Because the new North Carolina petition requirement for new parties is so much better than in the past, the North Carolina Constitution Party hopes to petition for party status and to appear on the 2018 ballot. The party has never before been on the North Carolina ballot. The change in the law occurred last week, when the legislature passed SB 656, which lowers the petition to slightly under 12,000 signatures.
The State Board of Elections keeps a list of petitions that are underway. The Constitution Party has already registered with the State Board of Elections, so that the Board’s webpage will keep a tally of the validated signatures, as the validation process proceeds. North Carolina election officials check petitions on an ongoing basis; there is no need for the petition to be completed before the validation process starts. Here is the link to the State Board of Elections’ mention of the Constitution Party petition.
Any other parties likely to begin petitioning?
The Green Party doesn’t need to petition, because when the new law takes effect, on January 1, 2018, the Green Party will be recognized, because its presidential nominee in 2016 was on the ballot in at least 35 states.
The Libertarian Party is already on in North Carolina.
It is possible that the American Solidarity Party may begin a petition.
The Progressive Party, The People’s Party and The Constituent Party have all filed.
As State Chair of the American Solidarity Party we will be filing in the next month.