At least two reality television stars are running for president. One of them, President Trump, is already on the ballot here in Arkansas. The other, Kanye West, is waiting to see if his name will be beside the president's, the Democratic nominee, the Greens and a whole list of others.
Last week, Kanye West (or rather some campaign staffer for him), submitted a stack of signatures to run as an independent presidential candidate in The Natural State. We were curious about the folks who signed this petition. Granted, 1,000 names isn't even 1 percent of the state's population, but getting signatures on a petition is hard work. And it's especially difficult during a pandemic when most folks are trying to keep to themselves.
A Little Rock attorney named Matthew Campbell runs a self-described "muckraking" blog called the Blue Hog Report. Counselor Campbell would probably consider it an honor to be called a troublemaker. He's always filing court documents, submitting FOIA requests, and getting fresh about where he sticks his nose. He'd make a fine inky wretch. Somebody should make him an honorary member of the species.
Mr. Campbell got hold of the petition submitted on behalf of Kanye West and posted it on Twitter. We were curious, so we took a look--a long look. It's the kind of look that takes several hours bouncing back and forth over digital documents and a spreadsheet. Our count was by no means perfect or scientific.
In total, we counted 115 different cities and townships these signatures came from, ranging from Fort Smith to Adona (we Googled it, and it's a real place in Perry County). The top five sources of signatures were as follows:
Fayetteville: 408
Little Rock: 297
Springdale: 203
Rogers: 91
Bentonville: 71
Looks like if Kanye West does make it onto the November ballot, Arkansas will mostly have its northwest corner to thank.
There were some interesting tidbits in the petition. Almost no signatures came from south Arkansas or the Delta. We counted three signatures from El Dorado and one from Helena-West Helena.
Perhaps one of the most important things this petition taught us was how many Arkansans need a refresher on penmanship. Out of all the signatures submitted, we counted 131 that were either illegible or no specific city was listed.
The spread on this petition sure was something else. Around 46 cities and townships had a single signer. And they ranged from Mountain Home to Alpena to Mena. And then there were even smaller places like Paron and Witter.
Some folks on the left are upset that Kanye West is making the ballot anywhere at all. They fear he'll take enough of the vote away from Joe Biden to give an advantage to President Trump, who is trailing in several polls right now.
Our considered editorial opinion? If the man can get enough signatures, let him run. Surely George Bush the Elder would have preferred Ross Perot not split the vote against him. You don't get to choose who runs against you.
The more candidates there are, the healthier our democracy truly is. If you're angry about Kanye West running for anything, channel your energy into the candidate you actually want to win. It'll be a better use of your time. And won't interfere so much with digestion.