Third-Party Ballot Access in Nevada: Streamlined for Some, Rigorous for Others
Nevada’s election laws offer pathways for third-party candidates to reach the general election ballot. Established minor parties, such as the Independent American Party and Libertarian Party, have a streamlined process, while unaffiliated independents and Green Party candidates must qualify through a more complex petition process that requires gathering signatures.
For the governor’s race, unaffiliated independents must gather signatures equal to 1% of the votes cast in the previous general election for that office, or a fixed total of 250 signatures from registered Nevada voters. Petitions must receive pre-approval from the Nevada Secretary of State before circulation, meet strict formatting rules, undergo county verification, and be filed along with a Declaration of Candidacy and a $300 fee.
In the current 2026 cycle, State Board of Education member Danielle Ford is seeking the governorship as an unaffiliated candidate. Several other independents, including Christopher Battenberg, Max Beck, Jordan Koteras, Allen Rheinhart, and Emilio Rodriguez, have also filed. With the filing window now closed, candidates like Ford are expected to learn their final qualification status in the coming days as the Nevada Secretary of State completes signature verification.
The Nevada Secretary of State is a partisan office, currently led by Democrat Francisco Aguilar. The office has disqualified candidates and blocked them from the ballot. Curiously enough, in recent statewide elections only those who could potentially siphon votes from the Democratic Party nominee, such as Jill Stein and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have been disqualified. In 2024, the Nevada Green Party used a petition form provided by the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, collected sufficient signatures, and received initial certification. Shortly afterward, the office disqualified the Nevada Green Party for using the wrong form, the same one it had directed the party to use. When the Nevada Green Party informed the courts that it had followed the Nevada Secretary of State’s instructions, the office filed a court brief stating that it had unintentionally misled the party, while maintaining that applicants bear the ultimate responsibility for using the correct form.
Some skeptics of partisanship in the Nevada Secretary of State’s office may suspect that if the office perceives Danielle Ford or others as a threat to the Democratic Party nominee, complications could arise in their petition process. Danielle Ford, specifically, has won multiple elections in Nevada and maintains a strong social media following. In contrast, third-party candidates perceived as siphoning Republican Party votes have nearly always qualified. Longtime Independent American Party activist Janine Hansen has appeared on the ballot in multiple statewide contests and siphoned Republican votes. Her 1.5% share in the 2024 U.S. Senate race came in a contest decided by fewer than 2%. Hansen tipped the scales away from Republican candidate Sam Brown and helped re-elect Democrat Senator Jacky Rosen. Hansen is also on the 2026 lieutenant governor ballot and will likely siphon votes from Republican Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony.
The unaffiliated candidates for Nevada governor seeking qualification for the ballot are expected to learn whether they qualified in the coming days.
