Ballot access requirements for political parties in West Virginia

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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.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • As of May 2024, West Virginia officially recognized four political parties: the Democratic, Libertarian, Mountain, 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. West Virginia allows candidates to use political party designations.

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

    DocumentIcon.jpg See state election laws

    Process for a political party to obtain ballot status

    Seal of West Virginia

    DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 3 of the West Virginia Code

    In West Virginia, a political party is any affiliation of voters representing any principle or organization which, at the last preceding general election, polled for its candidate for governor at least 1 percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for that office in the state.[1]

    The state allows independent candidates to select a political designation apart from those recognized by the state. A brief name of the party that the candidate represents must not be longer than five words and must be specified on the candidate's nominating petition form. A party can only be formed by running a candidate using a political party designation.[2][3]

    Political parties

    See also: List of political parties in the United States

    As of May 2024, the state of West Virginia officially recognized four political parties. [4]

    Party Website link By-laws/platform link
    Democratic Party of West Virginia Link Party platform
    Libertarian Party of West Virginia Link Party by-laws
    Mountain Party of West Virginia Link Party platform
    Republican Party of West Virginia Link Party platform

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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-1-8," accessed February 4, 2015
    2. ↑ West Virginia Code, "Section 3-5-23(d)," accessed December 4, 2013
    3. ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Non-Party Affiliated Candidates," accessed December 4, 2013
    4. ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Recognized Political Parties," accessed May 15, 2024
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