One of the reasons the November 4 election is suspenseful is because there are so many states in which it is difficult to predict whether various minor parties will poll enough votes to obtain, or keep, recognized party status.
Alabama: although no minor party candidate has any candidates on the ballot for statewide office, parties can also obtain recognized party status, for county office only, if they poll 20% of the vote for a countywide county office. The Libertarian Party hopes to obtain this status in Jefferson County, the state’s most populous county.
Alaska: the Constitution Party hopes to attain qualified party status for the first time, which it will do if it polls 3% for Governor. The Libertarian Party hopes to keep its party status, so it also needs to poll 3% for Governor. However, if the Libertarian Party fails to do that, chances are it can keep its party status if it increases the number of registered voters, which it has always been able to do in the past.
Arizona: it is unlikely that Americans Elect will get 5% for Governor, but if it did, it would be on the ballot for another four years. The Libertarian Party will stay on regardless of its gubernatorial total, since it has enough registrations to remain on.
Arkansas: both the Green Party and the Libertarian Party hope to poll 3% for Governor, which would keep them on the ballot for two years. The Green Party had a gubernatorial candidate in 2006 and 2010, but neither time polled 3%. This is the first year the Libertarian Party has been on for Governor.
Colorado: the Libertarian and Green Parties will remain qualified due to their registration, and the Constitution Party is virtually certain to poll 1% for Secretary of State and thus remain on.
Delaware: the Libertarian, Green and Independent Parties will remain on due to their registration.
D.C.: the Green Party always passes the vote test, which requires 7,500 votes for any partisan districtwide office. This is the first time the Libertarian Party has been a qualified party during a midterm year, and it also hopes to poll 7,500 votes.
Florida: parties remain ballot-qualified based on being organized.
Georgia: the Libertarian Party always passes the vote test to retain its qualified status for statewide offices. That vote test is 1% of the number of registered voters for any statewide office.
Hawaii: the Libertarian Party will remain ballot-qualified if its legislative nominees poll a number of votes equal to 2% of the vote cast for all legislative candidates. No party has ever before used this part of the law to remain ballot-qualified, but the party has enough legislative nominees to meet this test. The Green Party will remain ballot-qualified because it is in its ten-year “free” period. The Independent Party will remain ballot-qualified if it polls 10% for Governor.
Idaho: the Libertarian and Constitution Parties will remain ballot-qualified because each of them is running at least 3 nominees.
Illinois: the Libertarian Party will become ballot-qualified for all office if it polls 5% for Governor. It will become ballot-qualified just for the statewide offices if any of its statewide nominees polls 5%.
Indiana: the Libertarian Party always polls 2% for Secretary of State.
Iowa: the Libertarian Party, the Iowa Party, and the New Independent Party each hope to obtain qualified status, which requires 2% for Governor.
Kansas: the Libertarian Party always meets the 1% vote test.
Louisiana: the Libertarian, Green and Reform Parties will remain ballot-qualified based on the number of candidates each is running or has run recently.
Maine: the Green Party will remain ballot-qualified if at least 10,000 party members vote in the general election. The party’s registration is so large, it is overwhelmingly likely it will meet this test.
Maryland: the Libertarian Party will remain ballot-qualified for two more years if it gets 1% for Governor. The party has never before managed to poll 1% for Governor, but this year the party expects to meet the goal.
Massachusetts: the Green Party will become ballot-qualified if it polls 3% for any of its three statewide candidates. The United Independent Party will become ballot-qualified if it polls 3% for Governor.
Michigan: the vote test is so easy, it is obvious that the Libertarian, Green, Constitution and Natural Law Parties will retain their status.
Minnesota: the Independence Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Grassroots Party all hope to poll 5% for any statewide race.
Mississippi: all parties remain on the ballot just by being organized.
Missouri: the Libertarian and Constitution Parties will easily retain their qualified status for four more years, which requires 2% for any statewide race. No Democrat is running for Auditor this year. Even if they didn’t exceed the vote test this year, they would still be on in 2016 based on their 2012 showings.
Montana: the Libertarian Party is safely on the ballot for 2016 based on its 2012 showing, but if it does will for either U.S. Senate or U.S. House, it will also be safely on for 2018. The vote test is 5% of the winning candidate’s vote, which is approximately 3% of the total vote.
Nebraska: the Libertarian Party will retain its status if it polls 5% for any statewide race.
Nevada: the Constitution Party retains its status by having over 1% of the registration, but in any event is easily expected to meet the 1% vote test. The Libertarian Party is also expected to easily pass the vote test, which can be met by candidates for any partisan office, not just statewide office.
