Georgia puts Cornel West, Jill Stein and Claudia De la Cruz on the state’s presidential ballots

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia voters are likely to be able to choose from six candidates for president after Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Thursday put Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz back on the ballot and ruled that the Green Party’s Jill Stein had qualified by another route.

Raffensperger, an elected Republican, overruled findings made last week by an administrative law judge that removed West and De la Cruz. West is running as an independent. De la Cruz is the nominee of the Party for Socialism and Liberation but has qualified as an independent in Georgia.

Challenges to independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were dismissed as moot after Kennedy sent papers to Georgia on Monday to officially withdraw his name. Kennedy last week said he was suspending his campaign, withdrawing from the ballot in the most competitive states and endorsing Republican Donald Trump.

Democrats who are trying to knock West, De la Cruz and Stein off the ballot could appeal the decision, but time is running short. Georgia mails out military and overseas ballots starting Sept. 17.

If the decisions stand, Georgia voters will have six choices for president — Trump, West, De la Cruz, Stein, Democrat Kamala Harris and Libertarian Chase Oliver. It would be the first time since 1948 that Georgians would have more than four choices for president. Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians automatically qualify for elections in Georgia.

Democrats legally challenged West, De la Cruz, Kennedy and Stein, seeking to block candidates who could siphon votes from Harris after Joe Biden won Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes in 2020.

Malihi had agreed with arguments made by the state Democratic Party that petitions for independent candidates must be filed in the