Kanye West qualified to be on the ballot in Oklahoma, despite a report this week that 'he's out' of the race

• Kanye West qualified to be on the Oklahoma General Election ballot for the 2020 election in November. 
• The musician announced his intention to run for president on July 4. 
• A specialist who works on getting candidates on the ballot and worked on Kanye's campaign, previously told New York Magazine that West was out of the contest. 
• West is still ineligible to be on the ballot in at least four states. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Kanye West qualified to be on the General Election ballot in Oklahoma for the elections in November, the Oklahoma State Election Board announced on Wednesday. 

Independent presidential candidate Kanye West has qualified for the General Election ballot in Oklahoma. (Today is Oklahoma's deadline for Independent & Unrecognized Party presidential candidates to file statements of candidacy with their petitions or filing fee.)

— Oklahoma State Election Board (@OKelections) July 15, 2020

"This afternoon, we received a properly executed statement of candidacy for Kanye West, along with the appropriate filing fee in lieu of petition," Oklahoma State Election Board officials told KOCO. "Kanye West is now qualified as an independent candidate for president of the United States in Oklahoma and will appear on the general election ballot."

Wednesday was also the last day for independents to file in Oklahoma, KOCO reported. 

West announced that he intended to run for president in a tweet earlier this month. However, on Tuesday New York Magazine reported that West would no longer be in the running. 

We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States 🇺🇸! #2020VISION

— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020

According to the magazine, Steve Kramer, a "get-out-the-vote specialist," who helps a candidate get on the ballots told reporter Ben Jacobs: "He's out."

Kramer told Jacobs that West had a team of people in Florida and South Carolina trying to get him signatures so he could get on the ballot on July 9. West would have needed to obtain 132,781 signatures from valid Florida voters. 

While West has not made any mention of dropping out of the presidential race, it's too late for him to be placed on the ballot in at least four states: North Carolina, Indiana, New Mexico, and Texas, Business Insider previously reported. 

• Read more:
• Elon Musk says he still supports Kanye West's bid for the presidency, but he thinks '2024 would be better than 2020'
• Inside Donald Trump and Kanye West's unlikely friendship
• Kanye West says Elon Musk is advising him on his presidential bid. Here's how their friendship began and everything that's happened since.
• Kanye West announced on Twitter that he's running for president, but it's too late for him to appear on the ballot in 4 states

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source https://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-west-qualified-to-be-on-the-ballot-in-oklahoma-2020-7