In 2011, no party with “Socialist” in its name placed any nominees on the ballot in any state for any regularly-scheduled federal or state elections. This was the first calendar year since 1886 for which that statement was true. However, there were Socialist Workers Party, and Socialist Party, nominees on the ballot in 2011 for a few elections for local office, and also the SWP had a nominee on the ballot in a 2011 New York special U.S. House election.

Usually, in odd years, either the Socialist Party, or the Socialist Workers Party, places nominees on the ballot in New Jersey for state office. New Jersey elects all its state offices in odd years, and has easy ballot access. But in 2011, neither party got on the ballot for state office in that state. Other states with odd year elections for state office are Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

The first state to have candidates from a party with the word “Socialist” in its name was Ohio, where the Socialist Labor Party ran a slate of statewide offices in 1877.