Democratic Party

§1Ballot status

✎ Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

It is on the list of Pennsylvania's parties that we assembled from state law and official candidate lists, ballots or results^1,2, because we couldn't read a single official list. A list built that way can miss a party that has status but no 2026 candidates. The state's class for it: political party.^1,2

How a party qualifies in Pennsylvania

A group becomes a statewide political party when one of its candidates at the last general election before the primary drew at least 2 percent of the highest vote for any winning candidate, both statewide and in each of at least 10 counties.³ Where in the source: § 801(a) A group whose candidate drew at least 5 percent of the highest vote for any winning candidate in a county becomes a political party within that county.³ Where in the source: § 801(b) Any other group that puts candidates on the ballot by nomination papers is a political body, which cannot nominate at primaries.³ Where in the source: § 801(c)

How a party keeps its status

Party status depends on the vote test at the general election just before each primary, so a party keeps statewide status only while one of its candidates keeps meeting the 2 percent test.³ Where in the source: § 801(a) A political party whose statewide registration is under 15 percent of the combined registration of all statewide parties is a minor political party, and it must nominate by nomination papers on the same schedule as political bodies.³ Where in the source: § 912.2(a)

§2How it picks nominees

✎ Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Primary election. ^1,2,3

Pennsylvania's rules for nominating

Political parties nominate their candidates at the primary, where only voters enrolled in the party may vote; for 2026 the Department of State lists primary nomination petitions for the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.^1,2,3 Where in the source: §§ 801(a), 802 Political bodies, and minor political parties, nominate by filing nomination papers; by statute a statewide paper needs signatures equal to 2 percent of the highest vote for a winning statewide candidate, and a district paper 2 percent of the highest vote in that district.³ Where in the source: §§ 912.2, 951(b) For 2026, following a 2018 federal court order, the Department of State required 2,500 signatures on statewide nomination papers (5,000 for President, U.S. Senator or Governor) instead of the 2 percent formula, and set the circulation and filing period as March 11 through August 3, 2026.¹ Where in the source: Items 5 and 7

§3On the 2026 ballot

18 Candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House or governor whose label on Pennsylvania's November 3 ballot names this party, from the state's official candidate list. Labels are shown exactly as the ballot prints them. Other offices aren't covered yet.

§4Notes on Pennsylvania’s party research

What the research couldn’t find or confirm about Pennsylvania’s parties, in its own plain words. Nothing is left out silently.

• The Department of State does not publish a list we could find of groups holding political party or minor political party status. The two parties listed are the only ones the Department names for 2026 primary nomination petitions. We could not confirm whether any other group, such as the Libertarian, Green or Constitution parties named in the Department's political body instructions, holds minor political party status for 2026; either way such groups nominate by nomination papers.
• The Department of State's candidate database at pavoterservices.pa.gov returned a bot-check page, so we did not use it.
• The General Assembly's compiled Election Code shows amendment notes only through 2022; we did not confirm that §§ 801, 802, 912.2 and 951 were not amended later.