What is No Labels and what does it mean for your ballot?
When a woman from Alamance County selected No Labels on her voter registration, she thought it meant she’d receive a ballot without a candidate’s party affiliation listed.
Meanwhile, a New Hanover County man said he registered for No Labels because he thought it meant he could vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary.
They’re both wrong. And they’re not alone when it comes to misunderstanding No Labels.
According to November data from the Meredith Poll, based out of Meredith College, 52 percent of respondents knew nothing at all about No Labels. 20 percent knew some or a lot, and less than 20 percent said they would consider voting for candidates running under the No Labels banner.
What is No Labels?
Although it may be the first time voters are hearing about No Labels, the group is not new. It was established in 2009 and is known for its work in creating the Problem Solvers Caucus, which bills itself as bringing Republicans and Democrats together to solve issues across the aisle.
No Labels also created the Common Sense policy booklet, which “provides a clear blueprint for where America’s commonsense majority wants this country to go – and it shows how we can address even the most contentious issues with civility and respect,” according to the No Labels website. The nonprofit says it values bipartisanship, less polarization and more working together.
No Labels became an option for North Carolina voters in August when the State Board of Elections approved them as a party after receiving enough petitioner signatures.
As of February, about 7,600 North Carolinians were registered under No Labels, according to the State Board of Elections. And the organization has gained ballot access in over 10 states.
Despite having ballot access, No Labels will not have a candidate on the primary ballot and thus any voter in North Carolina registered under the party will not have a candidate to vote for in the primary. It is still unclear whether No Labels voters will have a candidate for the general election in November.
Is No Labels a political party?
Despite No Labels being deemed a political party by the Board of Elections, the nonprofit says they are not. Rather, they identify as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization with ballot access.
David McLennan, professor of political science at Meredith College and the poll director, explained the difference between No Labels and political parties.
“A political party does things like recruits candidates, raises money, puts
out a party platform to let people know where they stand on various policy issues,” McLennan said. “That's where we're yet to see No Labels doing the kinds of things that parties do. They've reserved a spot, but they haven't done the other things that political parties – Greens or Democrats, Republicans or Libertarians – regularly do.”
No Labels has posted on social accounts trying to educate the public on the difference between a nonprofit with ballot access and a political party. No Labels North Carolina has also hosted informational events to help voters understand their message. They hope to host more in the upcoming months.
Dissatisfaction is on the rise
For the man from New Hanover County and the woman from Alamance County, switching to No Labels came out of a desire to move past strict party lines.
The Rev. Benjamin Chavis, national co-chair of No Labels and a North Carolina-born civil rights activist, explained that the need for No Labels lies in the fact that a majority of Americans are dissatisfied with the current options for president. In an X post made by No Labels, they wrote, “With questions swirling about Trump's fitness to be on the ballot and Biden's mental fitness for office — the urgency and need for No Labels to get on the ballot and provide more choice to voters becomes more obvious with each passing day.”
Deb Love, No Labels North Carolina co-chair, said the group is about giving dissatisfied voters a new choice.
“We are delighted to have these people register with No Labels and we think it speaks to how we have a large part of people, who like me, have been politically homeless for a while,” Love said.
The Meredith College poll reflects dissatisfaction too.
“The levels of dissatisfaction with the direction of the country are at almost near-record levels,” McLennan wrote in the poll report. “As we head into an election year, expect both political parties to use this dissatisfaction and blame the other party for the woes of the country. This promises to be one of the most negative political campaign years in history.”
How likely are North Carolinians to vote third party?
Despite general dissatisfaction and interest in third parties shown in polls, McLennan said voter turnout for third parties remains low.
“Almost two thirds of North Carolinians said that they would favor a third party to represent them,” McLennan said. “We don't see people voting for third parties at near that level. In North Carolina, we've had various third party candidates...rarely do these candidates get more than four to five percent of the vote. So that dissatisfaction that we're seeing in polling and the interest in third parties, my view is it's really what they want is the parties, I'm talking about
Democratic and Republican parties, to reform themselves. They're not really interested in third parties.”
McLennan attributes this gap to polarization and fear of the other side.
What’s next?
For voters like the woman in Alamance County and the man in New Hanover County, it's too late to change their party affiliation for the primary, which means they won't have candidates to vote for.
As for No Labels, the group says it's focusing on the general election, not the primary.
“Keep in mind a lot of these voters are already Independent and Independents usually weigh in in the general election,” Chavis said. “So our focus is not the primary, our focus is the general election.”
If No Labels decides to open their “unity ticket” to someone, they will not help fund or run the campaign according to their website. The organization also says voters can expect more clarity on their next move after March 15.