Ballot access for major and minor party candidates

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Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
Ballot access for presidential candidates
Select a state below to learn more about ballot access requirements for candidates in that state.
Ballot access requirements for political parties in the United States
List of political parties in the United States
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker
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.

In order to get on the ballot, a candidate or party must meet a variety of complex, state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether and how a candidate or party can appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level and apply to state and congressional candidates.

State lawmakers have developed ballot access procedures in an effort to prevent non-serious candidates from appearing on the ballot; meanwhile, critics contend that stringent ballot access requirements discourage candidate and voter participation in the electoral process.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

  1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
  2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
  3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

For additional information about ballot access requirements for presidential candidates, see this article.

Political parties

See also: List of political parties in the United States


As of January 2025, there were at least 55 distinct ballot-qualified political parties in the United States. There were 238 state-level parties.[1] Some parties are recognized in multiple states. For example, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are recognized in all 50 states and Washington, D.C..[2][3][4] Three minor parties were recognized in more than 10 states as of January 2025:

  1. Libertarian Party: 38 states
  2. Green Party: 23 states[5]
  3. Constitution Party: 12 states[6]

Although there are dozens 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.

The number of ballot-qualified political parties fluctuates as parties gain or lose qualified status. In addition, some states distinguish between major parties and minor parties. Specific differences between major and minor parties differ from state to state. For example, in all states, major parties are granted access to primary elections. Some states, however, do not permit minor parties to participate in primary elections. Consequently, minor party candidates in these states can run only in general elections.[2]

The table below lists all ballot-qualified political parties in each state as of January 2025. Click "[show]" to expand the table.[2]

