RFK Jr. Confronted with Hurdles in Getting on Ballot Across All 50 States

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate, along with his supporters, is striving to be listed on the ballot for the 2024 general election in all 50 states. This is a challenging goal that requires significant effort and resources.

The campaign estimates that around $15 million will be needed to collect approximately 1 million signatures necessary to be included on all state ballots. A significant portion of this funding will go towards hiring signature gatherers to meet deadlines set by each state, as reported by NPR on Wednesday.

Michael Arno, a petition signature gathering expert, emphasized the importance of paid signature collectors, even for campaigns with volunteer support. Amaryllis Kennedy, the campaign director and RFK Jr.’s daughter-in-law, expressed optimism in relying on their volunteer network to minimize the need for paid signature gatherers.

In addition to collecting signatures, independent campaigns face high legal fees due to challenges from third-party candidates against state ballot access laws and lawsuits from major political parties.

To address these obstacles, the campaign is developing innovative digital tools to mobilize volunteers and supporters to collect signatures. Despite legal challenges, they have made progress in states like Idaho, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Hampshire.

Alongside these efforts, American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting RFK Jr., has claimed to secure enough signatures for the candidate to appear on the ballot in states like Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, and Michigan, as reported by Axios.