1st online US POTUS convention begins tonight

Opinion: Libertarians to be first to nominate a presidential candidate via virtual convention | Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Jim Galloway:

May 19, 2020 - "Over the weekend, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan decided that he wouldn’t make a run for president under the Libertarian Party banner after all.... There is still a reason to keep an eye on Libertarians as they pick their presidential nominee this weekend. But many will consider the 'how' to be more important than the 'who.'

"The pandemic has forced the Libertarian nominating convention into cyberspace — something that Republicans and Democrats alike might find themselves mimicking.... On Friday evening and Saturday morning, 1,045 Libertarian delegates will become the first 50-state, national party to select their nominees for U.S. president and vice president via Zoom, one of several video chat services that have risen up to serve as a substitute for face-to-face contact....

"Libertarians were to gather in Austin, Texas, this Memorial Day weekend. Then the hotel they booked canceled its operations, and Texas officials imposed a 14-day mandatory quarantine on all out-of-state interlopers. They still hope to have an in-person national gathering in July.... But ... Libertarians are under deadline pressures when it comes to the presidential contest that Republicans and Democrats are not. The names of their candidate for president, along with electors, must be submitted far earlier in many states. Which is why, only two weeks ago, the Libertarian National Committee voted to take its presidential nomination process into virtual territory....

"'We’ve been running training sessions on how to run a parliamentary meeting online. We’re throwing every monkey wrench in,' said Dan Fishman, executive director of the Libertarian Party.... Fishman is a software architect – not uncommon among Libertarians, he said. 'We’ve always been a party of technologists. Among software engineers, the dominating preference is libertarianism. So we have a lot of technical people really helping out,' he said....

"Libertarians decided to use the Zoom 'webinar' feature. Delegates will be able to see the principals, but not each other. State party chairs, who as 'panelists' can see the convention/audience, will forward delegation votes and motions. Members of state delegations have set up Slack channels so they can chat among themselves throughout the process.

"The vote for president is expected Saturday. With Amash out – he will remain the first and only member of Congress to bear a Libertarian label – the race is an open one. The only Georgian in the contest is John Monds, who is something of a Libertarian legend. In 2008, in an obscure state Public Service Commission race against Republican Doug Everett, Monds became the first Libertarian in U.S. history to win more than 1 million votes....

"Fishman said he expects Republicans and Democrats alike to be paying attention. 'I know at some point in time people are going to want to talk to us about this. They don’t have quite the same issues that we do, in terms of how their conventions are run, but they are going to have to do something like this,” Fishman said....

"The Libertarian Party has a YouTube channel that will allow you to watch its proceedings, live or delayed. Do tune in, at least for a half-hour or so. You’ll get a glimpse of the skeleton of business that is actually conducted at a political convention – with all the froth and fancy removed."

Read more: https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/opinion-libertarians-first-nominate-presidential-candidate-via-virtual-convention/3wva19YUrooFK3ROU1dbzK/

Judge puts Libertarians on POTUS ballot in Illinois

Libertarian Party Wins COVID-19-Related Lawsuit Over Ballot Access in Illinois | Reason - Brian Doherty:

April 22, 2020 - "A judge in Illinois yesterday paved the way for the Libertarian Party (L.P.) to actually get on the ballot in her state after COVID-19 made traditional petitioning to gather signatures for ballot access impossible. Richard Winger reports in the indispensable Ballot Access News that Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer, in an as-yet-unwritten opinion in the case of Libertarian Party of Illinois v. Pritzker, decided that if a third party was on the ballot in 2016 or 2018 for an office, it can be on the ballot again this year with no petition signatures required. For the L.P., this includes the presidential and Senate ballot slots.

"For other legislative seats, candidates will only need to collect 10 percent of the normal requirement this year (which will mean 2,500 required instead of 25,000). The previous deadline for the petitions of June 22 has also been pushed back to August 7. The petitions can also be collected via e-signed electronic documents (although 'the candidate or party must then print out the results and transport a piece of paper to election officials.')

"L.P. national chair Nicholas Sarwark says no longer needing to collect a huge number of Illinois signatures is a 'big story' for the L.P. Actually meeting the original Illinois requirements with COVID-19 would have been an 'impossible dream,' but with this legal win behind them, he's confident similar arguments, either made inside or outside formal lawsuits, can be expected to win over other judges or state officials....

"The L.P. is facing COVID-19-related ballot access problems in many states, with traditional petitioning methods essentially illegal or impossibly difficult. (Ballotpedia is keeping a running tally of every election law or requirement change that COVID-19 is inspiring.)

"The L.P. as of today is on 36 ballots (plus the District of Columbia), and involved in active lawsuits against Maine, Georgia, Maryland, and Connecticut over ballot access issues (though not all of them are strictly about COVID-19-related problems).

"The L.P. would prefer to get concessions on impossible signature rules via negotiation, not lawsuits, and its members are in discussions with many states about these issues. However, L.P. Executive Director Daniel Fishman says some states, such as Alabama, have so far ignored their communications."

Read more: https://reason.com/2020/04/22/libertarian-party-wins-covid-19-related-lawsuit-over-ballot-access-in-illinois/

LP will 'sue everywhere' to keep ballot status, vows executive director

Will the Pandemic Keep Third Parties Off the 2020 Ballot? | Politico - Bill Scher:

April 19, 2020 - "In 2016, the Libertarian Party was on the general election ballot in all 50 states; this year, it has secured ballot access in just 35. Similarly, the Green Party ... has qualified for the November ballot in only 22 states.... At present, neither the Libertarian Party nor the Green Party has qualified for the ballot in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Iowa or Minnesota....

