On May 28, the Kennedy for President campaign announced that it had submitted 135,519 signatures to the NYS Board of Elections, more than three times the required 45,000 signature to get on the ballot for President in the Empire State.
Dozens of volunteers carried more than 70 volumes of signatures into the New York State Board of Elections office in Albany. “The scale of this grassroots effort has been monumental and proves the strength of our ground game in a way many claimed was impossible,” said Will Boothby, Kennedy campaign northeast regional field director. “In six weeks, the campaign has held two rallies, a college bus tour, and hundreds of local events. More than 900 volunteers representing all 63 counties stepped up for this historic effort.”
“The State of New York has stacked the deck against independent candidates in every way possible, combining the worst aspects of ballot access restrictions into one amalgamation designed to stop any candidate from achieving what we have achieved today.”
New York utilizes the following stringent rules: a byzantine set of rules for the final processed documents; congressional district requirements for signatures that must be proven to be met before submission; requiring manual validation of all signatures; confusing tests of residency, forcing signers to put downtowns as opposed to the postally accepted hamlets; one of the shortest petitioning windows in the nation allowing only six weeks for collection; and one of the highest number of signatures required in the nation.
In spite of this, the Kennedy campaign has made history in the state that once elected Robert F. Kennedy as their U.S. Senator and where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began his environmental career by spearheading the project to clean up the Hudson River from corporate polluters.
“This accomplishment is a testament to the strength of our movement,” said Emma Diment, Kennedy campaign field digital director. “We’ve talked with hundreds of thousands of New York voters who are thrilled to have a third option this November.”
The campaign’s aggressive ballot access plan will ensure the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket is on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The ballot access plan is fully funded with more than $15 million raised.
The Kennedy-Shanahan ticket is officially on the ballot in seven states — Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Texas. It has collected enough signatures for ballot access in nine other states — New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Idaho, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, New Jersey, and now New York.
The Kennedy-Shanahan campaign has collected the signatures needed for ballot access in 16 states, totaling 229 electoral votes, 43% of the 538 total electoral votes nationwide.
“Getting ‘Bobby on the Ballot’ in my home state is one of the greatest achievements of my life,” said New York volunteer Tammi Palmeri. “I understand what’s at stake for our country and I’m grateful there’s a candidate I can believe in.”
On May 1, the Kennedy campaign released results from a Zogby poll showing Kennedy beats both Presidents Biden and Trump in head-to-head matchups. Kennedy is the first independent ever to defeat both major party candidates in head-to-head matchups.
Learn more at Kennedy24.com.
