The Rhode Island Board of Elections voted this month to remove No Labels, the centrist organization that had aimed to field a unity presidential ticket during the 2024 election cycle, from its list of officially recognized state parties.
The Rhode Island Current first reported that the Board of Elections voted 4-0 earlier in December to revoke No Labels’ status as a recognized party. The group had gained recognition in the state in March after supporters collected over 20,000 signatures as part of its national effort to secure ballot access. However, No Labels ultimately decided against fielding a presidential ticket, leaving ballot lines either utilized by outside candidates or entirely unused in several states, including Rhode Island.
In Rhode Island, maintaining recognized party status required the affiliate party to field a gubernatorial or presidential candidate with associated electors who received at least 5% of the votes cast in the 2024 election. With no qualifying candidate, it was only a matter of time before the party lost its official status. The Current also confirmed with state election officials that voters registered as members of the No Labels state affiliate would have their affiliations changed to independent following the party’s deregistration.
A spokesperson for No Labels stated in a separate interview with The Dispatch later in the month that the organization intends to continue its efforts into the 2026 election cycle. However, the spokesperson suggested that the group is more interested in focusing on supporting its current allies in the Republican and Democratic parties, making it unlikely that these efforts will include another attempt to establish a third party ballot line.
Long before announcing its plans to field a presidential ticket for the 2024 election, No Labels functioned as a bipartisan organization with an informal caucus of sympathetic legislators, which eventually evolved into the Problem Solvers Caucus, an entity that continues to operate. According to No Labels, its future efforts will include grassroots activism, direct citizen lobbying, and financial contributions to the campaigns of its congressional allies.
The Board of Elections was just doing its job. It would have been extraordinary if it had not removed No Labels.
“In Rhode Island, maintaining recognized party status required the affiliate party to field a gubernatorial or presidential candidate with associated electors who received at least 5% of the votes cast in the 2024 election. With no qualifying candidate, it was only a matter of time before the party lost its official status.”
How much longer would No Labels have continued to be a recognized party if the BoE hadn’t voted to revoke its status? Would it have (potentially) made any difference – are there, for example, any partisan races that would take place between now and the natural lapsing of recognized party status?
“which eventually evolved into the Problem Solvers Caucus”
Not much of a commendation, looking at who’s on that. Still less bad than the Forward Party though, IMO (and still worse than the Reform Party).