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Ballot access requirements for political parties in Indiana
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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.
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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.
To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Indiana, click here.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status
See statutes: Title 3, Article 8 of the Indiana Code
According to the Indiana Election Division:[1]
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"A person is considered a major party candidate if the candidate affiliated with the party obtained the highest or second-highest number of votes cast for Indiana Secretary of State at the last election held for the Secretary of State’s office. ... If a political party did not run a candidate for that office ... or if the party’s candidate did not receive the highest or second-highest number of votes ... the party is considered a 'minor party' for ballot access purposes. ... If a minor party received at least two percent (2%), but less than ten percent (10%) of the vote cast for Indiana Secretary of State at the last election held for the office, the party may nominate candidates for the general election by conducting a state, county, or municipal convention.[2] |
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Before a new political party is recognized, its candidates must file by petition method, in the same manner as independent candidates. On the nominating petition, however, candidates can designate the party they are running with and use the party device to further distinguish themselves from independent candidates.[3][4]
If the new party's candidate for secretary of state receives at least 2% of the total votes cast for that office, the party can nominate its candidates at a state convention rather than by petition method in future elections.[5] If the new party's candidate for secretary of state receives at least 10% of the total votes cast for that office, the party must nominate its candidates via primary election.[6]
Political parties
As of May 2024, Indiana officially recognized three political parties. In order to be officially recognized by the state, a political party's candidate for secretary of state must have received at least 2 percent of the total votes cast for that office in the most recent general election.[7]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Indiana | Link | Party platform |
| Libertarian Party of Indiana | Link | Party by-laws |
| Republican Party of Indiana | Link | Party platform |
Historical events
2014
In the 2014 election for secretary of state, Libertarian candidate Karl Tatgenhorst received 3.4 percent of the vote. As a result, the Libertarian Party retained recognized status, permitting it to nominate candidates via convention in 2016.[8]
2010
In the 2010 election for secretary of state, Libertarian candidate Mike Wherry received 5.9 percent of the vote.[9] This guaranteed the that Libertarian Party would retain recognized status, permitting it to nominate candidates via convention in 2012 and 2014.[10][11]
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Indiana
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Indiana
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Indiana
- Republican Party of Indiana
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "2024 Indiana Candidate Guide," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "IC 3-8-6-1 Application of chapter," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "IC 3-8-6-5 Contents of petition," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "IC 3-8-4 Chapter 4. State Conventions," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ Indiana General Assembly, "IC 3-10-1-2 Political parties required to hold primary election," accessed July 7, 2025
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "2024 Candidate Guide," accessed May 23, 2024
- ↑ Indiana Secretary of State, "Election Results - Secretary of State," December 24, 2014
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "Election Results for the Indiana General Election November 2, 2010," Last Updated February 8, 2011
- ↑ Indiana Code, "Section 3-8-4, State Conventions," accessed December 16, 2013
- ↑ Indiana Code, "Section 3-8-2-1," accessed December 16, 2013
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