**Justice Alito Rejects Cornel West's Request to Notify Pennsylvania Voters**

Justice Samuel Alito turned down a plea from progressive activist Cornel West to direct Pennsylvania election officials to notify voters at polling stations statewide on Election Day that West is a presidential candidate and eligible for write-in votes. This request for emergency intervention from the Supreme Court came merely days before the election, as over 1.5 million Pennsylvanians have already cast their mail-in ballots.

Cornel West, who represents a third-party in the presidential race, has faced hurdles in getting his name on the ballot in Pennsylvania. His name appears on ballots in critical states like Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. After Pennsylvania rejected his nomination papers, West filed a lawsuit in federal district court in September, claiming the state's election procedures violate the Constitution. Both the district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit sided with the state, supporting a legal principle that advises against altering election rules close to the election date to prevent voter and election official confusion.

Dissatisfied with the lower court rulings, West escalated the matter to the Supreme Court. He argued that Pennsylvania’s election laws unfairly restrict minor-party candidates’ access to the ballot, thus infringing on his First Amendment rights. West's legal team contended that the delay in resolving the dispute should not justify the exclusion of candidates, asserting that such actions violate the principles of the First and Fourteenth Amendments and hinder the democratic process by limiting political diversity.

The Supreme Court has been increasingly called upon to adjudicate election-related disputes. Within the same week of West's appeal, the Court declined independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s request to remove his name from ballots in Wisconsin and Michigan. Additionally, it allowed Virginia to continue a program aimed at removing approximately 1,600 suspected noncitizens from its voter rolls. As Election Day approaches, the role of the judiciary in election matters remains under intense scrutiny.