PONTIAC, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) — With 49 days left until the election, a federal judge on Tuesday considered whether or not to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name from the Michigan ballot for the upcoming presidential election.
It came after the The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that he must remain on the ballot.
Legal battles are raging as deadlines for printing and distributing ballots quickly approach.
Under federal law, printed ballots must be delivered to city and town officials no later than Saturday, September 21, 45 days before Election Day.
Andrés Gutierrez/CBS Detroit
“People might think, oh, that looks like you’ve got plenty of time. We’re printing a million ballots. And that’s just in this county. You know, we have 83 counties and there’s only a handful of printers,” Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown told CBS News Detroit.
The original plan was to send the ballots to the printer on September 6. However, RFK Jr. went to court, arguing that even though he had withdrawn from the presidential race, keeping his name on the ballot could cause confusion among voters and violate his constitutional rights because it would appear as if he were still a candidate.
“It would not only be a logistical nightmare. It would be that I would not be in compliance with the law, and that is a concern, and that we would be disenfranchising voters because they would not have their ballot at the right time,” Brown said.
Her colleague across the state, Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck, points out that much more needs to be done once election administrators receive printed ballots.
“They’re beginning a process where they’re putting those ballots into envelopes, a workflow process that ensures accuracy. You know, the numbered slip that’s attached to each ballot has to match the numbered slip that’s on the outer envelope that goes to the voter,” Roebuck said. “While I believe it’s important to have a day in court, I really believe that that trial should happen earlier in the process than it does now.”
“It’s a political game, but it’s very stressful. Listen, election administrators are already, already under a lot of stress. This doesn’t help,” Brown said.
