In Illinois, if the nominee of an unqualified party polls at least 5%, the party becomes ballot-qualified for that office for the next election (except the rule doesn’t work in years which end in zero, such as 2010). This year, the Green Party polled over 5% in two Illinois districts, so the party is automatically on the ballot in 2014 for those two races. Nancy Wade polled 5.7% in the 5th district, and Paula Bradshaw polled 5.6% in the 12th district.

Other than these districts in Illinois, the Green Party does not seem to have gained status as a “party” in any state as a result of the 2012 election returns. It lost qualified status in Arkansas, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Utah.

The Libertarian Party lost qualified status in Arkansas, Hawaii, and North Dakota. Arkansas parties lose ballot status every two years if they don’t poll as much as 3% for the office at the top of the ballot (president in presidential years and governor in midterm years). The Libertarian Party lost ballot status in Hawaii because Hawaii has a very strange law that says, once a party has been on the ballot for three elections in a row, then it is on the ballot for the next five elections as well. The Libertarian Party has used up its five “free” elections and will now need to petition in 2014, 2016, and 2018 in order to get another “free” ten years. Or it could conceivably petition in 2014 and then meet the vote test, which is 2% for all the State Senate races, or 4% for all the State House races, of 10% for either U.S. House seat or a statewide office.