A new political party will appear on Oregon ballots

(MARCH 27, 2023) Most voters are familiar with the major political parties -- the Democrats and the Republicans. However, the U.S. actually has several other political parties representing different interests and policy perspectives. Now, in Oregon and two other states, there is one more: the No Labels Party.

The No Labels Party has recently qualified to appear on Oregon ballots. According to the website of Central Oregon Daily News, "The No Labels Party says it may run a 'unity ticket' in the 2024 presidential election if the two major parties select 'unreasonably divisive nominees.'" That means the party will offer a combination of a Republican and a Democrat together for president and vice president (instead of two Republicans or two Democrats).

“America is still, fundamentally, a two-party nation,” said Jay Myles Coleman of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “That said, there are an increasing amount of people who vote for this party who don’t want to be married to it, so I’ll register unaffiliated and vote for Democrat or Republican. It’s been a trend. ... Oregon is always one of the more friendly 3rd party states. Look at any ballot. You’ll have Pacific Greens, the Constitution, Working Families. I think in the context of Oregon this is just one more of one of those parties.”

To appear on Oregon ballots, the party needed to collect signatures of about 30,000 voters.