*A political party is an organized group of people with some interests in common who work to influence public policy and run candidates for public office.
*Did you know there are four recognized parties in New York State for you to choose from?
They are:
Democratic Party
Republican Party
Conservative Party
Working Families Party

*No. If you choose not to register as a member of a political party, you are considered a NOP (No Party).
*Sometimes NOPs are called independent voters. (Not to be confused with being a member of the Independence Party which used to be but no longer is a recognized party in New York State.)
*All registered voters are eligible to vote in general elections regardless of whether or not they join a political party.
*Only those registered in a political party, though, can vote in primary elections in New York State. Primary elections are elections where party members choose candidates to run for office.

*In general, all candidates, whether endorsed by a party or not, must get a certain number of registered voters (usually around 600 but more for those not endorsed by a party) to sign a petition to get their names on a ballot.

*A candidate typically meets with and is interviewed by party members who then discuss and vote on whether to endorse the candidate.

*Yes. A candidate may choose to run for office without the backing of a political party.
*In order to do this they must get a specific number of signatures on a petition they circulate. You will see their names on the ballot next to a party name they have created.

*No. Political parties usually run party members for office, but they can choose for a variety of reasons to endorse and run candidates who are not enrolled in their party or any party.

*Yes. Some candidates get the endorsement of more than one recognized political party and will appear on each party’s line on the ballot.
*Some candidates also run on what is called a third party line.
*A party is considered to be a “third party” if it is not one of the two nationally recognized parties (i.e., Democrat and Republican).

There could be many reasons for this, such as-
*A candidate may want to show that they are supported by multiple parties.
*A candidate may also believe that voters might not be comfortable voting for them on a particular party line and this gives the voters options.