America First Party of Mississippi
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The America First Party of Mississippi is a political party. As of September 2019, it was a ballot-qualified party in Mississippi.
Background
Ballot access for political parties
As of January 2025, there were at least 55 distinct ballot-qualified political parties in the United States. There were 238 state-level parties.[1] Some parties are recognized in multiple states. For example, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are recognized in all 50 states and Washington, D.C..[2][3][4]
Three minor parties were recognized in more than 10 states as of January 2025:
- Libertarian Party: 38 states
- Green Party: 23 states[5]
- Constitution Party: 12 states[6]
Although there are dozens of political parties in the United States, only certain parties qualify to have the names of their candidates for office printed on election ballots. In order to qualify for ballot placement, a party must meet certain requirements that vary from state to state. For example, in some states, a party may have to file a petition in order to qualify for ballot placement. In other states, a party must organize around a candidate for a specific office; that candidate must, in turn, win a percentage of the vote in order for the party to be granted ballot status. In still other states, an aspiring political party must register a certain number of voters.
The number of ballot-qualified political parties fluctuates as parties gain or lose qualified status. In addition, some states distinguish between major parties and minor parties. Specific differences between major and minor parties differ from state to state. For example, in all states, major parties are granted access to primary elections. Some states, however, do not permit minor parties to participate in primary elections. Consequently, minor party candidates in these states can run only in general elections.[2]
The table below lists all ballot-qualified political parties in each state as of January 2025. Click "[show]" to expand the table.[2]
| State | Political party |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Democratic Party of Alabama |
| Alabama | Republican Party of Alabama |
| Alaska | Alaskan Independence Party |
| Alaska | Democratic Party of Alaska |
| Alaska | Libertarian Party of Alaska |
| Alaska | Republican Party of Alaska |
| Arizona | Democratic Party of Arizona |
| Arizona | Green Party of Arizona |
| Arizona | Libertarian Party of Arizona |
| Arizona | No Labels Party of Arizona |
| Arizona | Republican Party of Arizona |
| Arkansas | Democratic Party of Arkansas |
| Arkansas | Libertarian Party of Arkansas |
| Arkansas | Republican Party of Arkansas |
| California | American Independent Party of California |
| California | Democratic Party of California |
| California | Green Party of California |
| California | Libertarian Party of California |
| California | Peace and Freedom Party of California |
| California | Republican Party of California |
| Colorado | American Constitution Party of Colorado |
| Colorado | Approval Voting Party of Colorado |
| Colorado | Colorado Center Party |
| Colorado | Democratic Party of Colorado |
| Colorado | Green Party of Colorado |
| Colorado | Libertarian Party of Colorado |
| Colorado | No Labels Party of Colorado |
| Colorado | Republican Party of Colorado |
| Colorado | Unity Party of Colorado |
| Connecticut | Democratic Party of Connecticut |
| Connecticut | Green Party of Connecticut |
| Connecticut | Independent Party of Connecticut |
| Connecticut | Libertarian Party of Connecticut |
| Connecticut | Republican Party of Connecticut |
| Connecticut | Working Families Party of Connecticut |
| D.C. | D.C. Statehood Green Party |
| D.C. | Democratic Party of Washington, D.C. |
| D.C. | Libertarian Party of Washington, D.C. |
| D.C. | Republican Party of Washington, D.C. |
| Delaware | Democratic Party of Delaware |
| Delaware | Green Party of Delaware |
| Delaware | Independent Party of Delaware |
| Delaware | Libertarian Party of Delaware |
| Delaware | Republican Party of Delaware |
| Florida | American Solidarity Party of Florida |
| Florida | Boricua Party of Florida |
| Florida | Coalition with a Purpose Party of Florida |
| Florida | Conservative Party of Florida |
| Florida | Constitution Party of Florida |
| Florida | Democratic Party of Florida |
| Florida | Ecology Party of Florida |
| Florida | Florida Forward Party |
