New York defines a qualified party as a group that got at least 50,000 votes for Governor. The 2016 showing for the Women’s Equality Party suggests that the party will not poll that many votes for Governor in 2018. For the two statewide races in 2016, the Women’s Equality Party only polled 35,706 votes for President, and 44,817 for U.S. Senator. Voter turnout in New York, as in all states, is significantly higher in presidential years than in midterm years. Because the Women’s Equality Party couldn’t even poll 50,000 votes in 2016, when voter turnout is high, it isn’t likely to poll that many votes in 2018, when turnout will be lower. Here is a link to the New York 2016 election returns, which were released on December 8.
Qaulification should be based on voter registration. Make it some modest threshold (say 100) and require compliance with state law. Eliminate party lines/columns, and con-fusion.