Party · Oregon

Independent Party

One of 8 parties on Oregon’s list for the November 3, 2026 election, named as the state names it.1,2,3

Research draftminor political party
Picks nominees by
Convention
State’s party list
The state’s own list
Researched
October 27, 2026

Research draft. We gathered this from official sources on October 27, 2026: election offices, state laws and court records, each linked to its source. Separate reviewers checked a random sample of 54 facts from the party research against the cited sources and found 4 errors, since corrected; 1 couldn’t be checked because the source wouldn’t display its text. The rest hasn't been reviewed fact by fact yet, so check the linked source before relying on anything here.

§1Ballot status

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

It is on Oregon's own list of parties qualified for the 2026 election.1,2 The state's class for it: minor political party.1,2

How a party qualifies in Oregon

A group becomes a minor party by filing a petition signed by voters equal to 1.5 percent of all votes cast for Governor at the last full-term election, filed within two years after the prospective petition; a group whose candidate drew at least 1 percent of the vote for President or a statewide partisan office also qualifies.4,5 ORS 248.008(1) A party becomes a major party when at least 10 percent of the state's registered voters are registered as its members by the 275th day before a primary.4,6 ORS 248.006(1)

How a party keeps its status

A major party must meet the 10 percent registration test again by the 275th day before each primary, or it stops being a major party.4 ORS 248.006(3)-(4) To keep minor party status for a later general election, a party needs, at some point between the primary and the 90th day before the general election, either members equal to 0.25 percent of all registered voters, or members equal to 0.1 percent of the last vote for Governor plus a candidate who drew 1 percent of a presidential or statewide vote within four years.4,6 ORS 248.008(4) A minor party that misses both tests loses status on the 90th day before the general election; after its August 5, 2026 review, the Secretary of State found that the Constitution Party of Oregon and the We The People party no longer qualify, and their members are now listed with an affiliation of other.1,4 ORS 248.008(5)

§2How it picks nominees

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

Convention. A minor party nominates under the nominating process in the rules it files with the state, which must give every registered member an equal chance to take part; the Secretary of State describes this as a nominating convention held under state law or party bylaws.4,6 ORS 248.009(1)

Oregon's rules for nominating

Major parties nominate their candidates for partisan office at the May primary, which is limited to party members unless a party files a rule admitting nonaffiliated voters.6,7 ORS 254.365 Minor parties nominate through their own filed process, usually a nominating convention announced in newspapers at least 10 days ahead; for 2026, nomination certificates were due August 25, 2026.4,6 ORS 248.009 A minor party may nominate a candidate who is also another party's nominee, but those votes do not count toward the party's 1 percent test.4 ORS 248.008(8)

§3Notes on Oregon’s party research

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

  • We did not find a Secretary of State page that lists the major parties (the old political parties page returns not found). The two major parties come from the Multnomah County Elections page and the Secretary of State's October 2026 registration report; the six minor parties come from the Secretary of State's August 7, 2026 bulletin.
  • The Multnomah County page says there are eight minor parties but lists six, the same six as the Secretary of State's August 2026 bulletin; we followed the state bulletin.