Cornel West Secures Spot on South Carolina Ballot for November

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Dr. Cornel West, who is waging an independent campaign for the presidency under the banner of his Justice for All Party, has secured a spot on the November ballot in South Carolina.

West, the Dietrich Bonhoeffer professor of Philosophy and Christian practice at Union Theological Seminary, has said he is running to offer voters a choice beyond what he and his supporters call an “entrenched corporate duopoly.”

With the success of his ballot access effort in South Carolina, West, also affectionately known as “Brother West” to many of his constituents, is now on the November ballot in three states, the other two being Alaska and Oregon.

He and the Justice for All Party have vowed to pursue a “50-state strategy” to get on as many state ballots as possible before the fall elections.

In a video posted to the X social media platform, West said he is “deeply humbled and deeply honored” by his ballot access success in the Palmetto State.

“When I think of South Carolina I know South Carolina has been ground zero for the struggle for Black freedom, and Black freedom has always been the leaven in the loaf of democracy,” he said.

Edwin DeJesus, co-manager and director of ballot access for Cornel West for President, said this latest milestone for the campaign was “achieved through the nomination of the United Citizens Party of South Carolina, which generously offered us their ballot line. 

“This collaboration is grounded in a shared commitment to our values, making this partnership not just strategic, but also meaningful,” he said in an email to The Well News.

DeJesus went on to explain that as an independent candidate “strategically affiliating” with various parties across the nation is essential to ensuring West’s presence on the ballot in all 50 states.

It is a task, he said, made increasingly challenging by existing barriers to ballot access. 

“These obstacles, compounded by a corporate-owned system of campaign financing as a result of Citizens United, necessitate innovative strategies like ours,” he said.

DeJesussaid gaining the ballot line in South Carolina through the United Citizens Party’s nomination has saved the grassroots West campaign a substantial amount of resources.

“Notably, it has averted the need to expend tens of thousands of dollars and the mobilization of our valuable volunteers for on-the-ground efforts in South Carolina,” he said. 

“This would have been the alternative route to collect a minimum of 10,000 signatures by the summer to qualify as an independent. Now, our team can redirect these resources and volunteer efforts towards other critical campaign activities, including events and voter outreach,” he added.

“Ballot access is the bedrock of a vibrant democracy. By securing our place on the ballot in South Carolina, we invite voters to join us in choosing a future defined by truth, justice and love and dismiss the divisive illusions weaved by the corporate-controlled political paradigm,” Westsaid. 

“Even if I am not your candidate, supporting ballot access for independent voices stands as a powerful act of affirmation for a more equal, just and democratic society that puts humanity first,” he said.

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