American Independent Party
| American Independent Party | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Vacaville, Calif. |
| Type: | Political party |
| Top official: | Mark Seidenberg, State chairman |
| Founder(s): | William Shearer |
| Year founded: | 1967 |
| Website: | Official website |
The American Independent Party is a qualified political party in California. The group is headquartered in Vacaville, Calif.[1] The American Independent Party (AIP) aims to support "limited constitutional government with emphasis on the rights of the several states to govern their own local affairs and educational systems."[2]
The AIP was founded by William Shearer on July 8, 1967, in Bakersfield, Calif. The group organized a statewide voter registration drive to place the party's presidential nominee, former Governor of Alabama George C. Wallace, on the 1968 ballot. Wallace garnered seven percent of the California vote and 14 percent of the national vote. The AIP has maintained ballot access in California since 1968.[2][3]
Though a number of AIP state affiliates and Wallace supporters fell idle following the 1968 elections, the California AIP remained operational. The 38 remaining state affiliates regrouped under the banner of the national American Party in 1969 and supported former Congressman John G. Schmitz (R-Calif.) as the party's 1972 presidential nominee. In 1976, the American Party splintered and the California group became a member of the renewed national AIP. The AIP supported former Democratic Governor of Georgia Lester G. Maddox as the 1976 presidential nominee and former Congressman John Rarick (R-La.) as the 1980 presidential nominee. Though the national AIP saw little electoral success and eventually dwindled, the California AIP remained active.[2][3][4][5]
In 1991, the California AIP aligned with the national U.S. Taxpayers Party, which later became the Constitution Party. The group split from the Constitution Party in 2008 and became the California affiliate of the national America's Party. In 2012, the California AIP announced its intention to reinstate a national AIP leading up to the 2016 election cycle. As of February 2016, the AIP website states that the party is the California affiliate of the national American Independent Party of these United States.[6][7]
According to the California secretary of state, the AIP is a qualified political party for the 2016 election cycle.[1]
Party chair
Mark Seidenberg
Party leadership
The following individuals serve in leadership positions with the American Independent Party:[8]
- Mark Seidenberg, State committee chairman
- Markham Robinson, Executive committee chairman
- Markham Robinson, Secretary
- Alane Quien, Treasurer
- Patrick Colglazier, Parliamentarian
- Wiley Drake, Chaplain
- Vincent May, Sergeant at arms
Party platform
For complete information on the American Independent Party's platform, please click here.
Party rules and bylaws
As of May 2024, this information was not publicly available. To report information, please email us.
Party candidates
Note: The following table lists candidates who filed to run for office with this political party in a given year. This may also include candidates who filed to run with more than one political party. The list may not be comprehensive if the state's official filing deadline has not passed. This list may not populate if no candidates have filed to run with this political party. The table lists non-presidential candidates who filed to run for office with this political party in a given year. For more information on presidential candidates and elections, please click here.
Using the tools at the top of the table, you can increase the number of candidates shown on your screen or scroll through the table to view additional candidates. To report an error, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
Noteworthy events
A number of celebrity voters in California unintentionally registered as members of the American Independent Party. According to the Los Angeles Times, they were confused by the word "independent" in the party's name. Sugar Ray Leonard, Demi Moore, and Emma Stone were among those who registered with the party in error.[9]
See also
- Ballot access requirements for political parties in California
- List of political parties in the United States
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 California Secretary of State, "Qualified political parties," accessed February 15, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 American Independent Party, "History of the American Independent Party," accessed February 15, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 About.com, "America's Independent Party," accessed February 16, 2016
- ↑ Course Notes, "American Independent Party," accessed February 16, 2016
- ↑ Robinson Library, "American Independent Party," accessed February 16, 2016
- ↑ Daily Democrat, "Vacaville man at forefront of new political party," September 26, 2012
- ↑ American Independent Party, "Home," accessed February 16, 2016
- ↑ American Independent Party, "Officers," accessed February 15, 2016
- ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Are you an independent voter? You aren't if you checked this box," April 17, 2016
| |||||||
