1. Sections 115.315 to 115.327 shall be known and may be cited as the “Fair Ballot Access Act”.

2. Any group of persons desiring to form a new political party throughout the state, or for any congressional district, state senate district, state representative district or circuit judge district, shall file a petition with the secretary of state. Any group of persons desiring to form a new party for any county shall file a petition with the election authority of the county.

Terms Used In Missouri Laws 115.315

  • Ballot: the paper ballot, or ballot designed for use with an electronic voting system on which each voter may cast all votes to which he or she is entitled at an election. See Missouri Laws 115.013
  • County: any county in this state or any city not within a county. See Missouri Laws 115.013
  • District: an area within the state or within a political subdivision of the state from which a person is elected to represent the area on a policy-making body with representatives of other areas in the state or political subdivision. See Missouri Laws 115.013
  • New party: any political group which has filed a valid petition and is entitled to place its list of candidates on the ballot at the next general or special election. See Missouri Laws 115.013
  • Political party: any established political party and any new party. See Missouri Laws 115.013
  • State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020

3. Each page or a sheet attached to each page of each petition for the formation of a new political party shall:

(1) Declare concisely the intention to form a new political party in the state, district or county;

(2) State in not more than five words the name of the proposed party;

(3) Give a complete list of the names and addresses, including the street and number, of the chairman and treasurer of the party.

4. When submitted for filing, each petition shall contain the names and addresses of two people, not candidates, to serve as provisional chairman and treasurer for the party in the event the party becomes a new political party.

5. If the new party is to be formed for the entire state, which shall include being formed for all districts and counties in which the party has nominations so listed on its certified list of candidates required pursuant to section 115.327, then this statewide petition shall be signed by at least ten thousand registered voters of the state obtained at large.

6. If the new party is to be formed for any district or county, but not by the statewide method set out in subsection 5 of this section, then the petition shall be signed by the number of registered voters in the district or county which is equal to at least two percent of the total number of voters who voted at the last election for candidates for the office being sought or is equal to ten thousand voters, whichever is less.