| Florida | Florida Natural Law Party |
| Florida | Green Party of Florida |
| Florida | Independent Party of Florida |
| Florida | Jeffersonian Party of Florida |
| Florida | Libertarian Party of Florida |
| Florida | Party for Socialism and Liberation of Florida |
| Florida | Reform Party of Florida |
| Florida | Republican Party of Florida |
| Georgia | Democratic Party of Georgia |
| Georgia | Republican Party of Georgia |
| Hawaii | AlohaʻĀina Party |
| Hawaii | Constitution Party of Hawaii |
| Hawaii | Democratic Party of Hawaii |
| Hawaii | Green Party of Hawaii |
| Hawaii | Libertarian Party of Hawaii |
| Hawaii | Republican Party of Hawaii |
| Idaho | Constitution Party of Idaho |
| Idaho | Democratic Party of Idaho |
| Idaho | Libertarian Party of Idaho |
| Idaho | Republican Party of Idaho |
| Illinois | Democratic Party of Illinois |
| Illinois | Republican Party of Illinois |
| Indiana | Democratic Party of Indiana |
| Indiana | Libertarian Party of Indiana |
| Indiana | Republican Party of Indiana |
| Iowa | Democratic Party of Iowa |
| Iowa | Libertarian Party of Iowa |
| Iowa | Republican Party of Iowa |
| Kansas | Democratic Party of Kansas |
| Kansas | Libertarian Party of Kansas |
| Kansas | Republican Party of Kansas |
| Kentucky | Democratic Party of Kentucky |
| Kentucky | Republican Party of Kentucky |
| Louisiana | Democratic Party of Louisiana |
| Louisiana | Green Party of Louisiana |
| Louisiana | Independent Party of Louisiana |
| Louisiana | Libertarian Party of Louisiana |
| Louisiana | Republican Party of Louisiana |
| Maine | Democratic Party of Maine |
| Maine | Green Independent Party of Maine |
| Maine | Libertarian Party of Maine |
| Maine | No Labels Party of Maine |
| Maine | Republican Party of Maine |
| Maryland | Democratic Party of Maryland |
| Maryland | Green Party of Maryland |
| Maryland | Libertarian Party of Maryland |
| Maryland | Republican Party of Maryland |
| Maryland | Working Class Party of Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Democratic Party of Massachusetts |
| Massachusetts | Libertarian Party of Massachusetts |
| Massachusetts | Republican Party of Massachusetts |
| Michigan | Democratic Party of Michigan |
| Michigan | Green Party of Michigan |
| Michigan | Libertarian Party of Michigan |
| Michigan | Natural Law Party of Michigan |
| Michigan | Republican Party of Michigan |
| Michigan | U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan |
| Michigan | Working Class Party of Michigan |
| Minnesota | Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota |
| Minnesota | Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota |
| Minnesota | Green Party of Minnesota |
| Minnesota | Independence Party of Minnesota |
| Minnesota | Legal Marijuana Now Party of Minnesota |
| Minnesota | Libertarian Party of Minnesota |
| Minnesota | Republican Party of Minnesota |
| Mississippi | America First Party of Mississippi |
| Mississippi | Democratic Party of Mississippi |
| Mississippi | Justice Party of Mississippi |
| Mississippi | Libertarian Party of Mississippi |
| Mississippi | Reform Party of Mississippi |
| Mississippi | Republican Party of Mississippi |
| Missouri | Constitution Party of Missouri |
| Missouri | Democratic Party of Missouri |
| Missouri | Green Party of Missouri |
| Missouri | Libertarian Party of Missouri |
| Missouri | Republican Party of Missouri |
| Montana | Democratic Party of Montana |
| Montana | Green Party of Montana |
| Montana | Libertarian Party of Montana |
| Montana | Republican Party of Montana |
| Nebraska | Democratic Party of Nebraska |
| Nebraska | Legal Marijuana Now Party of Nebraska |
| Nebraska | Libertarian Party of Nebraska |
| Nebraska | Republican Party of Nebraska |
| Nevada | Democratic Party of Nevada |
| Nevada | Independent American Party of Nevada |
| Nevada | Libertarian Party of Nevada |
| Nevada | No Labels Party of Nevada |
| Nevada | Republican Party of Nevada |
| New Hampshire | Democratic Party of New Hampshire |
| New Hampshire | Republican Party of New Hampshire |
| New Jersey | Democratic Party of New Jersey |
| New Jersey | Republican Party of New Jersey |
| New Mexico | Democratic Party of New Mexico |
| New Mexico | Green Party of New Mexico |
| New Mexico | Libertarian Party of New Mexico |
| New Mexico | Republican Party of New Mexico |
| New Mexico | Working Families Party of New Mexico |
| New York | Conservative Party of New York |
| New York | Democratic Party of New York |
