State officials approved a request from the We The People party today (Tuesday), granting the party official recognition and a spot on the November ballot.
We The People also will have candidates on ballots in November, which it chose during its June 2024 nominating convention. They include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan for president and vice president of the United States, Jeff Scott of Charlotte for N.C. Senate District 40, and Mark Ortiz of Kannapolis for Rowan County Commissioner, according to a letter from We The People, North Carolina.
According to a review by State Board staff, the We The People submitted 18,309 valid signatures from registered N.C. voters, 4,444 more than the required 13,865 signatures. The signatures were verified by the county boards of elections of the counties in which they were collected. We The People also received at least 200 signatures from three different congressional districts, a requirement of “Political party” defined; creation of new party. N.C.G.S. § 163-96(a)(2).
Recognition of the party gives voters eight choices of party affiliation: Constitution, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, No Labels, Republican, or We The People parties. Voters can also register as unaffiliated.
The State Board will update voter registration applications to include the new political party option. Until then, voters may register with the new party by checking the “Other” box and writing “We The People” on the line in the “Political Party Affiliation” section of the voter registration form.
State Board voter data also will be updated to include the new party registrants.
Another party petition was turned down by the State Board of Elections on Tuesday. A majority of the State Board voted not to recognize the Justice for All Party.
Members opposed to the party’s recognition cited evidence of fraud in the signature gathering process, as well as the refusal of independent signature gatherers to comply with a subpoena for information from the Board.
Beginning in the next election cycle (2026), candidates may file as a member of the We The People party in addition to the other registered official political parties.
