No Labels, an organization uniting centrist Republicans and Democrats alike, has gained access to the North Carolina ballot in 2024 as a third party.
In a 4-1 Sunday evening vote, the North Carolina Board of Elections moved to recognize the group as a political party. It will be able to appear on the 2024 ballot, and voters in the state will be able to affiliate with No Labels — if it chooses to run a third-party candidate.
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North Carolina is just the latest state in which the group has broken down the barrier of ballot access, collecting almost 14,000 signatures from North Carolinians before the vote solidified its place on the 2024 ballot. It joins a group of states in which the party has already established its spot on 2024 ballots. So far, No Labels has gained access to ballots in Arizona, Colorado, Alaska, Utah, Oregon, and now North Carolina.
According to Alaska's Division of Elections, the No Labels Party is a limited political party. This means if the party's "presidential candidate receives at least three percent of the votes," it will maintain limited political party status.
In January, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office announced that No Labels was recognized as a minor political party in the state. According to a press release, the party's proponents submitted the required 10,000 valid signatures of registered Colorado electors to achieve the status.
The party also gained access to Arizona ballots as of March, with Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes acknowledging that the group satisfied signature requirements and assuring counties he would assist with the addition.
Shortly thereafter, in March, then-Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan also announced that No Labels obtained enough signatures to form a minor political party. According to her, it submitted 29,294 signatures from Oregonians.
The group's chief strategist told the Washington Post last month that it also gained access to ballots in Utah. The state's Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson's office confirmed this to the Washington Examiner, explaining the No Labels Party is a registered political party in the state and, according to Utah's code, "has complied with the petition and organizing procedures of this chapter to become a registered political party."
No Labels has emerged as a frustration for Democrats who fear that it could split the Democratic and independent votes and tip the scale toward former President Donald Trump, who is the current front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.
According to the group, its goal is "to provide an option to nominate an independent presidential candidate in 2024." The budding political party explained that this may become necessary in 2024 "in the event both major parties nominate presidential candidates that the vast majority of Americans don’t want."
"If this happens, No Labels itself will not run a candidate, but we will have the launching pad, specifically in the form of ballot access across the country," it said.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), a centrist Democrat who has said he is considering becoming an independent, which his colleague Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) did last year, is being speculated as a third-party presidential candidate on the No Labels ticket.
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He hasn't ruled out the possibility. He also hasn't announced a reelection bid for his Senate seat in West Virginia, despite two prominent Republican challengers.
Last month, he fueled further concerns over a 2024 run when he headlined a No Labels town hall event in New Hampshire.