Political Parties
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. See page 7 for the list of parties
currently recognized in NYS.
