Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks to supporters during a campaign event in Royal Oak, Michigan, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a controversial third-party presidential candidate, filed to run on Indiana's presidential election in November.
The Indiana Department of Elections confirmed that Kennedy met Monday's noon filing deadline, but said his signatures have not yet been counted.
Kennedy reported on July 1 that he had submitted more than 105,000 petition signatures to the county election board to run as an independent, more than the 36,943 minimum needed to qualify. He said the board had certified about 39,000 signatures, allowing him to appear on the ballot alongside Democratic and Republican candidates.
“During the signature gathering drive, 99 percent of the people I met wanted to sign a petition to put Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the ballot,” Indiana campaign volunteer Dolores Lane said in Kennedy's announcement. “Indianaans are ready to end corruption in our government and embrace the restoration of healthy people, healthy food, healthy soil and our constitutional freedoms.”
To qualify, third-party candidates must submit signatures to their county elections board by noon on July 1. Once certified by the county, those petitions are then submitted to the Indiana State Department of Elections by noon on July 15.
The Elections Department then reviews the certification, counts the signatures, and notifies the Secretary of State of the number of valid signatures, who then determines whether a candidate meets the criteria to appear on the ballot.
Kennedy and his running mate, California philanthropist Nicole Shanahan, reported successful ballot access applications in 10 states and said they had applied to file in 14 more (including Indiana) and had gathered signatures to qualify in five more. Combined, the 29 states have 390 electoral votes, including Indiana's 11. To be elected president, a candidate must receive at least 270 electoral votes.
Kennedy did not meet the national voting attendance threshold required to attend last month's debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
Kennedy's FiveThirtyEight polling average has him at 9%, high for a candidate unlikely to win by a landslide, but far below Trump's 42.4% and Biden's 40.3%.
of Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization covering state government, policy and elections.
