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We the People Party (United States)

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The We the People Party is the name of political third parties[1] in the United States founded in January 2024 by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to help obtain ballot access for his 2024 presidential campaign. Parties with that name have been formed in California,[2] Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Additionally, a party in Texas was created under the name of the Texas Independent Party.[3][4][5][6]

Purpose

Kennedy, who is also running as an independent politician, created the parties to make it easier to obtain ballot access. Independent candidates require large numbers of signatures from voters to get on the ballot in most states. In some states that number is significantly lower for political parties.[4] Registering a new political party in selected states reduces by 330,000 the total signatures needed to obtain ballot access in every state.[5]

Other users of "We the People" party designation

"We the People" is used as a party designation by candidates other than RFK Jr. NY State Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. was listed on the ballot as representing the We the People party in addition to Democratic party in his 2022 election.[7] NJ candidate Vincent Ross used that party label in the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election.[8]

In 2024 candidate Shelby Pikachu Billionaire is on the ballot for U.S. Senate in Hawaii using the We the People Party designation.[9]

Status

Ballot access

See also: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 2024 presidential campaign § Ballot access

On February 29, 2024, the We the People Party received the necessary number of signatures to obtain ballot access in Hawaii, which was certified by the Hawaii Office of Elections.[10]

On April 1, 2024, the Kennedy campaign claimed that they had received enough signatures to obtain ballot access for the We the People Party in North Carolina.[11] This has yet to be certified.[citation needed]

On April 28, 2024, Kennedy received the nomination of the American Independent Party, which meant that the We the People Party no longer needed to obtain ballot access in California.[12]

On May 7, 2024, Kennedy received the nomination of the Independent Party of Delaware, which meant that the We the People Party no longer needed to obtain ballot access in Delaware. At the time of the nomination, the We the People Party of Delaware only had 175 of the 769 needed registered members.[13]

On August 8, 2024, a lawsuit was filed in Pennsylvania "to set aside the nomination papers of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Nicole Shanahan as the We The People Candidates for President and Vice President of the United States".[14]

Filing

Kennedy filed paperwork to create the party in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, and North Carolina. Election officials in California, Delaware, Hawaii, and North Carolina confirmed that they had received a filing for the formation of We the People Party affiliates in their states. Jane Nelson, the Secretary of State of Texas, also confirmed that filing for the formation of the Texas Independent Party had been received. Officials in Mississippi claimed they had received no filing.[4][15]

Registration

To obtain political party status in California, the We the People Party is required to have 75,000 registered members in the state. Delaware requires 770 registered members to obtain political party status.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lopez, Lisa (January 17, 2024). "Some independent candidates start their own political parties to ease ballot access". NPR. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  2. ^ Large, Steve (2024-01-16). "RFK Jr. announces he is creating a new party to get on California ballot in the presidential run". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  3. ^ Leeman, Zachary (2024-01-16). "RFK Campaign Sets Up 'We the People' Political Party in Multiple States". The Messenger. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  4. ^ a b c Astor, Maggie (2024-01-16). "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Tries Creating Own Party to Get on Ballot in 6 States". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  5. ^ a b Bohannon, Molly. "RFK Jr. Starting New Political Parties In Effort To Expand Ballot Access". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  6. ^ Murphy, Dan (2024-01-17). "Kennedy Campaign Forms 'We the People' Political Parties in Six States". Yonkers Times. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  7. ^ "General Election 2022 - State Senator - 25th Senatorial District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  8. ^ "Official List Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor For November 2017 General Election" (PDF). New Jersey Department of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-06-24. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  9. ^ "2024 Election: Billionaire, Shelby Pikachu (candidate questionnaires)". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. July 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Trudo, Hanna (2024-02-29). "RFK Jr. qualifies for Hawaii ballot". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  11. ^ Doherty, Erin (April 1, 2024). "RFK Jr. campaign says it has enough signatures for North Carolina ballot". Axios.
  12. ^ Nazzaro, Miranda (2024-04-30). "RFK Jr. qualifies for California ballot". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  13. ^ "Independent Party of Delaware Nominates Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for President |". 2024-05-07. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  14. ^ "IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Weber, Shirley D. (6 February 2024). "County Clerk/Registrar of Voters (CC/ROV) Memorandum #24049". CA Secretary of State.[permanent dead link‍]
  16. ^ "Robert F. Kennedy to create his political party". www.audacy.com. 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
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