Adding Relationships to Candidates' Elections (Runningmates)
We define "Runningmates" as those candidates who are linked together on the ballot, on the same ticket, and can only be voted for as a "team." Most often, this is Presidential candidates with Vice Presidential candidates, and Gubernatorial candidates with candidates for Lieutenant Governor.
The rules for Gubernatorial running mates vary by state, so it is important for you to understand the law. In some states, they run entirely separate, some together for only the general election, and some together for both the primary and general election. See the following chart below:
| Elected on Joint Ticket | Elected on Joint Ticket, but Separate Primary | Elected Separately | Title given to Senate President | No Lieutenant Governor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Connecticut | Alabama | Tennessee | Maine |
| Arizona | Massachusetts | Arkansas | West Virginia | New Hampshire |
| Colorado | New Mexico | California | Oregon | |
| Florida | New York | Delaware | Wyoming | |
| Iowa | Pennsylvania | Georgia | ||
| Indiana | Wisconsin | Idaho | ||
| Kansas | Mississippi | |||
| Kentucky | Missouri | |||
| Michigan | Nevada | |||
| Montana | North Carolina | |||
| Minnesota | Oklahoma | |||
| Maryland | Rhode Island | |||
| North Dakota | Texas | |||
| New Jersey | Vermont | |||
| Nebraska | Virginia | |||
| Ohio | ||||
| South Carolina | ||||
| South Dakota | ||||
| Utah |
It is important to relate running mates together at the time they are to appear on the same ballot. If they are running mates in the primary, these associations should be added immediately after adding the candidates to our database. If they are only linked after a primary, you will want to add these as soon as the primary results are in.
To link running mates together, you will need to use the election id, which can be found by clicking on the election itself, and it will be next to the State. You will need to put the election id for each linked candidate into the Running Mate ID of the other candidate. Save the election again, and the candidates will be linked. You must do this for both candidates.
Please be sure that you are using election_id, not candidate_id, otherwise this process will not work.
