(AP) — Arkansas election officials on Monday said online news personality Cenk Uygur, who was born in Turkey, can't appear on the state's Democratic presidential primary ballot next year.
The determination comes weeks after Uygur proclaimed that he had become the first naturalized citizen on a presidential ballot after filing paperwork with the state and the Arkansas Democratic Party.
“My office has received your candidate filing paperwork,” Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston said in a letter to Uygur.
Reed Brewer, a spokesman for the Arkansas Democratic Party, said based on past court rulings, the party didn't have authority to determine whether Uygur was eligible for the ballot.
“Because of the vagaries of state law, rejecting a filing is simply not an option for us,” Brewer said.
Persons:
Cenk Uygur, Uygur, “, State John Thurston, ” Uygur, I’m, ”, Joe Biden, Reed Brewer, ” Brewer, Brewer
Organizations:
—, Democratic, Arkansas Democratic Party, State, Turks
Locations:
— Arkansas, Turkey, Arkansas, New Hampshire, Nevada, California