The Socialist Workers Party will appear on the Delaware ballot this year, for the first time ever. This Militant article says it is the first time in 30 years, but actually it is the first time ever. It is also the first time a Marxist party has appeared on the ballot in Delaware since 1976, when the Socialist Labor Party ran its last presidential campaign.

Finally, the SWP in Delaware is the first Marxist party in U.S. history that ever got on any state’s ballot by having a certain number of registered voters. Marxist parties generally don’t encourage people to register as members. Ever since 1978, the only method for a party to get on the Delaware ballot is by persuading one-twentieth of 1% of the state’s voters to publicly join the party, by filling out voter registration forms listing themselves as members. This year that requires 284 registered members. The SWP got most of these registrants in 2004, but they weren’t processed in time for the SWP to be on the ballot in 2004, and the party was not active in Delaware in the 2006 elections.

Nationally, the Socialist Workers Party has enjoyed an exemption from reporting its federal campaign contributions and expenditures ever since 1982, but its exemption runs out at the end of 2008. The party will try to persuade the Federal Election Commission to extend its exemption.