A source has informed Ballot Access News that No Labels has ended its attempt to become a recognized party in California through the voter registration process, because the process was too hard and not proceeding fast enough.
About 75,000 voter registrations would be needed to qualify as a new party through the voter registration process. We have been told that about 25,000 voter registrations were gathered before the plug was pulled on the effort.
If that voter registration process has, in fact, ended, No Labels could qualify for the California ballot through an independent candidate petition drive that would require 219,403 signatures of registered voters between April 26 and August 9, 2024.
Americans Elect was successful with the petition. I thought the number was higher though.
CANDIDATES ON BALLOTS — NOT *PARTIES*
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P-A-T
Probably a wise move. If they established themselves as a political party and then basically disband after the 2024 elections the corpse could remain just as the American Independent Party has remained long after the George Wallace candidacy was over.
Parties on ballots, not candidates.
The new political party status petition in California currently requires 1,114,000 and something valid signatures. Yes, Americans Elect, which is sort of a forerunner to the No Labels Party, successfully completely the party status petition in California, which at.the time required 1,050,000 and something valid signatures. It took Americans Elect around February or March of 2011 until around August of 2011 to complete that petition drive.
I think that the No Labels Party would have been better off doing the petition drive in Calfornia for party status than doing the voter registration drive, especially since they appear to only be concerned with swinging the presidential election in 2024 and not in establishing a long term political party. It is a lot easier to get people to sign a petition to place a minor party or independent candidate on the ballot than it is to get them to register to vote under a minor party banner, particularly if they have never heard of the minor party in question.
The petition with the smaller number is for candidates, and can’t start unless and until they nominate a ticket. The one with the million plus could be done now, but would cost more. They also still have plenty of time to restart the registration drive with a more competent contractor, should they decide to do so.
They could have started the party status petition in California which requires 1,114,000 and something valid signatures could have been started in January. They could have started the voter registration drive in January, or even before that. I heard they did not start the voter registration drive until July.
Back of the envelope calculation is that completing the registration drive with a more competent contractor is still the cheapest route, assuming they get one reasonably soon. Per sig cost will increase as multiple deadlines look at the same time.