# What unusual political parties were on your ballot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 8, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611 "2022-11-08T23:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/1 "2022-11-08T23:50:32Z")
Here in MN we have both “Legal Marijuana now” **and** “Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis”. I can understand one, but both?. There is also “Independence-Alliance” and “Socialist Workers” – only for Governor/Lt Gov, the two pot parties are in multiple races. Brian ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/2 "2022-11-09T00:41:54Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > “Legal Marijuana now” **and** “Grassroots - Legalize Cannabis” [Splitters](https://tenor.com/view/splitter-lonely-loner-alone-monty-pythons-life-of-brian-gif-12674898) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/3 "2022-11-09T16:55:45Z")
A friend of mine threw his hat in the ring, running so he could be on the ballot, with “ **Term Limits For Congress** ” after his name. He figured it was a good way to get that message out, because an Independent can pick any label they want. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/4 "2022-11-09T17:59:22Z")
No unusual parties on the Ohio ballot this year. In years past we’ve had Greens now and then. If I ever ran as an independent in a party I got to name, I’d want it to be The Time Being. That way, I could say with a perfectly straight face, “I’m a candidate for The Time Being.” ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/5 "2022-11-09T18:48:13Z")
I don’t recall if they were on the ballot for the midterms, but during the Presidential election cycles the Peace and Freedom Party always shows up on California ballots. As I understand they started out as an anti-Vietnam War party. I’m not sure what their platform is now, maybe just general pacifism, I don’t really feel like looking it up right now. ---
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/6 "2022-11-10T01:23:01Z")
# [What unusual political parties were on your ballot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611) Republican. Dan ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/7 "2022-11-10T01:26:26Z")
As I said in the thread I started about them, the Keystone Party. I learned they were an offshoot of the Libertarian party. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/8 "2022-11-10T02:32:11Z")
I helped count absentee ballots, and we had a Libertarian candidate for governor. They didn’t get very many votes. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/9 "2022-11-10T09:56:39Z")
Something called the Keystone Party, with a (K) after the name in charts and tables. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/10 "2022-11-10T10:10:43Z")
WA has a top-two jungle primary where candidates are listed as “Prefers X Party”, where the party the candidate chooses may or may not actually exist. This year, we had Senate/House candidates from the “JFK Republican Party” and “Congress Sucks Party” among the usual also-rans. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/11 "2022-11-10T13:06:47Z")
I imagine you were expecting US answers, but let me tell you about the insane list of parties we get on our ballots here in South Africa. [This was the ballot](https://www.elections.org.za/pw/LGEBallots/1091/WP/CPT_PR.pdf) for the last election I voted in, with 50 different parties to choose from, including interesting options like: - Credible Alternative 1st Movement - Dagga Party [_dagga_ is the local term for weed] - God Save Africa - The Organic Humanity Movement We have a proportional representation system with no threhold, which tends to encourage the proliferation of tiny parties since you need only a small fraction of the vote to win yourself one seat (0.4% in this particular case). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/12 "2022-11-10T18:48:27Z")
In the UK you could vote for the… > **[Official Monster Raving Loony Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Monster_Raving_Loony_Party)** > > The Official Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) is a political party established in the United Kingdom in 1982 by the musician David Sutch, also known as "Screaming Lord Sutch, 3rd Earl of Harrow", or simply "Lord Sutch". It is notable for its deliberately bizarre policies and it effectively exists to satirise British politics, and to offer itself as an alternative for protest voters, especially in constituencies where the party holding a safe seat is unlikely to lose it. > Starting in 1963, Da... ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-political-parties-were-on-your-ballot/974611/13 "2022-11-10T19:00:32Z")
Lord Such is in Paradox Press Big Book Of Weirdos. It notes that some of his party’s positions are now law. I’m not sure which ones as my copy is at my girlfriend’s