Ballot access requirements for political parties in Georgia

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Note: This article is not intended to serve as a guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.

Although there are hundreds 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.

HIGHLIGHTS

As of May 2024, Georgia officially recognized two political parties: the Democratic and Republican parties.

In some states, a candidate may choose to have a label other than that of an officially recognized party appear alongside his or her name on the ballot. Such labels are called political party designations. Georgia allows candidates to use political party designations.

To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Georgia, click here.

See state election laws

Process for a political party to obtain ballot status

Seal of Georgia

See statutes: Title 21, Chapter 2 of the Georgia Code

Official political party status in Georgia is determined by the number of votes a candidate receives at a gubernatorial or presidential election. To be recognized as a political party by the state, a party's candidate for governor must have received at least 20% of the vote cast in the preceding gubernatorial election in the state, or a party's candidate for president must have received 20% of the national vote in the preceding presidential election. If a group's candidate does not receive enough votes, the group is considered a political organization. The law defines a political organization as "an affiliation of electors organized for the purpose of influencing or controlling the policies and conduct of government through the nomination of candidates for public office and, if possible, the election of its candidates to public office[.]"

Registering a new political organization

A new political organization must file a registration statement with the Georgia Secretary of State, along with a $10 filing fee, within 60 days of its organization. The registration statement must contain the following information:

“

(1) Its name and the date and place of its creation; (2) The general purposes for which it was created; (3) Certified copies of its charter, bylaws, rules, and regulations, and other documents of like dignity governing its organization and operation; (4) The address of its principal office; (5) The names, home addresses, and titles of the persons composing its governing committee and executive officers; and (6) Such other information as the Secretary of State may require as necessary or appropriate in the public interest.

”

The registration statement of a new political organization will not be approved if the name of the organization is the same as or deceptively similar to any already established political parties or political organizations. If any information in the registration statement changes, an amendment describing the changes must be filed with the Georgia Secretary of State within 30 days of the change. An additional $2 filing fee must be paid for each amendment.

Once a political organization is registered, it may nominate candidates for placement on the general election ballot. The political organization can nominate candidates by convention if one of the following criteria is met:

“

(1) The political body files with the Secretary of State a petition signed by voters equal in number to 1 percent of the registered voters who were registered and eligible to vote in the preceding general election; (2) At the preceding general election, the political body nominated a candidate for state-wide office and such candidate received a number of votes equal to 1 percent of the total number of registered voters who were registered and eligible to vote in such general election.

”

If the political organization does not qualify to nominate its statewide candidates by convention, those candidates must be nominated by petition, following the same requirements that apply to independent candidates.

Political parties

See also: List of political parties in the United States

As of May 2024, Georgia officially recognized two political parties.

Party	Website link	By-laws/Platform link
Democratic Party of Georgia	Link	Party platform
Republican Party of Georgia	Link	Party platform

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See also

• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Georgia
• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Georgia
• List of political parties in the United States
• Democratic Party of Georgia
• Republican Party of Georgia

External links

• Georgia Democratic Party
• Georgia Republican Party

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