New York's Working Families Party cleared the threshold to keep its automatic ballot line.

[thesquanderer]

Source: New York Times

A progressive party in New York appears poised to retain its automatic ballot line, overcoming new barriers backed by the state’s Democratic governor, Andrew M. Cuomo.

According to late Tuesday night voter tallies, at least 283,000 New Yorkers voted for Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Kamala Harris on the Working Families Party line, amounting to 4.5 percent of all votes cast in the presidential election.

Those numbers far exceed the state’s new thresholds for third-party ballot access. According to the new rules, a third party must garner 130,000 votes in a presidential election, or 2 percent of the total vote — whichever is higher — if that party wants to retain its ballot line.

...

“Working people and Black and brown communities are historically challenged when we grow in power — and the threat to our ballot line is no different,” Sochie Nnaemeka, the Working Families Party’s state director for New York, said in a statement Tuesday night. “What’s clear, though, is our campaign to protect the ballot line has only resulted in a stronger, more united progressive movement in New York State.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/03/us/politics/new-yorks-working-families-party-cleared-the-threshold-to-keep-its-automatic-ballot-line.html

[melman]

1. Good news

[thesquanderer]

2. and helps explain why Warren/Sanders objected to using their names...

...to urge people to vote straight Dem on the ballot. WFP's place on future ballots was at stake. And WFP has been a source of support for them.

[groundloop]

3. Agreed. And the state Democratic Party shouldn't have used their images without permission.

I'd actually never heard of "Working Families Party" until that little dustup (which was really much ado about nothing), but after a little research and an informed post here I now understand who they are.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Here in Philly, we had our first "3rd party" City Council member running as a WFP candidate

and she was voted in as one of the city's "At Large" (citywide) seats. Kendra Brooks. She has been a young and energetic activist in City Council and brought some new blood into what had become a centuries-long "machine" type entity.

[George II]

9. They're Federal office holders, public figures. No need for permission to use their images....

Plus they weren't named.

The dustup wasn't the work of the Democratic Party (the NEW YORK Democratic Party), it wasn't even created by any New York people.

But you're correct, it was "much ado about nothing".

[George II]

10. Not for Democrats in New York. They can, and will, and have, put up their own candidates....

....who can, and will, and have funneled off Democratic votes.

In close elections that can help elect republicans.

[NurseJackie]

11. The whole thing is very Sarandonesque. Ultimately it harms the Democratic party.

You'd think that people would be smart enough to understand what happens and what the consequences are. We do not need to be promoting, supporting or encouraging ANY third-parties on DU.

[NurseJackie]

5. Meh.

Democrats only for me. No third parties.

[brush]

6. Me too. Why aren't they Democrats since they say they...

represent black and brown families? Seems redundant.

[NurseJackie]

7. Shit like this only serves to dilute Democratic votes... which gives an advantage to the GOP.

We've seen it before. We know what happens. We know the consequences. I don't think it should be promoted or permitted here.

This is Democratic Underground, not the "Working Families Party Underground"... screw that! No more piggy-backing!

[thesquanderer]

8. I think it should certainly be permitted here as late breaking news of interest.

But I suppose you could alert on it and see if a jury agrees.

[thesquanderer]

14. The Dem party in New York (e.g. Gov Cuomo) is not progressive enough for some...

...and picking up from the last paragraph in the OP, it would be presumptuous to tell anyone, and especially people of color, that they should embrace a moderate Dem party as being "good enough."

I do understand the pragmatic side, we need to stand together to defeat Republicans. But I also don't think it is right to say people shouldn't be able to vote for more of what they want than either major party seems willing to give them. And when so often the same candidates ARE on both tickets, this is often at least a non-destructive way to vote for a Dem while ALSO expressing your further left perspective, which does send a message while causing no harm.

[brush]

17. If they want to be a party let them go ahead, be an independent, other party...

but don't depend on the Democratic Party to piggy back on. Let them put on their big boy and big girls pants and build their on ground game apparatus and stand on their own.

[brooklynite]

12. Whoopie...

There hasn't been a year that they HAVEN'T been on the ballot.

[thesquanderer]

13. But the qualifications were getting tougher.

Their presence on the ballot was being threatened. They overcame it. That's kinda the point of the story.

[brooklynite]

15. No they weren't...

...the only distinction was whether the State would eliminate fusion voting. The vote threshold level remained the same.

[melman]

16. "The vote threshold level remained the same."

Wrong.

--

A progressive party in New York appears poised to retain its automatic ballot line, overcoming new barriers backed by the state’s Democratic governor, Andrew M. Cuomo.

According to late Tuesday night voter tallies, at least 283,000 New Yorkers voted for Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Kamala Harris on the Working Families Party line, amounting to 4.5 percent of all votes cast in the presidential election.

Those numbers far exceed the state’s new thresholds for third-party ballot access. According to the new rules, a third party must garner 130,000 votes in a presidential election, or 2 percent of the total vote — whichever is higher — if that party wants to retain its ballot line.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/03/us/politics/new-yorks-working-families-party-cleared-the-threshold-to-keep-its-automatic-ballot-line.html