New Mexico: the Libertarian Party will retain its status based on its 2012 vote for President. The Green, Independent American, and Constitution Parties will retain their status because they petitioned this year and they are not running for Governor. New Mexico law is very strange and rewards parties for not running for Governor in midterm years by extending their status, whereas if they do run for Governor, they risk losing it.
New York: parties obtain and keep qualified status if they poll 50,000 for Governor. The already-established parties, Conservative, Working Families, Independence, and Green, are all expected to meet this goal. The Libertarian, Women’s Equality, Sapient, and Stop Common Core Parties each also hope to poll 50,000 votes. The Women’s Equality Party and the Stop Common Core Parties are not really bona fide parties, but are controlled by, respectively, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.
North Carolina: the Libertarian Party is safely on the ballot for 2016, regardless of its vote in 2014.
North Dakota: the Libertarian Party will retain qualified status if it polls 5% for Secretary of State. No minor party has met the 5% vote test since the Reform Party met it for President in 1996.
Ohio: the Green Party will retain qualified status for four years if it polls 2% for Governor.
Oregon: if Measure 90 passes, the Progressive and Constitution Parties will be at risk of going off the ballot, unless each of them polls 1% for Governor or U.S. Senator. If it fails, all of the minor parties will retain their status, based on their registration or their votes in 2012.
Rhode Island: the Moderate Party will remain ballot-qualified if it polls 5% for Governor.
South Carolina: all of the minor parties will retain, based on the fact that they are running at least one candidate.
South Dakota: the Libertarian and Constitution Parties will both go off the ballot because they don’t have gubernatorial candidates.
Tennessee: the Constitution and Green Parties need 5% for Governor to remain ballot-qualified.
Texas: the Libertarian and Green Parties will both easily pass the 5% vote test, which applies to all statewide offices, because the Democrats don’t have a full slate.
Utah: the Libertarian and Constitution Parties will remain on the ballot regardless because of their 2012 votes, but if they poll more than 2% for Attorney General, they will also be on for 2018.
Vermont: all qualified parties retain by being organized.
Virginia: the Libertarian Party will become ballot-qualified if it gets 10% for U.S. Senate.
West Virginia: the Libertarian and Green Parties will retain their status based on their 2012 vote.
Wisconsin: the Libertarian and Green Parties each hope to regain their qualified status, by polling 1% for any statewide race. The Constitution Party hopes to retain its status.
Wyoming: the Libertarian and Constitution Parties need 2% for U.S. House, Governor, or Secretary of State, to retain.
” The Libertarian Party hopes to obtain this status in Jefferson County, the state’s most populous county.
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Also, Shelby, Bibb and Chilton counties.
While I have had some contact with the Constitution(al) Party leadership, such has dropped away of the past year – primarily due to my illness and other matters.
I might be interested in working with the Constitution(al) Party, but there are a couple of things they must be willing to change.
1. They need to call themselves by the correct name. They are not the Constitution Party. They are the Constitution(al) Party. There is no such thing as a “Constitutionist.” But there is such a thing as a Constitutionalist.
2. They need to put the word Alabama in front of their name – just like the Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians. By doing so, they would automatically get Row A or Line A on the ballot in all elections they successfully petition for, since the word “C” in Constitution(al) comes before “D” in Democratic. (The Republicans are always last because of the “R” in their name.
3. The party must turn around on its position against Social Security and Medicare. They are losing thousands and thousands of votes in Alabama because of being “against” these issues which millions of Americans and Alabamians support.
4. The party must recognize the Constitution Of The United States does allow for government to provide for the welfare of the individual. This includes Health Care for all citizens, and educational opportunities for all citizens.
5. The party must agree that the Federal Reserve System is a private bank, and must be replaced with a public bank, controlled by Congress as our Founding Fathers provided.
6. The party must keep the 17th Amendment, but re-amend it whereby state legislatures can “recall” a senator if he or she is ignoring the needs of the respective state.
7. The party must recognize the United States is the World’s Policemen – and not the United Nations. No other power with democracy as its underlining base, can or will protect the weak among us.
So I will wait to hear from leaders/members of the Constitution(al) Party as to whether they would like me to join with them.
Also in Illinois, the Green Party is hoping to get 5% of the vote in Congressional districts 5 and 12, so we can at least keep these islands of ballot access. I think Nancy Wade (5th District) has a good chance of getting 5%, not 100% sure about Paula Bradshaw’s (12th District) chances, but I think she’ll squeak by because of the anti-fracking sentiments in much of the district. That, and the massive amount of negative ads has probably annoyed some voters to the point where they’ll vote for Paula to spite Bost and Enyart.
