Forward Party is Petitioning for Two Pennsylvania Statewide Executive Offices

The Pennsylvania Forward Party is petitioning to place nominees on the November 2024 ballot for Attorney General and Treasurer. If they get on the ballot and meet the vote test, the Forward Party will then meet the definition of a “political party”. The benefits of that are: (1) the party will be a choice on the voter registration forms and the state will tally how many registered voters it has and who they are; (2) in special elections, the party will be on the ballot automatically for its nominees, with no petition needed.

The Forward Party would have been free to put a U.S. Senate nominee on its petition, but chose not to do that.

In Pennsylvania, even groups that meet the definition of “political party” are not automatically on the general election ballot in regularly-scheduled elections unless they have registration membership of 15% of the state total. This law is so severe, if the same law existed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, the Republican Party would need to petition for all its nominees in the general election. If it were the law in Idaho and Utah, the Democratic Party would need petitions to place all its nominees on the November ballot.