MAINE

Here are the requirements for creating a new political party in your State. Just a few hoops to jump through, so put on your sneakers. Thanks for your motivation and commitment.

Political parties in Maine can obtain official recognition in one of two ways: organization around a candidate or organization by party enrollment. These two methods are detailed below.

Organization around a candidate
A voter or group of voters not enrolled in a qualified political party may file a declaration of intent to form a new political party. The form of the declaration is prescribed by the secretary of state and must include the following information:[5] the designation of the proposed party
the name of a candidate for governor or president in the most recent general election who was nominated by petition and who received at least 5 percent of the total number of votes cast for those offices
the signed consent of the aforementioned candidate
the name, address, telephone number (if published), and signature of the voter or one of the group of voters who files the declaration
The declaration of intent must be filed with the secretary of state before 5:00 p.m. on the 180th day preceding the next primary election. After filing the declaration, the voter or group of voters may enroll voters in the proposed party.[5] Organization by party enrollment
A group of 10 or more voters who are not enrolled in a qualified political party may file a declaration of intent to form a party with the secretaryof state between December 1 and December 30 of an even-numbered year. The form of the declaration is prescribed by the secretary of state and must include the following information:[6]

the designation of the proposed party
the names, addresses, telephone number (if published), and signatures of the voters who are filing the declaration
Within five business days of receipt, the secretary of state will certify whether the declaration is sufficient and notify the applicants that they may begin enrolling voters in the proposed party. By December 1 of the odd-numbered year following the filing of the declaration of intent, the applicants must file a certification with the secretary of state indicating that at least 5,000 voters have enrolled in the proposed party. The secretary of state will verify these enrollment figures within five business days of receipt and notify the applicants whether the proposed party may participate in a primary election in the next even-numbered year.[6]

Procedural requirements
A newly qualified political party must conduct municipal caucuses in at least one municipality in each of the state’s 16 counties during the election year. Municipal caucuses are held every two years to elect delegates to the state convention and to tend to any other party business. The chair of the municipal committee (if one has been formed) or a resident voter enrolled in the party must file a copy of the caucus notice with the secretary of state by 5:00 p.m. on March 20. The caucus notice must be published in a newspaper “having general circulation in the municipality” at least three and no more than seven days before the caucus. The caucus notice may also be posted in a “conspicuous, public place in each voting district in the municipality” at least seven days prior to the caucus. The notice must contain the name of the party, the time and place of the caucus, and the name of the person calling it.[5][6][7]

A newly qualified party must also hold a state convention. The voter or group of voters who filed the declaration of intent may perform the convention duties normally performed by a party’s state committee during the new party’s first state convention. The following must be done at the state convention:

electing a secretary and a chair of the convention, in that order
adopting a platform for the next general election
nominating the number of presidential electors to which Maine is entitled
determining the size of the state, district, and county committees and methods of election
electing a district committee for each congressional district
electing a county committee for each county from individuals nominated at municipal caucuses held in the county (unless party rules provide for county committee members to be elected directly by their municipalities)[8] Maintaining party status
To maintain qualified status, a political party’s designation must have been listed on the ballot in either of the two preceding general elections. Further, the party must also meet all of the following requirements:

The party must have held municipal caucuses in at least one municipality in a minimum of 14 counties during the election year in which the designation appeared on the ballot and any interim election year and must do the same during the year of the primary election.
The party must have held a state convention during the election year in which the designation appeared on the ballot and any interim election year.
At least 10,000 voters enrolled in the party must have voted in the last general election.[9]