Multiple political movements in North Carolina have filed voter signature lists to field candidates on the presidential ballot this fall. The “We The People” party and Justice for All Party want to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, respectively, while the Constitution Party also seeks official party designation. These parties had to collect a minimum of 13,865 valid signatures from registered voters and submit them by the deadline on Monday. The State Board of Elections will review the signatures to ensure compliance before officially recognizing the new political parties.
If these groups are recognized, they would have to quickly nominate candidates for the November election, potentially adding more uncertainty to who will win North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes. Republican Donald Trump won the state in both 2016 and 2020, but by a narrow margin over Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Currently, the state recognizes the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green, and No Labels parties, with a significant number of voters registered as unaffiliated.
Italo Medelius-Marsano, co-chair of the Justice for All Party in North Carolina, expressed the public’s dissatisfaction with the major parties, stating that the signature collection process reflects the people’s desire to challenge the two-party system. The success of these movements in collecting signatures over three months demonstrates a shift in voter sentiment in the state. The Justice for All Party plans to hold a convention to nominate Cornel West and possibly consider candidates for other races on the ballot.
Running as a candidate through a new political party in North Carolina is less challenging than running as an independent, which requires a higher number of qualifying signatures. Cornel West, an activist and professor, has created a national Justice for All Party to secure ballot access in multiple states, while Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign has focused on gaining access in various states. The Constitution Party, which has been a recognized party in North Carolina in the past, nominated anti-abortion activist Randall Terry as its presidential candidate this year.
Achieving party status in North Carolina allows registered voters to formally affiliate with the new party. The No Labels Party was recognized as an official party in the state last year, but it announced it would not field a presidential candidate in the upcoming election. As of now, around 10,300 registered voters are affiliated with the No Labels Party, while about 2,200 are affiliated with the Green Party. The State Board of Elections will review the details of the petitions and signatures to determine the legitimacy of the new political parties in North Carolina.