It is clear from the above list (a very useful one, by the way) that New Jersey continues to fail to recognize third parties. Third party candidates are still classed as “Independents” and there is no mechanism for official status.
1. Every election is NEW.
Thus – NO inherited *right* regarding ballot access.
2. NO primaries and conventions.
3. General election ballot access via equal nominating petitions.
4. P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.
5. With exact P.R. smaller parties will win seats.
See Israel, New Zealand, etc.
AI, good luck on trying to get them to adopt those changes; being a former CP’er, I can attest that the leadership and influential members are too arrogant and narrow-minded to ever do such things, even if their party is on the verge of national collapse and they need to badly change their approach.
Good luck trying to prove me wrong.
Cody:
I don’t really expect the Constitution(al) Party leadership in Alabama to respond to me, let alone make the changes which might turn this moribund party around. They are just like the Prohibition Party – focusing on one issue – and ignoring other issues which Americans are more concerned about.
With the GOP being forced to become more “libertarian” if it going to win races in the future, this gives the Constitution(al)ists a golden opportunity to fill the void the Republicans will leave, but the problem is, do they have the ability to seize an opportunity when it comes along?
I seriously doubt it. I’m hoping a genuine populist-right of center political party will evolve.
I just picked up a my Sample Ballot for Alabama Elections for November 4th.
In Jefferson County, the Libertarian Party has 3 candidates running, and unless I change my mind, I may vote for each of them as “write-ins.”
I notice the Libertarian Party in Alabama is doing the same wrong thing as the Constitution Party. They are designating on the ballot the name of “Libertarian Party of Alabama.” As such, they cheat themselves by making their party have to settle for line C on ballot, when if they would have chosen the designation of “Alabama Libertarian Party” they could have had line B immediately after the Alabama Democratic Party and BEFORE the Alabama Republican Party.
As I’ve written many times, 3rd partisans and Independents are “excitable” when it come to elections, but don’t want to take the time to read the fine print of the statutes and benefit from it.
I trust the Libertarian Party will recognize this error and for 2016, will have the party designated as “Alabama Libertarian Party.”
The last time the Libertarian Party was on the ballot statewide, in 2002, the party did call itself “Alabama Libertarian Party” and it did have the middle column, between the “Alabama Democratic Party” on the left and the “Alabama Republican Party” in the right-hand column.
I guess the party just forgot about that little trick, in the years since 2002.
They mush have, Richard. But at least they are on in Jefferson County. As I said, I will write-in their names rather than vote for them as Libertarians.
I just checked with the SOS office in Montgomery, and was told my write-in votes would count as long as I bubbled in the bubble and wrote the names legibly. They do handle such write-ins separately, but was assured they would be counted.
Do hope others in Alabama will do the same. It’s just one little victory we Independents can have. We don’t have to soil our hands by voting Democratic or Republican, but can still vote.
And some elections have been won with a single vote!
Alabama Independent: Please, vote for the Libertarians as Libertarians instead of as write-ins! Even if the write-in votes do get counted and ultimately reported officially, the write-ins will not be included in the reports on the election night news and election reporting. In this manner, your vote will have more impact for a minority party.
They will be “counted” but they won’t be tallied into the total number of votes cast the normal way. Alabama write-ins are listed in separate sheets that are separate from the election returns for ballot-listed candidates. So although there will be a notation of your write-in vote, it will not be included in the regular vote tally for that particular candidate.
Richard: You are correct. My vote – although counted overall – will not be included in the regular tally for the particular candidate. And this is exactly why I am going to vote this way. I want those who pay attention to the number of votes cast, to “question” why someone would write-in a vote when that person’s name was already listed on the ballot.
Maybe, just maybe, it might cause legislators of the major parties to realize they could win more votes for their nominees if voters are given an “alternative” line on which to vote.
Again, I encourage other voters in Alabama to do the same thing.
Gene:
I hardly think my 1 vote out of some 100,000 votes plus cast in Jefferson County, Alabama will effect the manner the news media will report the votes on Tuesday night.
The only 2 way race including a Libertarian is for a county-wide County Commissioner seat. Here, is where the Libertarian Party could get the necessary 20% for ballot access in this county. If I learn later my 1 vote is not counted in determining if the Libertarian Party has ballot access in 2016 in Jefferson County, this could be cause for an inquiry.
Regardless of how the voting goes, I plan to ask for a printed copy of the official tabulation of votes cast in Jefferson County. If such tabulation does not show my 1 write-in vote, then I will have a legal right to ask why?
Yes!
