The North Carolina Forward Party announced on Wednesday that its volunteers have gathered 1,000 signatures in their effort to qualify the party for future ballot access. The party needs approximately 14,310 valid signatures to qualify and has until June of the year it plans to field candidates.
“The North Carolina Forward Party is thrilled to announce that we have reached a major milestone: 1,000 signatures gathered toward achieving ballot access in our state,” the party stated in a release. “This accomplishment reflects the dedication and passion of our supporters and volunteers, who have worked tirelessly to bring about meaningful political change in North Carolina.”
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, eight parties currently have ballot access. These include the Constitution, Democratic, Green, Justice For All, Libertarian, No Labels, Republican, and We The People parties. For the Forward Party to become the ninth, it must meet one of three criteria.
A party can qualify by fielding a gubernatorial or presidential elector candidate who receives at least two percent of the vote in the most recent general election. Alternatively, it can collect signatures from at least a quarter of a percent of all registered voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election, provided that at least 200 signatures come from voters in three separate congressional districts. The third option is to nominate a presidential candidate who appears on the general election ballot in at least 35 total states.
As the Forward Party did not run a presidential candidate during the 2024 election cycle or field a gubernatorial candidate, the state party can only achieve ballot access through petitioning. Based on the certified results of the most recent North Carolina gubernatorial election, in which 5,724,001 voters participated, the party will need approximately 13,310 additional valid signatures to meet the requirement.
The party has until June 1 of the year it intends to participate in an election to submit its petitions to the State Board of Elections.
“Reaching 1,000 signatures is a testament to the power of teamwork and the belief that a more inclusive and solutions-focused political system is possible,” said Patrick Newton, North Carolina Forward Party Chair. “We are on the path to ensuring that voters have real choices on the ballot in North Carolina.”
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