At least four people who have been active in Republican politics are linked to Kanye West’s attempt to get on the presidential ballot this year. The connection raises questions about the aims of the entertainer’s effort and whether it is regarded within the G.O.P. as a spoiler campaign that could aid President Trump, even as those close to Mr. West have expressed concerns about his mental health as he enters the political arena…

To be sure, if Mr. West’s goal is to disrupt the general election between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump, he is going about it in a strange way. For instance, some of the states where he has filed to get on the ballot have been solidly red states, like Arkansas, where his presence would almost certainly do little to change the general election equation. But other states he is targeting, like Wisconsin, are seen as pivotal…

Mr. West has missed the filing deadlines in a number of states, and on Tuesday he appeared to have abandoned efforts to get on the ballot in New Jersey, but he could still be a spoiler in other states. Mr. Jacoby said he hoped that news media attention underscored the complexity of getting on the ballot and “the need to modernize such ballot access laws to make it easier for every American who wants to serve.”