Ballot access requirements for political parties in Massachusetts
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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 Massachusetts, see this article.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status
See statutes: Massachusetts General Laws, Part I, Title VIII, Chapter 50, Section 1
A political party in Massachusetts is defined as any party that, at the last preceding statewide election, polled for any statewide office at least 3% of the entire vote cast for that office. Alternatively, a political party can qualify for state recognition if at least 1% of all registered voters are enrolled as members of the party. Such parties are eligible to conduct primary elections.[1]
A political designation in Massachusetts refers to any designation, expressed in no more than three words, used to qualify a political party. At least 50 registered voters must file a form with the secretary of the commonwealth requesting that they and any other voters may change their registrations to the new designation. There is no stated deadline for filing this request, although any such request filed before December 1 in the year of a state election will not be effective until December 1. Voters who enroll in legal political designations cannot vote in any state or presidential primaries. Political designations may also be used by individual candidates without the intent to qualify a political party.[1][2]
Maintaining party status
If a party fails to field a statewide candidate who polls at least 3% of the entire vote cast for that office or fails to enroll at least 1% of all registered voters, it ceases to be recognized as a political party.[1]
Political parties
As of May 2024, there were two recognized political parties in Massachusetts. These are listed in the table below.[3]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Massachusetts | Link | Party by-laws |
| Republican Party of Massachusetts | Link | Party by-laws |
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Massachusetts
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Massachusetts
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Massachusetts
- Republican Party of Massachusetts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "General Laws Part I Title VIII Chapter 50," accessed July 8, 2025
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Directory of Political Parties and Designations," accessed July 8, 2025
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "How to Run for Office in 2024," accessed May 23, 2024
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