Missouri Revised Statutes Title IX. Suffrage and Elections § 115.317. Filing valid petition, effect--new party--failure in two consecutive elections to provide candidates, effect

1. The filing of a valid statewide petition shall constitute the political group a new party for the purpose of placing its name and the names of its statewide and district and county candidates which are submitted pursuant to section 115.327 on the ballot at the next general election or the special election if the petition nominates a candidate to fill a vacancy which is to be filled at a special election. The filing of a valid countywide or district wide petition shall constitute the political party a new party for the purpose of placing its name and the names of its county and district candidates on the ballot at the next general election or the special election if the petition nominates a candidate to fill a vacancy which is to be filled at a special election. If presidential electors are nominated by the petition, the names of the candidates for elector shall not be placed on the official ballot, but the name of their candidate for president and the name of their candidate for vice president shall be placed on the official ballot at the next presidential election.

2. If, at an election in which the new party's candidates first appear, any of its candidates for a statewide office receives more than two percent of all votes cast for the office, the new party shall become an established political party for the state. If, at the election in which the new party's candidates first appear, any of its candidates for an office receives more than two percent of the votes cast for the office in any district or county, the new party shall become an established political party only for the district or county.

3. If, after becoming an established political party for the state, at any two consecutive elections a party fails to have a statewide candidate or fails to poll for a candidate for any statewide office more than two percent of the entire vote cast for the office, a party shall no longer be deemed an established political party. If, after becoming an established political party for a district or county, at any two consecutive elections a party fails to have a candidate in the district or county, as the case may be, or fails to poll more than two percent of the entire vote cast at either of the last two elections in which the district or political subdivision voted as a unit for the election of officers or representatives to serve its areas, the party shall no longer be deemed an established political party.