Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes a campaign announcement at a press conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images)
Three Democrats on the election board blocked the motion, citing concerns about how the third parties presented themselves during the signature gathering process and how voters understood their goals.
A delay has been instituted as officials further investigate whether the two parties presented themselves as coherent political organizations or only as a vehicle for Kennedy and West as "independent" candidates.
Independent candidates in North Carolina are subject to a much higher 83,188 signature threshold to qualify for the ballot.
DNC KEEPS GOING AFTER RFK JR. SUPER PAC, ALLEGES TRUMP'S LARGEST DONOR PROPPING UP CANDIDACY
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
"Today the Democrat-controlled North Carolina Board of Elections has done Joe Biden’s bidding, willfully ignored North Carolina law, and betrayed the public trust of North Carolinians by voting not to qualify Cornel West or Robert Kennedy Jr. for the presidential ballot," said Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Whatley.
Whatley blasted the board's decision to delay certification as a "desperate attempt" to keep Kennedy from the ballot — a situation many Democratic strategists have warned would warn President Biden in November.
"This is one more example of Democrats fracturing trust in America’s democratic institutions and flouting the electoral process in their increasingly desperate attempts to hold onto political power -- we are leaving all options on the table to remedy this issue."
Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi and can email him at timothy.nerozzi@fox.com
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