RFK Jr says he’s not allowed to vote after judge ruled he has ‘no legal residence’

Robert F Kennedy Jr said lawsuits surrounding his 2024 independent presidential campaign first sought to remove him from ballots in 12 states
Asked whether he was registered to vote in Los Angeles ahead of the city’s upcoming mayoral election, Robert F Kennedy Jr described his situation as 'very strange' (Getty Images)
Asked whether he was registered to vote in Los Angeles ahead of the city’s upcoming mayoral election, Robert F Kennedy Jr described his situation as 'very strange' (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr says a previous court ruling over his residency has left him in an unusual position: unable to legally vote in any state.

Kennedy disclosed the information recently while talking to reporters about homelessness in Los Angeles with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner. Asked about his voter registration status in the city for the upcoming mayoral election, Kennedy said a legal dispute stemming from his 2024 presidential campaign continues to affect his ability to vote.

RFK Jr says court ruling left him without a legal residence

Robert F Kennedy Jr revealed he is not allowed to vote because a judge determined he has “no legal residence.”



One reporter asked Kennedy whether he was registered to vote in the city ahead of the upcoming mayoral election, which prompted a confusing response in which he explained his unique situation.

“I’m in a very strange position, because when I ran for president, the Democratic Party sued me first to get me off the ballot in 12 states, including New York and California,” he said. “And then when I, um, when I endorsed President Trump, they sued me to keep me on the ballot in those same states.”

He continued, “And in the course of one of those lawsuits, it was declared that I had no legal residence, and so it’s a, I’m in a dilemma where I literally have no state where I can legally vote right now.”

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. speaks during a fireside chat with CPAC Senior Fellow Mercedes Schlapp at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr speaks during a fireside chat with CPAC Senior Fellow Mercedes Schlapp at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Dallas, Saturday, March 28, 2026 (AP Photo/Gabriela Passos)

“I’m probably the only person in the country who’s a legal citizen who has that dilemma, but I’m still trying to figure it out before the next election.” Kennedy added that he believed he could be the only US citizen facing the unusual situation.

New York judge rejected RFK Jr’s claimed address

While Kennedy was running for president as an independent in 2024, New York Judge Christina Ryba knocked his name off the state’s ballot after determining that the address he had claimed as his residence on nominating petitions was a “sham.”

Kennedy testified that he was renting a room in a friend’s home in Katonah, New York, but had only slept in the room once because of his campaign travel.

He also said that he was always planning to return to New York despite having moved to California in 2014.

The Secretary of Human Services and Sciences, RFK Jr. (Getty Images)
While Kennedy was running for president as an independent in 2024, New York Judge Christina Ryba knocked his name off the state’s ballot (Getty Images)

“Given the size and appearance of the spare bedroom as shown in the photographs admitted into evidence, the Court finds Kennedy’s testimony that he may return to that bedroom to reside with his wife, family members, multiple pets, and all of his personal belongings to be highly improbable, if not preposterous,” Ryba wrote.

Kennedy’s comments have rekindled the long-standing debate over residency while he serves in the Trump administration.

His remarks highlight the continued political and legal fallout from his 2024 presidential campaign, which began as an independent bid before he changed course and backed Trump.

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