Ballot access requirements for political parties in Rhode Island

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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
  • As of May 2024, Rhode Island officially recognized two political parties: the Democratic and Republican parties.
  • In some states, a candidate may choose to have a label other than that of an officially recognized party appear alongside his or her name on the ballot. Such labels are called political party designations. Rhode Island allows candidates to use political party designations.

    • To learn more about ballot access requirements for political candidates in Rhode Island, see this article.

    DocumentIcon.jpg See state election laws

    Process for a political party to obtain ballot status

    Seal of Rhode Island

    DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Rhode Island General Laws, Title 17, Section 17-1-2

    A political party in Rhode Island is defined as any one of the following:[1]

    1. Any political organization that at the most recent general election for the election of general officers (e.g., governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, etc.) nominated a candidate for governor who polled at least 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for that office. In 2010, for example, a total of 342,290 were cast for governor, meaning that a party would have had to field a candidate for that office who received at least 17,115 votes in order for the party to maintain state recognition.[2]
    2. Any political organization that at the most recent presidential election nominated a candidate for president who received at least 5 percent of the total number of votes cast in the state for that office. In 2012, for example, a total of 446,049 were cast for president in Rhode Island, meaning that a party would have had to field a candidate for that office who received at least 22,303 votes in order for the party to maintain state recognition.[3]
    3. Any political organization that petitions for recognition as a political party.

    An organization petitioning for recognition as a political party must collect signatures from registered, qualified voters equaling at least 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor or president at the last immediately preceding general election. Signatures cannot be collected prior to January 1 of the year in which the organization desires ballot access as a political party. An organization qualifying as a political party by the petition process will only be qualified during the year in which it obtained signatures. At the time the organization submits petitions, it must also file with the board of elections a form including the name of the organization and the names and addresses of its chairperson and secretary. To maintain recognition, the organization must field a candidate for governor or president who wins at least 5 percent of the total number of votes cast in the state for those offices.[1][3][4]

    If the organization intends to nominate candidates by primary election, completed petitions must be submitted to the appropriate local boards of canvassers by June 1 of the election year. If the organization intends to nominate candidates by another method, petitions must be submitted by August 1 of the election year.[1][3][5]

    An independent candidate for governor or president may establish a political party if he or she wins 5 percent of the total number of votes cast in the state for those offices and indicated at the time he or she filed for office to the secretary of state that he or she intended to establish a political party (the candidate must provide the secretary of state with the name of the prospective party and the names and addresses of the organization's chairperson and secretary).[6]

    Selecting candidates

    Recognized political parties nominate their candidates for office by primary election. Parties qualifying by the petition process may opt to nominate candidates by another method (e.g., convention) in the first year that they qualify for recognized status.[1][7]

    Maintaining party status

    In order to maintain qualified status, a party must field a candidate for governor or president who polls at least 5 percent of the total number of votes cast in the state for those offices. If a party fails to do so, it will cease to be recognized as a political party.[1]

    Political parties

    See also: List of political parties in the United States

    As of May 2024, there were two recognized political parties in Rhode Island.[8]

    Party Website link By-laws/platform link
    Democratic Party of Rhode Island Link
    Republican Party of Rhode Island Link Party platform

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-1-2," accessed March 25, 2014
    2. ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2010 General Election Results," accessed March 25, 2014
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rhode Island Board of Elections, "2012 General Election Results," accessed March 25, 2014
    4. ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-16," accessed March 25, 2014
    5. ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-16," accessed March 25, 2014
    6. ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-12-15," accessed March 25, 2014
    7. ↑ Rhode Island General Laws, "Title 17, Section 17-15-6," accessed March 25, 2014
    8. ↑ Rhode Island Department of State, "Rhode Island Voter Registration Form," accessed May 23, 2024
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