Massachusetts election law has two methods for a group to become a qualified party. The older method is for the group to run a candidate for statewide office. If that candidate polls 3% of the vote, then the ballot label for that candidate becomes a qualified party. This is how the Libertarian Party won this status in 2008; its U.S. Senate candidate polled over 3% of the vote.
The other method has existed only since 1990. A group can register its name, and then elections officials keep track of how many voters register as members of that group, on voter registration forms. If it gets registration of 1% of the state total, then it becomes qualified as well. No group has ever used this method.
Recently, the Independent Party filed paperwork to become eligible to have a voter registration tally. See this story. Massachusetts has never before had a ballot-qualified party named “Independent Party”, although there was an “Independent Voters Party” recognized after the 1990 election. It went off the ballot after the 1992 election because it didn’t poll as much as 3% for any statewide office in 1992 and also because it never attained registration of 1%.
the non-affiliated voters legal defense fund in very interested in helping this effort nationally. But will the non-affiliated voters have full ballot access to nominating / designating petitioning as well as primary election participation. Otherwise a lawsuit should be brought in that state challenging he use of the confusing name of the “independent party”
The Massachusetts Supreme Court already ruled some years ago that independent candidates have a right to have “independent” on the ballot next to their names. The Court struck down a state law saying independent candidates could only be on the ballot as “unenrolled candidate.”
yes, but is/was there a separate ballot line with full primary state qualified party called “independent party” not just the general election ballot with the word “independent”?