Lexington, KY – Kanye West’s celebratory tweets about leading the polls in Kentucky were premature. On Tuesday (October 13), a noticeably thrilled Ye took to Twitter to share what turned out to be invalid early election results.
“GET THE WEST WING READY!!!” he tweeted alongside a video of himself pointing to the results. “This is how I felt when I saw the Kentucky pole result.”
GET THE WEST WING READY !!! … this is how I felt when I saw that Kentucky pole result ?????☄️???? pic.twitter.com/k9e87MGKZL
— ye (@kanyewest) October 14, 2020
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— ye (@kanyewest) October 14, 2020
Ye — who managed to get on the ballot in Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Vermont — should’ve done his due diligence. According to LEX18, who originally reported the numbers, it was simply a test.
The Lexington-based news station cleared up the confusion with a tweet shortly after Kanye’s victory lap, writing, “Someone discovered a cached web link that we used during June’s primary election to post Associated Press election results. The old link was still populating current AP data and showed test results, which is part of the preparation the AP does in advance of elections.
“The results shown were not valid. They were simply part of a test. We regret the discovery of the cached web link and have removed the data from that page. We apologize for any confusion.”
The results shown were not valid. They were simply part of a test. We regret the discovery of the cached web link and have removed the data from that page. We apologize for any confusion. (2/2)
— LEX 18 News (@LEX18News) October 14, 2020
LEX18 news anchor Nancy Cox took it a step further and apologize to everyone, including Kanye.
“Despite what @kanyewest is tweeting, he is not leading the race for President in KY,” she tweeted. “The Associated Press always sends out test numbers to make sure systems are working. It’s an automated thing that is posting election results on our website. Sorry viewers. Sorry Kanye.”
Despite what @kanyewest is tweeting, he is not leading the race for President in KY. The Associated Press always sends out test numbers to make sure systems are working. It's an automated thing that is posting election results on our website. Sorry viewers. Sorry Kanye.
— Nancy Cox (@NancyCoxLex18) October 14, 2020
Kanye’s posts were eventually hit with the “manipulated media” tag although they both remain on his Twitter page.
The ambitious yet seemingly misguided presidential candidate released his first official campaign ad earlier this week, promising “through prayer, truth will be restored.” But it’s important to note he has a very, very slim chance of actually winning.
The election takes place on November 3 when Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will go head-to-head.