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On Wednesday, the county commissioners -- in their status as the county board of elections -- certified the Libertarians as one of the three official political parties in York County. That designation came down from the state level.Two other statewide organizations identify themselves as third parties: the liberal Green Party and the conservative Constitution Party.But the Libertarians are the only organization that meets Pennsylvania's legal definition of a third party.
They earned that distinction last year. In order to get the minor party designation, a group has to put up at least one candidate running for a statewide office. And that candidate has to get at least 2 percent of the votes that the highest vote getter for a state office received, regardless of whether they're running for the same office. Technically, the Green and Constitution parties are classified as "political bodies." Being classified as a minor party instead of a political body has advantages. Candidates can't declare themselves members of the party without its approval.
Mar 21, 2010
PA: Libertarian Party Certified as Official Party
From the York Daily Record:
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Unfortunately, qualified party status in Pennsylvania is mostly a hollow thing, although, as you say, it does have some advantages. But in regular elections, qualified parties in Pennsylvania are treated as though they weren't qualified, for ballot access purposes, unless they have over 1,000,000 registrants.
A lawsuit is pending against that 1,000,000 barrier. It has been 5 months since the oral argument and we are still waiting for a ruling.
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