| New York | Republican Party of New York |
| New York | Working Families Party of New York |
| North Carolina | Democratic Party of North Carolina |
| North Carolina | Green Party of North Carolina |
| North Carolina | Libertarian Party of North Carolina |
| North Carolina | No Labels Party of North Carolina |
| North Carolina | Republican Party of North Carolina |
| North Dakota | Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party of North Dakota |
| North Dakota | Republican Party of North Dakota |
| Ohio | Democratic Party of Ohio |
| Ohio | Republican Party of Ohio |
| Ohio | Libertarian Party of Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Democratic Party of Oklahoma |
| Oklahoma | Libertarian Party of Oklahoma |
| Oklahoma | Republican Party of Oklahoma |
| Oregon | Constitution Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | Democratic Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | Green Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | Independent Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | Libertarian Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | No Labels Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | Pacific Green Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | Progressive Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | Republican Party of Oregon |
| Oregon | Working Families Party of Oregon |
| Pennsylvania | Democratic Party of Pennsylvania |
| Pennsylvania | Green Party of Pennsylvania |
| Pennsylvania | Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania |
| Pennsylvania | Republican Party of Pennsylvania |
| Rhode Island | Democratic Party of Rhode Island |
| Rhode Island | Republican Party of Rhode Island |
| South Carolina | Alliance Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | Constitution Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | Democratic Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | Forward Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | Green Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | Labor Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | Libertarian Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | Republican Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | United Citizens Party of South Carolina |
| South Carolina | Workers Party of South Carolina |
| South Dakota | Democratic Party of South Dakota |
| South Dakota | Libertarian Party of South Dakota |
| South Dakota | No Labels Party of South Dakota |
| South Dakota | Republican Party of South Dakota |
| Tennessee | Democratic Party of Tennessee |
| Tennessee | Republican Party of Tennessee |
| Texas | Democratic Party of Texas |
| Texas | Green Party of Texas |
| Texas | Libertarian Party of Texas |
| Texas | Republican Party of Texas |
| Utah | Constitution Party of Utah |
| Utah | Democratic Party of Utah |
| Utah | Independent American Party of Utah |
| Utah | Libertarian Party of Utah |
| Utah | Republican Party of Utah |
| Utah | United Utah Party |
| Vermont | Democratic Party of Vermont |
| Vermont | Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont |
| Vermont | Libertarian Party of Vermont |
| Vermont | Progressive Party of Vermont |
| Vermont | Republican Party of Vermont |
| Virginia | Democratic Party of Virginia |
| Virginia | Republican Party of Virginia |
| Washington | Democratic Party of Washington |
| Washington | Republican Party of Washington |
| West Virginia | Democratic Party of West Virginia |
| West Virginia | Libertarian Party of West Virginia |
| West Virginia | Mountain Party of West Virginia |
| West Virginia | Republican Party of West Virginia |
| Wisconsin | Constitution Party of Wisconsin |
| Wisconsin | Democratic Party of Wisconsin |
| Wisconsin | Green Party of Wisconsin |
| Wisconsin | Libertarian Party of Wisconsin |
| Wisconsin | Republican Party of Wisconsin |
| Wyoming | Constitution Party of Wyoming |
| Wyoming | Democratic Party of Wyoming |
| Wyoming | Libertarian Party of Wyoming |
| Wyoming | Republican Party of Wyoming |
| America First Party of Mississippi | |
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| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Greenwood, Miss. |
| Type: | Political party |
| Top official: | John Allan Goodman, Vice chair |
| Year founded: | 2000 |
| Website: | Official website |
The America First Party of Mississippi is the Mississippi political party affiliate of the national America First Party. The group is headquartered in Greenwood, Miss.
