Kennedy announces that he will participate in the vote in Utah

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent president, will be on the ballot in Utah, his campaign announced Wednesday at an event in Salt Lake City, capping a weekslong signature-gathering effort.

Utah is the first state to give Mr. Kennedy a spot on the ballot, and he has a long and expensive road to his stated goal of getting on the ballot in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. He left the Democratic Party in October to make an independent bid for the White House.

Mr. Kennedy, who turns 70 this month, is the scion of America’s political royalty and an environmental lawyer who has gained notoriety in recent years for promoting conspiracy theories, including unproven claims about widespread government corruption and the danger of vaccines.

Mr. Kennedy has drawn support from some disaffected Democrats, Republicans and independents, many of whom are attracted to his anti-establishment message. A poll published in November by The New York Times and Siena College found that unfavorable views of President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump could provide an opening for independent candidates like Mr. Kennedy.

Mr. Biden’s supporters worry that Mr. Kennedy could siphon votes away from him, tipping the election toward the Republican candidate.

States make their own rules for ballot access. Independent candidates must navigate a labyrinthine network that handles signature gathering and financial reporting requirements. The effort is time-consuming and expensive.

Last month, a super PAC backing Mr. Kennedy said it would spend at least $10 million to get him on the ballot, focusing on 10 states. Two weeks later, commission leaders said they would scale back that effort to seven states. Mr. Kennedy’s campaign is pursuing its own ballot access efforts.

The campaign met Utah’s signature threshold last week but signed the official paperwork on Wednesday, Mr. Kennedy said.

In his remarks, Mr. Kennedy complained about “the undemocratic blockade the major political parties have on this process” and the “arbitrary and capricious” rules states have put in place for independent presidential bids.

“It’s all to prevent third parties from getting to the ballot box,” he said.