Ballot access requirements for political parties in Nebraska

in Nebraska

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Ballot access for major and minor party candidates
Ballot access for presidential candidates
List of political parties in the United States
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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.

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

See state election laws

Process for a political party to obtain ballot status

Seal of Nebraska

See statutes: Chapter 32, Sections 716 - 717 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes

New political parties must petition the Nebraska Secretary of State for recognition.^[2]

The petition must contain signatures equaling at least 1 percent of the total votes cast for governor at the most recent general election. Further, the petition must include signatures from "registered voters totaling at least 1 percent of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election in each of the three congressional districts in the state."^[3]

If the party wishes to participate in the state primary, the petition must submitted by February 1 of the election year. If the party wishes to participate in the general election, the petition must be submitted by August 1 of the election year (candidates of new political parties must file for access to the general election ballot by September 1).^[4]

Prior to the circulation of petitions to form a new political party, a sample copy of the petitions must be filed with the secretary of state by the person, group, or association seeking to establish the new party. The sample petition must be accompanied by the name and address of the person or the names and addresses of the members of the group or association sponsoring the petition to form a new political party.

The secretary of state will determine within 10 days whether the petition is valid and sufficient. If so, the secretary of state will issue a certification establishing the new party. Within the next 20 days, the party must submit its constitution and bylaws, as well as a certified list of the names and addresses of the party's new officers.^[5] There is no formal start date for the circulation of party formation petitions.^[6]

Once a party gains access to the ballot, a candidate nominated by the party must poll at least 5 percent of the entire vote in the state in a statewide race, or a combination of candidates from a combination of districts encompassing all the voters of the state must poll at least 5 percent of the vote in each of their respective districts.^[7] For example, in 2010, 487,988 were cast for governor.^[8] In order for a newly established political party to maintain its recognized status, its candidate for governor would have had to win 24,400 votes.

Political parties

See also: List of political parties in the United States

As of May 2024, there were four recognized political parties in Nebraska. These are listed in the table below. ^[9][10]

Historical events

2013

On November 20, 2013, Americans Elect requested that the Nebraska Secretary of State remove the party from qualified status in the state. First qualifying for state recognition in 2012, Americans Elect did not yield any candidates for office in Nebraska.^[11][12]

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See also

• Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Nebraska
• Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Nebraska
• List of political parties in the United States
• Democratic Party of Nebraska
• Libertarian Party of Nebraska
• Republican Party of Nebraska

External links

• Nebraska Democratic Party
• Libertarian Party of Nebraska
• Nebraska Republican Party

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