Ballot-qualified parties by state, January 2025
State Political party
Alabama Democratic Party of Alabama
Alabama Republican Party of Alabama
Alaska Alaskan Independence Party
Alaska Democratic Party of Alaska
Alaska Libertarian Party of Alaska
Alaska Republican Party of Alaska
Arizona Democratic Party of Arizona
Arizona Green Party of Arizona
Arizona Libertarian Party of Arizona
Arizona No Labels Party of Arizona
Arizona Republican Party of Arizona
Arkansas Democratic Party of Arkansas
Arkansas Libertarian Party of Arkansas
Arkansas Republican Party of Arkansas
California American Independent Party of California
California Democratic Party of California
California Green Party of California
California Libertarian Party of California
California Peace and Freedom Party of California
California Republican Party of California
Colorado American Constitution Party of Colorado
Colorado Approval Voting Party of Colorado
Colorado Colorado Center Party
Colorado Democratic Party of Colorado
Colorado Green Party of Colorado
Colorado Libertarian Party of Colorado
Colorado No Labels Party of Colorado
Colorado Republican Party of Colorado
Colorado Unity Party of Colorado
Connecticut Democratic Party of Connecticut
Connecticut Green Party of Connecticut
Connecticut Independent Party of Connecticut
Connecticut Libertarian Party of Connecticut
Connecticut Republican Party of Connecticut
Connecticut Working Families Party of Connecticut
D.C. D.C. Statehood Green Party
D.C. Democratic Party of Washington, D.C.
D.C. Libertarian Party of Washington, D.C.
D.C. Republican Party of Washington, D.C.
Delaware Democratic Party of Delaware
Delaware Green Party of Delaware
Delaware Independent Party of Delaware
Delaware Libertarian Party of Delaware
Delaware Republican Party of Delaware
Florida American Solidarity Party of Florida
Florida Boricua Party of Florida
Florida Coalition with a Purpose Party of Florida
Florida Conservative Party of Florida
Florida Constitution Party of Florida
Florida Democratic Party of Florida
Florida Ecology Party of Florida
Florida Florida Forward Party
Florida Florida Natural Law Party
Florida Green Party of Florida
Florida Independent Party of Florida
Florida Jeffersonian Party of Florida
Florida Libertarian Party of Florida
Florida Party for Socialism and Liberation of Florida
Florida Reform Party of Florida
Florida Republican Party of Florida
Georgia Democratic Party of Georgia
Georgia Republican Party of Georgia
Hawaii AlohaʻĀina Party
Hawaii Constitution Party of Hawaii
Hawaii Democratic Party of Hawaii
Hawaii Green Party of Hawaii
Hawaii Libertarian Party of Hawaii
Hawaii Republican Party of Hawaii
Idaho Constitution Party of Idaho
Idaho Democratic Party of Idaho
Idaho Libertarian Party of Idaho
Idaho Republican Party of Idaho
Illinois Democratic Party of Illinois
Illinois Republican Party of Illinois
Indiana Democratic Party of Indiana
Indiana Libertarian Party of Indiana
Indiana Republican Party of Indiana
Iowa Democratic Party of Iowa
Iowa Libertarian Party of Iowa
Iowa Republican Party of Iowa
Kansas Democratic Party of Kansas
Kansas Libertarian Party of Kansas
Kansas Republican Party of Kansas
Kentucky Democratic Party of Kentucky
Kentucky Republican Party of Kentucky
Louisiana Democratic Party of Louisiana
Louisiana Green Party of Louisiana
Louisiana Independent Party of Louisiana
Louisiana Libertarian Party of Louisiana
Louisiana Republican Party of Louisiana
Maine Democratic Party of Maine
Maine Green Independent Party of Maine
Maine Libertarian Party of Maine
Maine No Labels Party of Maine
Maine Republican Party of Maine
Maryland Democratic Party of Maryland
Maryland Green Party of Maryland
Maryland Libertarian Party of Maryland
Maryland Republican Party of Maryland
Maryland Working Class Party of Maryland
Massachusetts Democratic Party of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Libertarian Party of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Republican Party of Massachusetts
Michigan Democratic Party of Michigan
Michigan Green Party of Michigan
Michigan Libertarian Party of Michigan
Michigan Natural Law Party of Michigan
Michigan Republican Party of Michigan
Michigan U.S. Taxpayers Party of Michigan
Michigan Working Class Party of Michigan
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party of Minnesota
Minnesota Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota
Minnesota Green Party of Minnesota
Minnesota Independence Party of Minnesota
Minnesota Legal Marijuana Now Party of Minnesota
Minnesota Libertarian Party of Minnesota
Minnesota Republican Party of Minnesota
Mississippi America First Party of Mississippi
Mississippi Democratic Party of Mississippi
Mississippi Justice Party of Mississippi
Mississippi Libertarian Party of Mississippi
Mississippi Reform Party of Mississippi
Mississippi Republican Party of Mississippi
Missouri Constitution Party of Missouri
Missouri Democratic Party of Missouri
Missouri Green Party of Missouri
Missouri Libertarian Party of Missouri
Missouri Republican Party of Missouri
Montana Democratic Party of Montana
Montana Green Party of Montana
Montana Libertarian Party of Montana
Montana Republican Party of Montana
Nebraska Democratic Party of Nebraska
Nebraska Legal Marijuana Now Party of Nebraska
Nebraska Libertarian Party of Nebraska
Nebraska Republican Party of Nebraska
Nevada Democratic Party of Nevada
Nevada Independent American Party of Nevada
Nevada Libertarian Party of Nevada
Nevada No Labels Party of Nevada
Nevada Republican Party of Nevada
New Hampshire Democratic Party of New Hampshire
New Hampshire Republican Party of New Hampshire
New Jersey Democratic Party of New Jersey
New Jersey Republican Party of New Jersey
New Mexico Democratic Party of New Mexico
New Mexico Green Party of New Mexico
New Mexico Libertarian Party of New Mexico
New Mexico Republican Party of New Mexico
New Mexico Working Families Party of New Mexico
New York Conservative Party of New York
New York Democratic Party of New York
New York Republican Party of New York
New York Working Families Party of New York
North Carolina Democratic Party of North Carolina
North Carolina Green Party of North Carolina
North Carolina Libertarian Party of North Carolina
North Carolina No Labels Party of North Carolina
North Carolina Republican Party of North Carolina
North Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party of North Dakota
North Dakota Republican Party of North Dakota
Ohio Democratic Party of Ohio
Ohio Republican Party of Ohio
Ohio Libertarian Party of Ohio
Oklahoma Democratic Party of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Libertarian Party of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Republican Party of Oklahoma
Oregon Constitution Party of Oregon
Oregon Democratic Party of Oregon
Oregon Green Party of Oregon
Oregon Independent Party of Oregon
Oregon Libertarian Party of Oregon
Oregon No Labels Party of Oregon
Oregon Pacific Green Party of Oregon
Oregon Progressive Party of Oregon
Oregon Republican Party of Oregon
Oregon Working Families Party of Oregon
Pennsylvania Democratic Party of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Green Party of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Republican Party of Pennsylvania
Rhode Island Democratic Party of Rhode Island
Rhode Island Republican Party of Rhode Island
South Carolina Alliance Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Constitution Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Democratic Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Forward Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Green Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Labor Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Libertarian Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Republican Party of South Carolina
South Carolina United Citizens Party of South Carolina
South Carolina Workers Party of South Carolina
South Dakota Democratic Party of South Dakota
South Dakota Libertarian Party of South Dakota
South Dakota No Labels Party of South Dakota
South Dakota Republican Party of South Dakota
Tennessee Democratic Party of Tennessee
Tennessee Republican Party of Tennessee
Texas Democratic Party of Texas
Texas Green Party of Texas
Texas Libertarian Party of Texas
Texas Republican Party of Texas
Utah Constitution Party of Utah
Utah Democratic Party of Utah
Utah Independent American Party of Utah
Utah Libertarian Party of Utah
Utah Republican Party of Utah
Utah United Utah Party
Vermont Democratic Party of Vermont
Vermont Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party of Vermont
Vermont Libertarian Party of Vermont
Vermont Progressive Party of Vermont
Vermont Republican Party of Vermont
Virginia Democratic Party of Virginia
Virginia Republican Party of Virginia
Washington Democratic Party of Washington
Washington Republican Party of Washington
West Virginia Democratic Party of West Virginia
West Virginia Libertarian Party of West Virginia
West Virginia Mountain Party of West Virginia
West Virginia Republican Party of West Virginia
Wisconsin Constitution Party of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Democratic Party of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Green Party of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Libertarian Party of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Republican Party of Wisconsin
Wyoming Constitution Party of Wyoming
Wyoming Democratic Party of Wyoming
Wyoming Libertarian Party of Wyoming
Wyoming Republican Party of Wyoming

