Kanye West Pays $35,000 To Appear On Oklahoma Presidential Ballot, Contrary To Reports He’d Dropped Out

Rapper Kanye West has filed the paperwork — and paid the $35,000 fee — to have his name appear on Oklahoma’s 2020 presidential ballot, the Associated Press reported. The filing contradicts previous rumors that Yeezy had dropped out of the race.

Wednesday was the deadline for a candidate to file to appear on the ballot in Oklahoma. A representative for Kanye — with just hours to go — got the documents submitted. That means voters in The Sooner State will see Kanye’s name along with those of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and any other third-party candidates who met the deadline, when they cast their ballots on November 3.

Oklahoma Board of Elections spokeswoman Misha Mohr said Kanye was one of three Independent candidates to make it onto the ballot ahead of the deadline, the other two being concert pianist Jade Simmons and cryptocurrency entrepreneur Brock Pierce.

According to TMZ, the rapper has also filed the appropriate documentation with the Federal Election Commission — specifically, Form 1, Statement of Organization — to declare that he’s running for president. That paperwork is effectively the first official step to become a presidential candidate. His party is listed as “BDY” which stands for “Birthday Party,” which — as previously reported by The Inquisitr — is the party under which he’s running, “because when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday.”

However, Kanye has not filled out Form 2, Statement of Candidacy, which confirms that he’s raised or spent more than $5,000 in campaign activity and officially triggers candidacy status under federal campaign finance law. TMZ noted that Form 2 is more important than Form 1.

That Kanye has filled out paperwork and paid fees to move his campaign along contradicts reports that he’s dropping out.

On Wednesday, New York Magazine‘s “The Intelligencer” column quoted Kanye’s adviser, Steve Kramer, as saying “he’s out” and noting that the staff the rapper had hired were disappointed.

The musician announced his candidacy for president on July 4 in a tweet.

Initially, it was unclear if he was being serious. However, in a later interview, he made it clear that he was quite serious and that he’d garnered the support of tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, whom Kanye promised to name as head of the space program should he win.

Kanye is late in the game when it comes to getting his presidential bid up and running. Already it’s too late for him to appear on multiple other states’ ballots, including that of Florida, whose 29 electoral votes are a much-sought after prize for any candidate hoping for a shot at the Oval Office.