Ballot access requirements for political parties in Idaho
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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. |
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.
HIGHLIGHTS
To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Idaho, see this article.
Process for a political party to obtain ballot status
See statutes: Chapter 5, Section 34 of the Idaho Code
According to Idaho Code, a political party is "an organization of electors under a given name."[1]
In Idaho a party can qualify to participate in elections in any of the following three ways:
- by having three or more candidates for state or national office listed under the party name at the last general election (provided that those individuals seeking the office of president, vice president, and presidential elector are considered one candidate)[1]
- by polling at the last general election for any one of its candidates for state or national office at least 3 percent of the aggregate votes cast for governor or for presidential electors[1]
- by having an affiliation of electors sign a petition to be submitted to and verified by the secretary of state[1]
If a new political party seeks qualification through the submission of a petition, the party must fulfill the following requirements:
- The party must state its proposed name in no more than six words.
- The petition must state that the subscribers of the proposed party desire to place the party on the ballot.
- The party must submit signatures equaling at least 2 percent of the aggregate votes cast for president in Idaho at the previous general election for president.
- The party must file the petition with the secretary of state by the stated deadline.
- The format of petition sheets must be patterned after such sheets as used for state initiative and referendum measures.[2]
Upon certification by the secretary of state that the petition has met the requirements of the law, the party shall have all the rights of a political party whose ticket was on the ballot at the preceding general election.[3]
Political parties
As of May 2024, the state of Idaho officially recognized four political parties. These are listed in the table below.[4]
| Party | Website link | By-laws/platform link |
|---|---|---|
| Constitution Party of Idaho | Link | National party platform |
| Democratic Party of Idaho | Link | Party platform |
| Libertarian Party of Idaho | Link | Party by-laws |
| Republican Party of Idaho | Link | Party platform |
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See also
- Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Idaho
- Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Idaho
- List of political parties in the United States
- Democratic Party of Idaho
- Republican Party of Idaho
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Idaho Election Laws, "Chapter 5, Section 34-501," accessed December 17, 2013
- ↑ Idaho Election Laws, "Chapter 5, Section 34-501(C)," accessed December 17, 2013
- ↑ Idaho Election Laws, "Chapter 5, Section 34-501(2)," accessed December 17, 2013
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, "Idaho Political Party Affiliation Declaration Form," accessed May 16, 2024
