Tennessee
The Tennessee Code makes the distinction between a "statewide political party" and a "recognized minor party."
A recognized minor party means any group or association that has successfully petitioned by filing with the Tennessee Coordinator of Elections a petition that conforms to requirements established by the code. Those requirements include submitting a petition with signatures equaling 2.5 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor at the last gubernatorial election.
A "statewide political party" means a political party that had at least one statewide candidate in the past four calendar years receive 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for a statewide office. A statewide political party has automatic access to the ballot.
Minor party recognition
In order to become a recognized minor party, a petition must be submitted to the TennesseeCoordinator of Elections and must include the following:
Petitions are not issued more than 90 days before the qualifying deadline. The coordinator of elections has the power to determine the start date for the issuance of petitions.
No political party may have nominees on a ballot, or exercise any of the rights of political parties, until its officers have filed the following with the secretary of state and with the coordinator of elections:
Once a non-recognized minor party submits the petition containing the required number of signatures, the party will become an officially recognized minor party.
To retain access to the ballot in subsequent election cycles, a statewide candidate for that party must win 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for that office.
On April 22, 2014, Governor Bill Haslam signed SB 1466 into law. The bill altered the process by which aspirant political parties can access the ballot at the county level, lowering the petition signature requirement from 5 to 2.5 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor at the last election and lowering the vote test for maintaining qualified status from 20 to 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor.
Also, the bill included a provision for aspirant parties to qualify for ballot placement in special elections (such a provision did not exist prior to the enactment of SB 1466). Parties must submit petitions containing signatures equal to 2.5 percent of the vote cast for governor within the electoral division at the most recent election for that office. Richard Winger of Ballot Access News noted that the requirement "is wildly impractical, because generally in special elections, the time to collect signatures is short.
A recognized minor party means any group or association that has successfully petitioned by filing with the Tennessee Coordinator of Elections a petition that conforms to requirements established by the code. Those requirements include submitting a petition with signatures equaling 2.5 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor at the last gubernatorial election.
A "statewide political party" means a political party that had at least one statewide candidate in the past four calendar years receive 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for a statewide office. A statewide political party has automatic access to the ballot.
Minor party recognition
In order to become a recognized minor party, a petition must be submitted to the TennesseeCoordinator of Elections and must include the following:
- the signatures of registered voters equal to at least 2.5 percent of the total number of votes cast for gubernatorial candidates in the most recent election for governor[5]
- the petition's purpose, the party's name, and signatures of registered voters from a single county
Petitions are not issued more than 90 days before the qualifying deadline. The coordinator of elections has the power to determine the start date for the issuance of petitions.
No political party may have nominees on a ballot, or exercise any of the rights of political parties, until its officers have filed the following with the secretary of state and with the coordinator of elections:
- an affidavit under oath that the party does not advocate the overthrow of local, state, or national government by force or violence and that it is not affiliated with any organization that does advocate such a policy
- a copy of the rules under which the party and its subdivisions operate; copies of amendments or additions to the rules must be filed with the secretary of state and with the coordinator of elections within 30 days after they are adopted and cannot take effect until 10 days after they are filed
Once a non-recognized minor party submits the petition containing the required number of signatures, the party will become an officially recognized minor party.
To retain access to the ballot in subsequent election cycles, a statewide candidate for that party must win 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for that office.
On April 22, 2014, Governor Bill Haslam signed SB 1466 into law. The bill altered the process by which aspirant political parties can access the ballot at the county level, lowering the petition signature requirement from 5 to 2.5 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor at the last election and lowering the vote test for maintaining qualified status from 20 to 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for governor.
Also, the bill included a provision for aspirant parties to qualify for ballot placement in special elections (such a provision did not exist prior to the enactment of SB 1466). Parties must submit petitions containing signatures equal to 2.5 percent of the vote cast for governor within the electoral division at the most recent election for that office. Richard Winger of Ballot Access News noted that the requirement "is wildly impractical, because generally in special elections, the time to collect signatures is short.
As of May 2017, Tennessee officially recognized two political parties: the Democratic and Republican parties.
See statutes: Chapter 2-13, Chapter 2-1, and Chapter 2-5 of the Tennessee Code
Source: Ballotpedia
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Source: Ballotpedia
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