Kanye West makes Minnesota ballot as third-party presidential candidate

(FOX 9) - Rapper Kanye West has made Minnesota's November ballot as a third-party presidential candidate, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

Secretary of State Steve Simon's office had been reviewing his filing.

A spokesman for the office says that official signature totals were not immediately available because election workers were in the process of taking personal information off the documents. He needed 2,000 verified signatures to qualify. West launched his bid in a tweet on July 4, raising speculation that it was an effort by Republicans to siphon voters away from Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, or perhaps a publicity stunt.

He has made the ballots in more than half a dozen states and has pending petitions in other states.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.