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Ballot access requirements for political parties in Wisconsin
 in Wisconsin |
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| Ballot access for major and minor party candidates |
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| Ballot access for presidential candidates |
| Select a state below to learn more about ballot access requirements for candidates in that state. |
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| Ballot access requirements for political parties in the United States |
| List of political parties in the United States |
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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 Wisconsin, click here.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status
See statutes: Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations, Chapter 5, Section 62
In Wisconsin, in order to qualify for ballot status, a political party must meet one of the following criteria:[2]
- At the last gubernatorial election, one of the party's candidates for any statewide office must have received at least 1% of the total number of votes cast for that office, or, if the last general election was also a presidential election, at least 1% of the total number of votes cast in that election.
- A political organization that was listed as "independent" at the last general election and whose candidate met the above qualifications can receive ballot status by requesting such status from the Wisconsin Election Commission. The request must include the party's name, which cannot be the same as that of an existing party, and must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on April 1 of an election year.
- A political organization may petition for ballot status. The organization must file a petition with the Wisconsin Election Commission containing the signatures of at least 10,000 qualified electors, including at least 1,000 from each of at least three separate congressional districts. The petition must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on April 1 of an election year and will entitle the organization to ballot status for the period ending with the general election.
Selecting candidates
Ballot status parties nominate their candidates via primary election.[2]
Maintaining party status
In order to maintain ballot status, one of the party's candidates for any statewide office at the last gubernatorial election must have received at least 1% of the total number of votes cast for that office, or, if the last general election was also a presidential election, at least 1% of the total number of votes cast in that election.[2]
Political parties
As of May 2024, there were five recognized political parties in Wisconsin.[3]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Wisconsin | Link | Party by-laws |
| Republican Party of Wisconsin | Link | Party platform |
| Constitution Party of Wisconsin | Link | Party platform |
| Libertarian Party of Wisconsin | Link | Party platform |
| Wisconsin Green Party | Link | Party platform |
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Wisconsin
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Wisconsin
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Wisconsin
- Republican Party of Wisconsin
External links
- Wisconsin Democratic Party
- Wisconsin Republican Party
- Constitution Party of Wisconsin
- Libertarian Party of Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Green Party
Footnotes
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