The America First Party of Mississippi was originally established in 2000 as the Mississippi state affiliate of the national Reform Party. In 2002, a group of national Reform Party members left the party and founded the America First Party. The Mississippi affiliate followed suit and changed its name to the America First Party of Mississippi during its 2002 state convention. The party believes "that the means to revitalizing our nation is to revitalize our people and the means to restore our nation is to restore just and Constitutional governance."[7][8][9][10]
The America First Party of Mississippi first gained ballot access in 2006. As of February 2016, the group was a recognized political party in Mississippi.[11][10]
Platform
The party's stated platform is composed of 22 main issues:[12]
- Right to life
"Because all human life is precious, the Party calls upon the state legislature to establish by law the personhood of every human being from the moment of conception until natural death, thereby bringing all intentional abortions under the criminal sanction of the present statutes punishing manslaughter and murder." - Right to bear arms
"Because the keeping and bearing of arms is essential for the preservation of the people's liberty, safety, and sovereignty, the Party urges the state legislature to enact laws restoring the right of law-abiding adult citizens to carry firearms, concealed or otherwise, in all public places without any permit, including the schools and other places where children are in need of protection." - Right to own property
"Because a man's home is his castle, and the right of property must be respected, the Party calls upon the state legislature to abolish all ad valorem property taxes." - Right to property without seizure
"Protection of private property being fundamental to a society that is ordered, just, and free, the Party demands that the State Legislature and the Courts strictly construe the powers of eminent domain to be limited to the acquisition of property to be held in the name of the people, and in no way to be conveyed, leased, sold, or utilized by any party other than the people and for none other purposes than roads, bridges, utilities, and other facilities of a public nature." - General limitation on federal powers
"Knowing that the rights and powers of the Federal Government are only those ceded by the sovereign states under the language of the United States Constitution, the Party declares, consistent with the Tenth Amendment, all actions by the federal executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government not authorized by the plain language and original meaning of the Constitution to be null and void, and their perpetrators to be outlaw and traitors against the Constitutional Republic." - Judicial accountability
"The integrity of the court system being crucial to maintaining public confidence that justice will be done, the Party calls for a constitutional amendment to open all proceedings of the Judicial Performance Commission to public scrutiny." - School boards
"Because the power to tax the people ought only to lie in the hands of elected officials, and to ensure public accountability to the voters, the Party demands the abolition of all appointed school boards, and their replacement with elected boards." - Circuit and chancery judges
"Because the people ought not have imposed upon them judges elected by citizens of other districts, the Party calls for the "at large" election of circuit and chancery court judges within multi-judge districts." - Selection of party nominees
"The right of association being necessary for free political and social organization, the Party calls upon the state legislature to permit political parties to select their nominees for public office in a manner to be determined by the respective parties, removing the requirement for primaries which permit non-party members to interfere with nominee selection." - Voter ID
"The integrity of the voting process being essential to the maintenance of a republican Constitutional government, the Party calls upon the state legislature to impose the requirement of photographic voter identification." - Open public records
"To ensure that the public's business is conducted openly and honestly, the Party calls upon the state legislature to broaden the Public Records Act to include all election records and voter registration records without exception, and all public hospital records excluding those related to personnel matters and to individual patients." - Sovereign immunity
"It being necessary that the right of the citizens to petition the courts for relief and redress from government misconduct be restored, and that such relief be actually granted and not avoided by legal artifice and special privilege, the Party demands the abolition of the protection of sovereign immunity, and that the government and its agents be placed under the same standards of negligence, misconduct, criminal prosecution, and civil damages that now apply to the citizens." - Illegal immigration
"It being necessary to preserve the financial stability and social order of our state, the Party calls upon the state legislature to ban the provision of any social, welfare, or educational services to illegal aliens." - English language
"Because fluent use of the English language is essential to becoming an educated and productive citizen, the Party urges the state legislature to enact legislation outlawing the use of any language other than English in the public schools of the state, except for the limited purposes of teaching the use of a foreign language." - Corporate tax breaks
"Because special tax breaks unfairly penalize small business and the service industries, and since they are available only to powerful companies with political pull, the Party calls upon the state legislature to outlaw all tax incentives and exemptions for economic development." - Income tax
