How much does it cost to create a party in the U.S.? And why even Musk’s money doesn’t guarantee it

After leaving the chaos of Donald Trump’s White House, Elon Musk has set about making a lot of noise. He has hit out at the President online, calling for his impeachment, and now he has made it his mission to, in his words, “give you back your freedom”.

A Twitter poll created by the unelected South African — the single soundest measure of the zeitgeist — revealed that Musk’s musings were on the money. And so, he created the ‘America Party’.

Interestingly, the threshold for a group of enthusiasts becoming a bona fide political party is quite blurry, with no real ‘click-of-the-fingers’ moment inscribed into law. The Federal Election Commission explains it in the following way:

“The laws in each state determine when a political organization qualifies as a “political party” entitled to have its candidates’ names appear as party-designated candidates on the general election ballot. While the laws differ from state to state, they generally all require a non-major party to demonstrate sufficient voter support—such as by filing a petition for party recognition signed by a representative number of voters—in order to qualify for ballot access in the general election. Moreover, the party must receive a sufficient number of votes in the election in order to sustain its qualified status.”

Can Musk buy his way onto the American ballot paper?

So, basically, Musk has to show his party has a genuine level of support and that it won’t be wiped out after a failed election campaign.

His money, it seems, cannot buy a place on the ballot.

Having said that, it is entirely true and noteworthy that Musk will be able to spend big when it comes to advertising, campaigning, sponsorships and everything else — all $277 million — he used to propel Donald Trump into power last year.

The money involved in creating an official party that must register its activity is, understandably, very low. The FEC explains that the State or national organisation thresholds sit at just $1,000 in contributions or other expenditures before a party must register its financial activity. It adds that it must register within 10 days of exceeding any of the aforementioned thresholds in a calendar year.

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