Can the political parties demand that their nominees be distinguished on the ballot?
No. The Attorney General’s Office advises that I-872 does not allow or authorize any special designation on the ballot for candidates who have been nominated by a political party. All candidates are treated the same. The Supreme Court ruled the political parties do not have a constitutional right to have their nominees distinguished on the ballot. The Supreme Court said: It is true that parties may no longer indicate their nominees on the ballot, but that is unexceptionable: The First Amendment does not give political parties a right to have their nominees designated as such on the ballot. … Parties do not gain such a right simply because the State affords candidates the opportunity to indicate their party preference on the ballot.