"Because an income tax unlawfully entangles the government with the private business of the citizens, the Party calls upon the state legislature to abolish the income tax, and provide that the only means of taxation shall be a uniform sales tax imposed upon consumer purchases, along with user, license, and filing fees." - Home schooling
"Affirming the absolute parental right to direct the education of one's own children, the Party supports the right of parents to educate children at home, without any supervision or interference whatsoever." - Compulsory attendance laws
"Because the professional public school educators have shown themselves to be incompetent and utterly incapable of properly running educational institutions, the Party calls upon the state legislature to repeal all compulsory attendance laws and permit the parents to direct the education of their children from henceforth in our state." - Public education
"Because the public schools are consuming too much tax monies and producing too little results, the Party calls upon the legislature to abolish all state-level funding of pre-college educational institutions, abolish the department of education, and return control and funding mechanisms to the counties and communities where they belong." - Traditional family
"Because the traditional family structure is essential for the preservation of stable, productive and lawful society, the Party urges the state legislature to enact laws banning all forms of non-traditional marriage, and to abolish the scheme of no-fault divorce." - Values of the founders
"The America First Party of Mississippi embraces the cultural, political, and ethical values of the Founders of our state and our nation, acknowledges the Biblical basis of those values, and commits to fight for their preservation and restoration as the sole political and social hope for securing the future liberty and happiness of the people of Mississippi." - Juvenile court system
"It being necessary to restore the protections and rights of parents, while protecting the public from criminal conduct and punishing wrongdoers, the Party demands the State Legislature abolish the juvenile court system, thereby restoring the traditional rights of parents, the common law standards of proof and presumptions of innocence, and requiring juveniles to pay the full consequences for criminal conduct which has up until now been excused and treated as mere delinquency."
Rules and bylaws
| Candidate ballot access |
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The state party is governed by a set of rules and bylaws. Typically, these give structure to the different levels of organization—local, county, and state committees—and establish protocol for electing committee members. The bylaws also typically give details on the party's process for nominating and sending delegates to the national party convention during presidential elections. The following is a summary of the America First Party of Mississippi's rules. This summary focuses on the structure and governance of the party:[13]
- The state executive committee is the authoritative body of the America First Party of Mississippi.
- Officers of the state executive committee include a chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasurer and an at-large committee member.
- The standing committees of the state executive committee include the membership committee, the finance committee and the candidate committee.
Convention
As of February 2016, the date of the 2016 convention of the America First Party of Mississippi, when the party selects its delegates to the America First Party National Convention, had yet to be determined.
Leadership
As of October 2023, the America First Party of Mississippi did not have an executive director.
The following individuals serve in leadership positions with the America First Party of Mississippi:[14]
- Vacant, Chairman
- John Allan Goodman, Vice chair
- John Pittman Hey, Secretary/treasurer
Recent news
See also
- Ballot access requirements for political parties in Mississippi
- List of political parties in the United States
Footnotes
- ↑ This total does not include parties that have attained ballot status at the municipal level. Only those parties with state-level ballot status are included here.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jaime Healy-Plotkin, "Research of state election agency websites and email correspondence with state election agencies," June 2024
- ↑ As of January 2025, there were nine state-level parties that called themselves Independent or Independence parties. For the purposes of this article, these were not tallied when counting the number of distinct ballot-qualified parties in the United States because it is difficult to determine to what extent these various parties are affiliated with one another.
- ↑ Because Washington utilizes a top-two, nonpartisan primary system, the state does not officially recognize parties. Consequently, only the state's two largest parties, the Democratic and Republican parties, were included in this tally.
- ↑ This figure includes the D.C. Statehood Green Party, Maine's Green Independent Party, Oregon's Pacific Green Party, and West Virginia's Mountain Party.
- ↑ This figure includes Nevada's Independent American Party and Michigan's U.S. Taxpayers Party.
- ↑ America First Party of Mississippi, "State Convention 2000 Minutes," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ America First Party of Mississippi, "State Convention 2002 Minutes," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ America First Party, "Mission statement," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 World Heritage Encyclopedia, "America First Party (2002)," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Qualifying Guide," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ America First Party of Mississippi, "Positions and platform," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ America First Party of Mississippi, "By-laws of the America First Party of Mississippi," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ America First Party, "America First Party of Mississippi," accessed October 17, 2023
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