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Ballot access requirements for political parties in Mississippi
 in Mississippi |
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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 Mississippi, see this article.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status
See statutes: Title 23, Chapter 15, Article 35 of the Mississippi Code
Mississippi does not require aspirant parties to submit petitions, pay fees, or win a minimum number of votes to maintain recognized status.
The chairman of the state executive committee of a political party must submit an application for registration of the political party to the secretary of state within 30 days of party organization in order to be recognized. The registration must designate the name of the political party and the names of all organizations officially sanctioned by the party. No political party is permitted to use or register a name that is the same as or "deceptively similar to" the name of a political body or officially sanctioned organization that has already registered with the secretary of state.[1]
The application for registration must be accompanied by an affidavit that includes the following information:[2]
- names of the members of the state executive committee
- names of the chairman and secretary of the committee
- names of national committeeman and committeewoman
- names of officers
- a statement verifying that the executive committee and all officers were elected in accordance with the provisions of Section 23-15-1053 of the Mississippi Code.
- According to Section 23-15-1053 of the Mississippi Code, the state executive committee of each political party may determine the method and procedures by which state executive committee and county executive committee members are selected, provided that these methods and procedures are in accordance with applicable federal laws and national party rules. The state executive committee of a party must establish these procedures at least 90 days prior to their implementation. A copy of any rule or regulation adopted by the state executive committee must be submitted to the secretary of state within seven days after its adoption. These rules and regulations are a matter of public record.[3]
Political parties
As of May 2024, there were seven recognized political parties in Mississippi. These are listed in the table below. [4]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Mississippi | Link | Party platform |
| Libertarian Party of Mississippi | Link | Party by-laws |
| No Labels Party of Mississippi | Link | Party platform |
| Republican Party of Mississippi | Link | Party platform |
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Mississippi
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Mississippi
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Mississippi
- Republican Party of Mississippi
External links
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