Before he even announced his play for the Oval Office, West had unprecedented ground to cover entering the race this late as a member of his own independent party he called the "Birthday Party." Right out of the gate, West had missed the voter registration deadline in six states: North Carolina, Texas, New York, Maine, New Mexico, and Indiana. But the pressure was on. If he could get his campaign up and running , West (technically) had a chance to register as an Independent candidate for South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Colorado, and Michigan by the end of July.