No Labels Secures Party Recognition and Ballot Access in Maine

No Labels, the centrist political organization mulling over whether it will field a unity ticket in the 2024 election, has officially qualified as a political party in Maine, granting it ballot access. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows confirmed No Labels’ recognition as a political party last Friday afternoon.

To become a recognized party in Maine as a new organization, which included granting them ballot access for primaries and the general election, No Labels had to register at least 5,000 voters as party members. According to a report from the Portland Press Herald, as of last week, No Labels had registered over 9,400 voters.

In early 2023, No Labels encountered pushback in its initial efforts to secure ballot access when it became known that some voters joined the new organization thinking they were signing just a petition form. These challenges included receiving a cease-and-desist order from the Maine Secretary of State’s office.

While the verdict on whether No Labels will actually field a candidate is still out until after the Republican and Democratic parties formally select their nominees at convention, the organization has been actively working on securing ballot access across the United States.

In December, No Labels co-founder and former Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut mentioned in an interview with Neil Cavuto of Fox News that the organization was active in 27 states and expected to be on the ballot in 15 states at the beginning of 2024. The ultimate goal of No Labels is to establish a presence in every state across the country in time for the general election.

Maine officially gives No Labels its 13th state with ballot access.

Readers of Independent Political Report can find more details about the interview between Joe Lieberman and Neil Cavuto in a previous article. They can also access the full article on No Labels securing ballot access in Maine by Rachel Ohm on the Portland Press Herald website.