Ballot access requirements for political parties in Delaware
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Note: This article is not intended to serve as an exhaustive 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 Delaware, see this article.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status
See statutes: Title 15, Chapter 30 of the Delaware Code
Gaining ballot access
In Delaware, a political party will not be listed on the general election ballot unless a number of registered voters equal to 0.1 percent of the total registered voters in the state as of December 31 of the year prior to the election have affiliated with that party no later than three weeks before the primary election. A voter can affiliate with a minor party on his or her voter registration form.[1][2][3]
As long as a minor party's registration totals 0.1 percent of total registration each year, the party will remain a recognized minor party. To become a major party, at least 5 percent of all registered voters in the state must affiliate with the party by December 31 of the year before the election.
Political parties
As of November 2022, Delaware officially recognized seven political parties. [4][5][6][7][8]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative Party of Delaware | ||
| Democratic Party of Delaware | Link | Party rules |
| Green Party of Delaware | Link | Party by-laws |
| Independent Party of Delaware | Link | Party platform |
| Liberal Party of Delaware | ||
| Libertarian Party of Delaware | Link | Party platform |
| Non-Partisan Delaware | Link | Bylaws |
| Republican Party of Delaware | Link | National party platform |
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Delaware
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Delaware
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Delaware
- Republican Party of Delaware
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia email with Delaware Office of the State Election Commissioner on September 10, 2013
- ↑ Delaware Code, "Title 15, Chapter 30, Section 3001," accessed March 19, 2014
- ↑ State of Delaware, "Voter Registration Application and Eligibility Affidavit," accessed March 26, 2014
- ↑ Jerrick Adams, "Email communication with New Castle County Department of Elections," April 19, 2016
- ↑ Jerrick Adams, "Email communication with the Office of the State Election Commissioner," May 4, 2017
- ↑ Jerrick Adams, "Email communication with the Office of the State Election Commissioner," May 23, 2018
- ↑ Delaware Department of Elections, "Voter Registration Totals by Political Party," December 1, 2021
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "October 2022 Ballot Access News Print Edition," accessed November 16, 2022
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