Kanye West has asked fans to sign a petition calling for him to be added to the presidential election ballot in South Carolina. The rap superstar announced he was running for the White House on 4 July, tweeting: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States.” But doubts persist over how seriously to take his bid. West, who has both expressed support for Donald Trump and said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, has said he will model his White House on a fictional land in the Black Panther superhero film, saying: “Let’s get back to Wakanda.” This week it emerged he has qualified to appear on the presidential ballot in Oklahoma after making Wednesday’s deadline to register as an independent candidate. But it appears he missed the cut-off to run in South Carolina. According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), that state also had a deadline of Wednesday. Apparently hoping public opinion can sway officials, he tweeted: “If you’re a voter in South Carolina, please sign this petition to place me on the ballot Sponsored by Ye 2020.” The online petition is paid for by the Kanye 2020 political committee, which filed paperwork with the FEC this week, indicating West, who is married to the reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, is serious about running. Ben Jacobs, a former Guardian reporter now filing for New York Magazine who has followed West’s moves closely, reported that the rapper started to make moves to get on the ballot in Florida before pulling back. After missing the ballot deadline in the Sunshine state, West did file to be on the ballot in Oklahoma, which simply requires a check. On Saturday, Jacobs reported that petitions were available to be signed in nine locations across South Carolina. One host told the magazine people had been coming in “off and on” to sign the petition for West. The Kanye 2020 committee has filed a statement organisation form, also known as FEC Form 1. The next step would be filing a statement of candidacy, or FEC Form 2. That is filed when an individual has raised or spent more than $5,000 on campaign activity, triggering candidacy status. No record of a Kanye 2020 FEC Form 2 appeared online as of Friday.