Check out the 9th USA Parliament’s “National Direct Democracy Election” for suggesting planks to the platform:
http://www.usparliament.org/v-h-dd.php
One item is for Election Law:
___ ELECTION LAW: Implement pure proportional representation in all elections, paper ballots in all publicly funded general elections, protect free speech liberty by allowing all candidates a word(s)/party/category by their name of their own choosing as long as no slander or hate word(s) is used.
* * *
Just gearing up and write-ins welcome. Looking for the vote vote to come in but in no rush since I just updated the page and there could be more adjustments.
Unfortunately with winner-takes-all elections in Birmingham, the city council seats tend to be almost all blacks. Because of past discrimination, they tend to vote in a block.
BTW, my father and grandfather, both JOOs (I’m James Orlando Ogle 111) were activists for integration. As Deacon(?), my grandfather JOO the First, split off the Baptist Church after the church bombing because they wouldn’t allow those from the bombed church to use the facilities during the week.
Orlando the First was also one of the founders of Sanford Law College.
My father lost his job as a teacher during Wallace because he wrote a letter to the editor in support of integration.
We JOOs are very political active. 😉
Sounds like a Unity Coalition. Let’s make it official and I’ll add your name to the South Super-state Parliament. Well, we have strict rules now, you must provide contact information. We can’t just add you in as “Alabama Independent”. 🙁
Actually we have 9 candidates in Jeffco, plus one who withdrew but iirc will still be on the ballot. 5 are county commission candidates so 4 of them will not be in your district, and two are in one of two divisions in the couny, so you should have at least 4 on your ballot and as many as 6. That’s unless I am wrong about the County Commission 1 guy still being listed despite withdrawing, if I am then you could have 3 if you are in that district.
Not associated with the constitution party, but I like them and would vote for them if there were candidates on the ballot, and I have a few things about what you said….
1. Yea they might need too
2. Yea probably
3. Social security and Medicare are both completely flawed systems and should be done away with….. I am in my 20’s and I have known for years that while I have to pay into social security, I will never see a peney of it
4. The US constitution does not provide for the welfare of the individual, but the general welfare…. So the people overall but not on the individual level
5. They do believe the federal reserve is a private bank and needa to be done away. I don’t think they want to replace it with a federal bank per se, but they do want to put the power to “coin money” back in the hands if the federal government as it was intended
6. Well the founding fathers intended for senators to be elected by the representatives not by the people
7. Not UN is not the worlds police and as far as I know they think that, but neither is the US. They want the US out of the UN….. We have no business being a police if the world. (Neither does the UN)
The constitution party believes the constitution the way the founding fathers intended. You can’t pice and choose what you want or how to interpret certain parts.
Alabama Independent
My contact information has not changed in 6 years. You will find my email address and telephone number listed on our website http://www.cpalabama.org You will get a quicker response calling me or emailing me then posting on a third party site and expecting me to immediately see it.
I will quickly address two of your concerns below. After the elections feel free to call me and we can talk anytime you get ready. I would address these now but it is campaign day .
1) When we first affiliated, we were using the name Constitutional Party and were encouraged to stop using it by the former national chairman.
2) We are considering this but a former affiliate still owns the domain names. It does us no good to change until I can get full access to all the domain names. I am friends with this have made monetary offers to purchase the names.
Constitution Party of Alabama also has two counties with countywide candidates running (Elmore and Marshall County) All our races are 1 on 1 races against the duo ploy candidates.
Thank you,
Joshua Cassity
Austin:
Happy you understand the mechanics of political party names and of the ballot advantage one can have by taking a minute or two and reading the election statutes, rather than screaming all the time about the size of the federal government.
You are a young man, and it’s sad you have been so mislead, probably by a closet Republican.
“3. Social security and Medicare are both completely flawed systems and should be done away with….. I am in my 20′s and I have known for years that while I have to pay into social security, I will never see a penney of it.”
This is what the Republicans want you to believe. Remember, they’ve hated it ever since Roosevelt used it to help millions of elderly in the USA during what they called the Great Depression. If you “don’t ever see a penny of it,” it will because a GOP-dominated Congress refuses to re-fund it with other taxes in addition to SS withholding taxes.
Unfortunately, young men (and women) your age like to drink and smoke, and eat those hamburgers and French Fries. Okay, I’ve other good reasons why you shouldn’t do the first two, but if you insist on the doing all four, then be willing to pay for the consequences. Additional health taxes should be placed on each bottle of beer and pack of cigarettes plus on each purchase of those artery clotting hamburgers and French Fries, and all these taxes go straight into the Social Security Trust Fund, with a determined portion going into Medicare. We do this, and with a little other tweaking that is needed, such as the “Lock Box” Al Gore used to talk about, your Social Security is SECURE for at least another 75 years.