Voter preference for a third party

According to an October 2013 Gallup poll conducted during the first week of the federal government shutdown, 60 percent of Americans felt "the Democratic and Republican parties do such a poor job of representing the American people that a third major party is needed." Voter preference for a third major party increased 20 percent between 2003 and 2013, from a low of 40 percent in 2003 (the first year Gallup conducted this poll).[7]

Perceived need for a third party
Poll Existing parties do adequate job Third party needed No opinion
Gallup
October 3-6, 2013		 26% 60% 14%
Gallup
September 6-9, 2012		 45% 46% 9%
Gallup
September 8-11, 2011		 38% 55% 8%
Gallup
April 20-23, 2011		 40% 52% 8%
Gallup
August 27-30, 2010		 35% 58% 7%
Gallup
September 8-11, 2008		 47% 47% 6%
Gallup
September 14-16, 2007		 39% 57% 4%
Gallup
July 6-8, 2007		 33% 58% 10%
Gallup
September 7-10, 2006		 45% 48% 7%
Gallup
October 10-12, 2003		 56% 40% 4%
Averages 40.40% 52.10% 7.70%
Note: Exact question asked in the survey: "In your view, do the Republican and Democratic parties do an adequate job of representing the American people, or do they do such a poor job that a third major party is needed?
Source: Gallup, "In U.S., Perceived Need for Third Party Reaches New High," October 11, 2013

Minor parties in gubernatorial races

The following table includes state-by-state information on when a minor party's candidate for governor last won at least 5 percent of the vote. In four states (Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wyoming), a minor party candidate for governor has not won 5 percent or more of the vote since the 19th century. Only 17 states saw minor party candidates win at least 5 percent of the vote for governor between 1982 and 2012. The information was compiled by Richard Winger of Ballot Access News.[8]

