A political designation is a one-to-three word descriptive term which may appear next to candidates' names on election ballots.
To be recognized as a political designation in Massachusetts, fifty registered voters must file a document with the state seeking this status.
To be recognized as a political party, a designation must either have obtained at least 3% of the vote for any state-wide office at the preceding biennial state election, or have enrolled at least 1% of all registered voters.
"[6] These non-party political designations may field candidates for statewide office, if they petition with a sufficient number of signatures (10,000).
[7] The various political designations have generally small membership, although they have attracted some media attention.