“4. The US constitution does not provide for the welfare of the individual, but the general welfare…. So the people overall but not on the individual level.”
Wrong again.
Section 8 – Powers of Congress:
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect taxes….for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States…”
What makes up the “United States?” People. Also, you may not be a “Bible Thumper” but Romans 13 acknowledges God as His Minister and to do whatever is necessary for the people.
“5. They do believe the federal reserve is a private bank and need to be done away…” But do they believe in the right of the government to print (coin) money with NO interest being charged on it? There platform makes no distinction. Favoring the government coinage of money and charging of interest for its use are two separate issues.
“6. Well the founding fathers intended for senators to be elected by the representatives not by the people.”
No, actually the founding fathers intended for the senators to be chosen by the Legislatures of the several states. Too often, as your American History of the Gilded Age will show, too many U.S. Senators were bought off by wealthy bankers and special interests. Thus, by the early 1900’s, the 17 Amendment was passed, but the error was not in its passage, but rather in its failure to include a provision for the Legislature to re-call a Senator if he did not represent the state’s interest as the Founding Fathers intended.
“7.Not UN is not the worlds police and as far as I know they think that, but neither is the US. They want the US out of the UN….. We have no business being a police if the world. (Neither does the UN)”
I too am against the UN and believe it should be removed from US shores. But, if you think we have no business in world affairs, what would have happened if we had turned a blind eye to Hitler and Japan? We had the League of Nations then, but still the U.S. had to come forth – as it always will – and save mankind from the forces of evil throughout the world.
You need to study your history, and I think you’ll have a better appreciation of my position. Would love to hear back from you
Joshua Cassity:
My personal email (computer)is down, but as soon as it is up, will privately contact you regarding these and other matters.
Still wanted to make a comment or two for all to digest.
“1) When we first affiliated, we were using the name Constitutional Party and were encouraged to stop using it by the former national chairman.”
Question? Who runs the Constition(al) Party of Alabama? It’s Alabama members or a former national chairman who has little knowledge of linguistics?” I thought your state party believed in states’ rights? As such, you can call the party by whatever name is politically advantageous.
“2) We are considering this but a former affiliate still owns the domain names. It does us no good to change until I can get full access to all the domain names. I am friends with this have made monetary offers to purchase the names.”
I assume you are referring to website domain names. However, if you are referring to names being registered with the Office of the Secretary of State, I was informed by this office that no group can pre-register or pre-record a political party name with that office until it obtains ballot access.
So until this gentlemen or someone else starts a ALABAMA CONSTITUTIONAL PARTY, you are free to do so. This person may have or could control the ALABAMA CONSTITUTIONAL PARTY website domain, but one shouldn’t let such keep the party from calling itself by the correct name, and more importantly, using the name which will put your party label and name on Row A or Line A at any election where you have ballot access.
The Libertarian Party made the same mistake in Jefferson County where they held ballot position for 2014. Instead of listing the party name of ALABAMA LIBERTARIAN PARTY, they used the Libertarian Party of Alabama, and was placed last on the ballot lines. The other way they could have at least been sandwiched between the two major parties.
However, unless another groups organizes a party starting with the letter “C” the Constitutional Party could always have a Row A or Line A on any ballot it has candidates.
Make the changes necessary and better the exposure for the party.
Paulie:
Thanks for the correction. I believe I actually had four (4) Libertarians listed – I recall 1 for Sheriff and 1 for a County Commission seat – on my ballot.
It is smart for the Libertarians to concentrate in Jefferson County and build a base here.
Wish the Constitution(al)ists would do likewise, but it appears most of their members are spread over small counties where they have to live and work.
If the Libertarians or Constitution(al)ists could elect a member to the office of Sheriff or even County Commissioner – such officeholder could use such as a “bully pulpit” for promoting the cause. Even holding the Office of Probate Judge can be for the greater cause.
Start Small – Think Large!
Correction to above:
“Also, you may not be a “Bible Thumper” but in Romans 13 Government is acknowledged by God as “His Minister to thee for good,” and this can be acknowledged as whatever is necessary or good for the people.”
“Political parties must meet certain statutory requirements in order to nominate candidates for the ballot in Montana. A party automatically qualifies for the ballot if it had a candidate for statewide office in either of the last two general elections and that candidate received a total number of votes that was 5 percent or more of the total number of votes cast for the successful candidate for governor.” (MT ST SOS) The governor’s winning vote in 2012 was 236,450 and the 2014 US House candidate received over 15,000 votes. So Montana should be good until 2018.