The Working Class Party recently announced that it submitted the required number of signatures to regain ballot access in Maryland. The party was previously recognized by the state but lost that status following the 2022 gubernatorial election.
According to an undated statement posted on the Working Class Party of Maryland’s website, roughly 30 petition circulators collected more than 12,300 signatures, focusing on grocery stores, parades, local festivals, and farmers markets. Organizers are aiming to have ballot access back in time for the 2026 election cycle. The party also identified 25 individuals to serve as its founding members, as required by state law to organize a new group.
Under Maryland law, any new political party must first submit organizational documentation that includes the names and addresses of at least 25 registered voters to form its initial governing body. From the date of the first signature collected, the party then has two years to gather at least 10,000 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot. Once recognized, a party is categorized as either a principal or non-principal party. Principal parties are those whose candidates finish first or second in the most recent gubernatorial election and nominate by primary. All others, including newly formed parties, nominate candidates according to internal party rules.
The Working Class Party was founded in 2014 by supporters associated with the Trotskyist publication The Spark. It has run candidates in Michigan, Maryland, California, and Illinois. The party first achieved state-recognition in Maryland in 2020 after submitting a similar number of signatures. That same year, David Harding, a longtime party supporter who had previously run for Baltimore City Council in 2016, became its candidate for mayor. He later ran for governor with Cathy White in 2022, but the party lost its recognized status after failing to meet the state’s vote threshold requirement.
With credit to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News for first reporting on the party’s 2026 efforts.
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