GREENSBORO, N.C. — The race to be the Republican presidential nominee is down to former president Donald Trump and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. So why is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis still on the ballot with others that dropped out?
If you take a closer look at the ballot for the Republican primary, there are seven names of people running. Out of those seven, only three say they are still running.
Trump, Haley, and Texas pastor Ryan Binkley who never secured enough support to qualify for the debates. Political pundits say he's a long shot who has no real chance of winning. So why are people who dropped out still on the ballot? The head of North Carolina’s Board of Elections, Karen Brinson Bell, says it's a simple answer: our state law requires it.
“If someone wanted to withdraw, they would have had to do that during the candidate filing period, and our law is very specific about when they have to do that,” said Brinson Bell. “We've missed that window because our candidate filing was in December. At this point, the names on the ballot are set, even if someone has withdrawn.”
If you vote for a candidate who's not in the race anymore, that vote will still be counted. It's even possible that the candidate could win some delegates who could come into play at the Republican convention if there's not a clear winner nationwide.
The latest poll done in North Carolina has Trump leading Haley by 54 points, but that was back at the beginning of January before Iowa and New Hampshire.
More new polling needs to be done. On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden is the only name on the ballot.
By the way, before you send back your absentee ballot make sure to put three forever stamps on it, and check out how to comply with the new voter ID law.