AUSTIN, Texas — Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be on the ballot in Texas.
Despite claims from Texas Democrats that Kennedy "failed miserably" to get on the state's ballot, the Texas Secretary of State's Office approved the petition Thursday.
Kennedy needed 113,151 signatures to appear on the state's ballot. In May, Kennedy submitted 245,572 signatures to Secretary Jane Nelson's office as part of his efforts to appear as an Independent candidate for President of the United States.
In Thursday's letter, Nelson said her office determined 122,513 signatures were valid. Nicole Shanahan will also appear on the ballot as the Vice Presidential candidate.
In July, Texas Democrats sent a letter to Nelson's office saying Kennedy's petition "must be rejected" and that he "failed to submit" the required numbers of signatures "to qualify for the November 2024 General Election."
Democrats claimed an internal review of Kennedy's petition found that 69% of the first 245,000 signatures were invalid. It was their latest challenge to keep Kennedy off the ballot following similar challenges in Delaware, Georgia, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey and New York.
According to the Associated Press, another legal challenge to keep Kennedy off the ballot is now underway in Pennsylvania.
What are the requirements for petition signatures in Texas?
According to the Texas Election Code, in addition to the signatures, the petition must:
- Include the voter's printed name
- Include either the voter's date of birth or the voter registration number and county of registration
- List the voter's residence address
- Include the date of the signing
- Be from a registered Texas voter or a voter who has received a registration certificate that will become effective by Election Day