When did a minor party last poll 5% for governor?
State Candidate Party Year Percent
Alabama John Logan Cashin National Democratic 1970 14.70%
Alaska Walter J. Hickel Alaskan Independence 1990 38.90%
Arizona Sam Steiger Libertarian 1982 5.10%
Arkansas Walter Carruth American 1970 5.90%
California Peter Camejo Green 2002 5.30%
Colorado Tom Tancredo Constitution 2010 36.40%
Connecticut Lowell Weicker A Connecticut Party 1990 40.40%
Delaware Isaac Dolphus Short Independent Republican Party 1936 6.60%
Florida Sidney J. Catts Prohibition 1916 47.70%
Georgia James K. Hines People's 1902 5.50%
Hawaii Frank F. Fasi Best 1994 30.70%
Idaho W. Scott Hall Progressive 1926 28.40%
Illinois Richard Whitney Green 2006 10.40%
Indiana Albert J. Beveridge Progressive 1912 26.00%
Iowa John L. Stevens Progressive 1912 15.60%
Kansas Henry J. Allen Progressive 1914 15.90%
Kentucky Gatewood Galbraith Reform 1999 15.40%
Louisiana John M. Parker Progressive 1916 37.20%
Maine Patricia LaMarche Green 2006 9.60%
Maryland Thomas Holiday Hicks American 1857 54.90%
Massachusetts Frank A. Goodwin Equal Tax 1934 6.40%
Michigan Henry R. Pattengill Progressive 1914 8.30%
Minnesota Tom Horner Independence 2010 11.90%
Mississippi J. T. Lester Socialist 1915 7.40%
Missouri Albert D. Nortoni Progressive 1912 15.60%
Montana Frank J. Edwards Farmer-Labor 1924 6.10%
Nebraska Dan Butler Progressive 1924 7.90%
Nevada James Ray Houston Independent American 1974 15.50%
New Hampshire Meldrim Thomson American 1970 9.90%
New Jersey Everett Colby Progressive 1913 11.00%
New Mexico David E. Bacon Green 2002 5.50%
New York Carl Paladino Conservative[9] 2010 5.00%
North Carolina Iredell Meares Progressive 1912 20.40%
North Dakota Alvin C. Strutz Independent Republican Party 1944 18.80%
Ohio James R. Garfield Progressive 1914 5.40%
Oklahoma Fred W. Holt Socialist 1914 20.80%
Oregon W. J. Smith Socialist 1914 5.80%
Pennsylvania Peg Luksik Constitution 1998 10.40%
Rhode Island Ken Block Moderate 2010 6.50%
South Carolina Sampson Pope People's 1894 30.40%
South Dakota Tom Ayres Farmer-Labor 1926 6.50%
Tennessee A. L. Mims People's 1894 9.90%
Texas Ramsey Muniz La Raza Unida 1974 5.60%
Utah Merrill Cook Independent Party 1992 33.50%
Vermont Anthony Pollina Progressive 2008 21.90%
Virginia Rob Sarvis Libertarian 2013 6.50%
Washington Vick Gould Taxpayer's 1972 5.90%
West Virginia Walter B. Hilton Socialist 1912 5.60%
Wisconsin Ed Thompson Libertarian 2002 10.50%
Wyoming Lewis C. Tidball People's 1894 11.30%

Yearly deadlines

2016

See also: Ballotpedia's American Political Calendar

For a list of candidate ballot access deadlines and election dates by state, see the table below. Use the tabs at the bottom of the table to navigate between election dates, ballot access deadlines, and local election dates.


Court cases

United States Supreme Court

Williams v. Rhodes

See also: Williams v. Rhodes

Decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1968, Williams v. Rhodes held that state laws regulating the selection of presidential electors must meet the requirements of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.[11]

Bullock v. Carter

See also: Bullock v. Carter

Decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1972, Bullock v. Carter held that the Texas primary filing fee system, which required the payment of fees as high as $8,900, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The court found that, under this system, "many potential office seekers lacking both personal wealth and affluent backers are, in every practical sense, precluded from seeking the nomination of their chosen party, no matter how qualified they might be and no matter how broad or enthusiastic their popular support."[12][13]

Lubin v. Panish

See also: Lubin v. Panish

Lubin v. Panish, decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1974, held that, absent alternative means of ballot access, states cannot require indigent candidates to pay filing fees they cannot afford. To do so violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as well as the rights of expression and association guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.[14]

Storer v. Brown

See also: Storer v. Brown

Storer v. Brown, decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1974, upheld as constitutional a California law forbidding ballot access to independent candidates who had been registered with a qualified political party within one year prior to the immediately preceding primary election. The ruling also established a test to gauge the level of burden imposed by signature requirements: if the number of signatures required is divided by the number of eligible signers and the resulting percentage is greater than five percent, the requirement is likely unconstitutional.[15]

