The Socialist Party of Maine is seeking official recognition as a political party in the state.
Organizers received authorization from the Secretary of State’s office this week to begin enrolling voters in the Socialist Party, according to a press release. In order to qualify for official status, the Socialist Party will have to enroll at least 5,000 voters by January 2020. To maintain that status, at least 10,000 voters enrolled as Socialists would need to cast votes in the following general election.
The party held its first convention in Maine in July 2016 and identifies itself as “a democratic socialist organization.”
“We advocate for a political revolution that places the government back in the hands of the working class and will seek further electoral reform in Maine, such as ranked-choice voting, to undo the havoc caused by the two-party system in this country and allow for more third party participation resulting in a government that more fully represents the will of working class people,” party co-chair Seth Braun said in a statement.
There are three officially recognized political parties in Maine: Democrat, Republican and Green Independent. Earlier this month, the Libertarian Party of Maine was notified that it lost official party status because fewer than 10,000 enrolled Libertarians cast ballots in the November election. Libertarian leaders have also begun enrolling voters in an effort to regain recognition as a “qualified political party” in Maine.
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