ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former independent presidential candidate, will not have his name on the ballots in North Carolina this year. This outcome is thought to boost Republican Donald Trump’s prospects in the important swing state for the 2024 election.

The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on September 9 that election officials must eliminate Kennedy’s name from the ballots, necessitating their reprinting, which may shorten the time allowed for mail-in voting by several weeks. This ruling followed the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision to maintain Kennedy’s name on that state’s ballot, benefiting Democrat Kamala Harris.

Kennedy suspended his presidential campaign in August, endorsed Trump, and has sought legal means to keep his name off the ballots in crucial swing states, although with varying success.

According to the Asheville Citizen Times, a partner of the YSL News Network, an earlier ruling from Wake County Superior Court on September 5 stated that Kennedy’s name would remain on the ballot. However, Kennedy appealed this decision to the North Carolina Court of Appeals, which sided with him on September 6, ahead of the deadline for counties to begin sending out mail-in absentee ballots.

The State Board of Elections subsequently appealed to the N.C. Supreme Court, which delivered its decision late on September 9.

Justice Trey Allen noted in the majority opinion, “We recognize that hastening the process of printing new ballots will take considerable time and effort from our election officials, as well as incurring significant costs to the state. However, this is a necessary expense required by the North Carolina Constitution to protect voters’ essential right to vote according to their beliefs and to ensure that their votes count.”

The N.C. State Board of Elections announced on September 10 that counties will begin distributing ballots on the same day to ensure uniform voting times across the state, although the exact date remains unclear. According to prior reports from the Citizen Times, preparing and reprinting ballots without Kennedy’s name might take several weeks.

Additionally, the State Board is discussing a possible waiver with the U.S. Department of Defense in case they miss the federal deadline of September 21 for sending out ballots for military and overseas voters. Election boards must send these ballots out at least 45 days before the election.

Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the State Board of Elections, stated, “We will keep consulting with counties and ballot vendors to find a feasible start date for distributing absentee ballots across the state, always keeping in mind the 45-day federal deadline. This decision puts a significant burden on our county boards at a particularly busy time. Nevertheless, our election officials are skilled professionals, and I’m confident we will meet this challenge.”

On September 10, Corinne Duncan, the Buncombe County Elections Director, disclosed during a Facebook Live event that 5,300 ballots require reprinting. She mentioned it cost Buncombe County $30,000 to print the original ballots and estimated that reprinting would cost around $28,500.

The total expense of reprinting ballots in North Carolina remains uncertain. However, Common Cause North Carolina, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on democracy, indicated on September 10 that this could amount to nearly $1 million for state taxpayers.

“This ruling is detrimental to voters,” stated Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina. “It places an undue strain on county election budgets, which are already limited because the state legislature has not provided adequate funding for our elections.”

Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. You can contact him at jbiba@citizentimes.com.