On August 29, the Socialist Party filed paperwork to become a qualified party in Florida. The party was last on the Florida ballot in 2012 and then ceased to be recognized. The party is experienced in the process of becoming re-qualified.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
When is their deadline?
The presidential elector candidates for all Florida parties are due September 1.
Hasn’t the Socialist Party been on the ballot only two or three times during the Debs/Thomas years?
In 1931, the Florida legislature repealed all way for a new party, or an independent candidate, to get on the ballot. “Party” was defined as something that had got at least 30% of the vote for some statewide race in a presidential year (back then, all Florida state statewide offices were up in presidential years). The Florida Supreme Court upheld this law numerous times in 1932 and 1936. But a funny thing happened in 1936; the Republicans fell off the ballot. The 1937 legislature lowered the vote test from 30% to 15%. In 1939 it eliminated the vote test and said a party was a group with 5% of the registration. Norman Thomas and all other minor party and independent candidates were thus not on the ballot 1931 thru 1947. In 1948 the legislature came into special session in September and passed a bill putting Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace on the ballot. The law named them and their presidential elector candidates. In 1949 it repealed that obsolete law and said anyone could get on for president only with 7,500 signatures. But no one managed to use this petition, and in 1967 it was raised to 3/4 of 1% of the registration. George Wallace used it in 1968. In 1969 it was raised to 1%. In 1970 the State Supreme Court struck down the laws relating to non-presidential office. So the legislature said a third party could get on for non-presidential office with a 3% petition, and a non-presidential independent with a 5% petition. In 1974 the State Supreme Court struck down the 5% because it was higher than 3%, so from 1975 thru 1998, there were 3% petitions for both (for office other than president) and 1% for president. Thanks goodness in 1998 the voters amended the state constitution to abolish mandatory petitions, except for indp pres candidates.