

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Virginia, while not a battleground state, has been seen as a spot where Republicans could pull off an upset despite President Joe Biden winning the state by 10 points in 2020.

According to polling from RealClearPolitics, Vice President Kamala Harris leads former President Donald Trump in Virginia 48% to 44% in a head-to-head race. With independent candidates added to the race, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who removed his name from the Virginia ballot after suspending his campaign on Aug. 23, Harris leads Trump 44% to 40.5%, with West receiving 1%.