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Ballotpedia:Describing party and partisan affiliation
The partisan affiliations of elected officials are sometimes straightforward and sometimes difficult to understand. This article aims to explain what partisan affiliation is and how it is determined for elected officials in both partisan and nonpartisan elections. In general, determining partisan affiliation requires paying attention to complexities and nuances—often, context that cannot be found on an official ballot is key in understanding which party an official is aligned with, if any.
One general rule applies: An official should not be defined as "Republican" or "Democrat" unless he or she ran on that party's ticket in the election. That official may, however, be aligned with a particular party, and this context may be crucial in understanding that official's political perspective.
Partisan affiliation defined
The concept "partisan affiliation" is completely distinct from the concept of "ideological affiliation" or "philosophical affiliation" or similar concepts. "Partisan affiliation" has to do with a person’s relationship to a particular political party. It has nothing to do with that person’s ideological orientation, although there is sometimes an overlap.
Partisan elections
If a voter sees the name of a party listed by the name of the candidate on the ballot, that candidate is running as a partisan for a partisan office. In this case, it is generally acceptable to refer to that candidate or official as a member of this party. Some complications are outlined below.
Fusion voting
- See also: Fusion voting
With fusion voting, more than one political party can support a common candidate. Consequently, the name of a single candidate can appear on the same ballot multiple times under multiple party lines. Typically, when a candidate is elected this way, he or she should be identified as a member of whatever the largest party is whose ticket he or she ran on. If the candidate ran on the tickets of both major parties, he or she would be referred to as "Democratic/Republican" and would require a fuller explanation of the situation.
Logistical affiliation
Sometimes a candidate will run on a party ticket for logistical reasons without actually supporting that party. If the person ran or is running on a particular party ticket, he or she should be identified as affiliated with that party. If that official makes public statements of non-support for that party, this is generally noted with as much detail as possible, but he or she would still be designated as affiliated with the party's ticket he or she ran on.
Party change after election
If the officeholder ran on a party ticket and officially changed parties after getting elected, his or her party designation would also be changed. However, it is common to add as much detail as possible about the party switch, including when it happened and what seems to have led to the switch in partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan elections
- The best practice, for most nonpartisan officeholders, is to give context, not a label, to the official's partisan affiliation.
Many office holders run for positions that are officially nonpartisan. This means that when the voter looks at a ballot, there is no information there about the candidate’s party. Even though the person is a candidate for an officially nonpartisan position, there may be other indicators that the official has an affiliation with a political party.
Announced affiliation after election
If an officeholder is required or expected to announce a partisan affiliation after the election, it is common to identify him or her with that self-designation. However, this is generally accompanied by a fuller description of the nonpartisan nature of the election and the officeholder's subsequent announcement of partisan affiliation.
Party group endorsement
This is not the same as partisan affiliation. The most accurate description of this situation would involve listing the name of the endorser, not associating that endorsement with the candidate and his or her affiliation.
Membership in a party group
Some nonpartisan officeholders are dues-paying members of party groups, elected officers of party groups, past or present party delegates, or staffers for a political party. These are not the same as having official partisan affiliation. The most accurate descriptions would involve describing the situations in as much detail as possible if these memberships are sufficiently current to merit including at all.
Nomination at a partisan convention
In some races, a candidate must be nominated at a party convention but then must run without party affiliation. This is the situation with the Michigan Supreme Court. Here, in order to have a name listed on the ballot, the candidate must have been nominated at a state party convention. However, once the candidate has received that nomination, the party affiliation is not listed on the ballot so the voter does not have access (on the ballot) to the information that the candidate was nominated by the Republican or Democratic Party state convention. In this situation, the nomination does not stand in for partisan affiliation, but an accurate portrayal of the candidate would include this context.
Appointment by partisan officeholder
If an officeholder is appointed to his or her position by a partisan officeholder, such as a state's governor, this context should be noted. But the appointment itself is not a substitute for partisan affiliation.
Current nonpartisan officeholders with partisan context
Some nonpartisan officeholders have either run or may be currently running for partisan office. In this case, the most accurate description would not attribute that partisan affiliation to the nonpartisan officeholder but would clearly indicate that the candidate ran or is running for a partisan office.
Self-identification of partisanship
Some officeholders or candidates for nonpartisan positions self-identify with a particular political party. In this case, he or she still has no official partisan affiliation, but the most accurate description would note the nonpartisan nature of the office and his or her self-identification of partisanship.
Voter registration
A candidate or officeholder's official voter registration is not a substitute for partisan affiliation, but it is important information to convey. In this case, it is sufficient to note that he or she "is registered to vote" a certain way or was at one point.
Political donations
A candidate or officeholder's history of donating to political campaigns is relevant information but does not stand in for partisan affiliation. The most important information to provide is context: how much money was donated by the candidate or officeholder and to which party.
Campaign funding or endorsement from partisan individuals
If a nonpartisan candidate or officeholder has been primarily funded or endorsed by individuals with known partisan affiliations, this information is relevant but does not mean the candidate has a partisan affiliation. The most accurate descriptions include this information in as much detail as possible without attributing partisan affiliation to the candidate or official.