Illinois v. Socialist Workers Party

See also: Illinois State Board of Elections v. Socialist Workers Party

Decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1979, the ruling in Illinois State Board of Elections v. Socialist Workers Party rendered unconstitutional an Illinois statutory requirement that new political parties and independent candidates for elections in political subdivisions (specifically, Chicago) gather more than the number of signatures required for elections for statewide office.[16]

Anderson v. Celebrezze

See also: Anderson v. Celebrezze

Anderson v. Celebrezze, a case decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1983, held that Ohio's early filing deadline for independent presidential candidates violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, placing an unconstitutional burden on the voting and associational rights of supporters of independent presidential candidates.[17][18]

Norman v. Reed

See also: Norman v. Reed

Decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1992, Norman v. Reed held that it was unconstitutional for the state of Illinois to require a new political party and its candidates to gather more than 25,000 signatures (the threshold for statewide office) to participate in elections for offices in political subdivisions. The ruling was, in part, a reaffirmation of the court's earlier decision in Illinois State Board of Elections v. Socialist Workers Party.[19]

U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton

See also: U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton

U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton was a 1995 case in which the United States Supreme Court decided against U.S. Term Limits, ruling that states cannot impose qualifications for prospective members of Congress stricter than those specified in the Constitution. The decision invalidated congressional term limits provisions in 23 states.[20]

See also

Click a state below to learn more about ballot access provisions in that state.

http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_STATE

Footnotes

  1. ↑ This total does not include parties that have attained ballot status at the municipal level. Only those parties with state-level ballot status are included here.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jaime Healy-Plotkin, "Research of state election agency websites and email correspondence with state election agencies," June 2024
  3. ↑ As of January 2025, there were nine state-level parties that called themselves Independent or Independence parties. For the purposes of this article, these were not tallied when counting the number of distinct ballot-qualified parties in the United States because it is difficult to determine to what extent these various parties are affiliated with one another.
  4. ↑ Because Washington utilizes a top-two, nonpartisan primary system, the state does not officially recognize parties. Consequently, only the state's two largest parties, the Democratic and Republican parties, were included in this tally.
  5. ↑ This figure includes the D.C. Statehood Green Party, Maine's Green Independent Party, Oregon's Pacific Green Party, and West Virginia's Mountain Party.
  6. ↑ This figure includes Nevada's Independent American Party and Michigan's U.S. Taxpayers Party.
  7. ↑ Gallup, "In U.S., Perceived Need for Third Party Reaches New High," October 11, 2013
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named fivepercent
  9. ↑ Paladino also appeared on the Republican and T.E.A. (Tax Enough Already) party lines. New York's fusion voting laws allow candidates to qualify for the ballot on multiple party tickets.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ballot Access News, "January 2014 Print Edition," January 2014
  11. ↑ Justia.com, "Williams v. Rhodes - 393 U.S. 23 (1968)," accessed December 26, 2013
  12. ↑ Justia.com, "Bullock v. Carter - 405 U.S. 134 (1972)," accessed December 26, 2013
  13. ↑ Frontline, "The Constitution and Campaign Finance: A Legal Movement for Change," accessed December 26, 2013
  14. ↑ Justia.com, "Lubin v. Panish - 415 U.S. 709 (1974)," accessed December 26, 2013
  15. ↑ Justia.com, "Storer v. Brown - 415 U.S. 724 (1974)," accessed April 1, 2014
  16. ↑ Justia.com, "Illinois State Bd. of Elections v. Socialist Workers Party - 440 U.S. 173 (1979)," accessed December 26, 2013
  17. ↑ Justia.com, "Anderson v. Celebrezze - 460 U.S. 780 (1983)," accessed December 26, 2013
  18. ↑ Oyez Project - U.S. Supreme Court Media - IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, "Anderson v. Celebrezze," accessed December 26, 2013
  19. ↑ Justia.com, "Norman v. Reed - 502 U.S. 279 (1992)," accessed December 27, 2013
  20. ↑ Justia.com, "U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton - 514 U.S. 779 (1994)," accessed December 27, 2013
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