"To get on the ballot in the remaining states, they need to collect and submit petition signatures.... But because of the deadly coronavirus — and the social distancing and stay-at-home orders to minimize its spread — after March 6, 'petitioning was over in the United States,' as Libertarian Party executive director Daniel Fishman told me....

'What the Libertarians and Greens want most is for states to waive all remaining petition signature requirements. On March 30, Vermont did just that, via emergency legislation signed by the governor. (The Libertarian Party was already on the ballot in Vermont, but the legislation added a state to the Green Party list.) Ballot Access News [also] reports that '[i]t is believed that Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont will soon issue an order declaring political parties that are ballot-qualified for at least one statewide office to be deemed ballot-qualified for all partisan federal and state office, for 2020' (though the Libertarians and Greens have already qualified for the presidential election there). A few states have taken smaller steps, such as allowing electronic signature gathering and delaying deadlines, and more states may follow.

"Since the third parties are not expecting uniform assistance from state executive and legislative branches, they are gearing up for more court battles. 'We’re prepared to sue everywhere that we have to,' Fishman said, adding that he feels 'very confident that we’re going to win all of those court cases' since 'there’s never been a stronger case that the petition requirement is unreasonable'....

"[T]he first court battle to waive all signature requirements is now being waged by the Libertarians and Greens in Illinois, with a hearing scheduled for April 17. The two parties have also teamed up for a Georgia lawsuit, asking the state to pro-rate the number of signatures required, accounting for the days during which canvassing is no longer possible. (Unlike the Greens, the Libertarian Party already met the Georgia requirements for its presidential nominee, but are hoping to aid a Libertarian U.S. House candidate.)

"Another possible legal obstacle looms for Libertarians in states with relatively early filing deadlines that require the name of the presidential candidate to be specified. The Libertarian convention is scheduled for May 21 in Austin, Texas, but a delay is expected and alternative plans are not set. This poses a particular problem for the party in New Hampshire, which requires candidates from parties that have not prequalified for the November ballot to issue a statement of intent by June 12.

"Other states allow third parties to submit names to serve as stand-ins until an official nominee is selected. But Washington State, Wisconsin and Alabama could present deadline problems similar to New Hampshire’s, though their deadlines are in late July or August."

Libertarian parties ask for petitioning relief

Third parties call for ballot access relief | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Kyle Mullins:
April 7, 2020 - "Much of politics is based on personal interactions, but in the midst of a global pandemic, such interactions can be potentially deadly. The COVID-19 outbreak has left third parties in Pennsylvania out in the cold, concerned that they may not be able to get on the ballot for key races in November due to an inability to collect signatures.
"'People aren’t willing to take a pen, or a piece of paper' from a petitioner, national Libertarian Party executive director Daniel Fishman said. Additionally, Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home orders — extended to all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties on Wednesday — have blocked petitioners from attending now-canceled public events or going door-to-door. In response, both the national Libertarian party and the Green Party of Pennsylvania have called on Mr. Wolf and the state Legislature to waive the petitioning requirements.....
"Republicans and Democrats congressional candidates must submit 1,000 signatures to run for Congress, whereas third-party candidates must submit ... from 1,800 in District 12 to 5,753 in District 3. To run for attorney general, third parties must submit 2,500 signatures, including 250 from at least five counties.... This year, the major parties’ timeline [for petitioning] fell before many of the restrictions from the COVID-19 outbreak. The timeline for the third parties did not."
Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2020/04/06/third-party-ballot-access-relief-COVID-19-election-PA-green-libertarian-parties/stories/202004060100

Libertarian Party looks for NH to waive ballot requirements due to COVID-19 | Keene Sentinel - Mia Summerson:
April 7, 2020 - "The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire has asked the state to waive the required number of signatures to put its candidates on the ballot this fall, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The N.H. Libertarians have determined it would be a risk to public health if their members go out into the community to circulate petitions, the party said in a news release....
"[M]embers had been out collecting signatures since early January but have halted those efforts to protect 'voters, activists and those who will eventually handle these petitions....'
"The release says that, in the past, the party has regularly been able to secure the 3,000 signatures required for unrecognized parties to gain ballot access for gubernatorial or U.S. Senate candidates, the only statewide races that could get the party listed on the ballot....
"Since March 27, New Hampshire has been under a stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Chris Sununu. The order asks that people stay inside their residences as much as possible to help slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19."
Read more: https://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/libertarian-party-looks-for-nh-to-waive-ballot-requirements-due-to-covid-19/article_bc5d75ed-88fc-51dc-8bfa-2ae11cab5b30.html

Libertarian Party of Wisconsin asks governor, legislative leaders to lift petition requirement to get on 2020 ballots | Channel3000 - Amy Reid:
April 10, 2020 - "The Libertarian Party of Wisconsin sent a letter to government leaders on Thursday asking for the petition requirement for getting on the ballot this fall to be lifted. Matthew Bughman, the chair for the state party, sent the letter to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, and the state elections commission....
"Given the state’s Safer at Home Order and the current public health emergency, Bughman said it is widely believed that petition drives around the state will not be able to safely continue and asked for the petition requirement for all offices be deceased or that parties that had ballot access in 2018 be granted automatic ballot access in 2020."
Read more: https://www.channel3000.com/libertarian-party-of-wisconsin-asks-governor-legislative-leaders-to-lift-petition-requirement-to-get-on-2020-ballots/

Registered Libertarians doubled in Massachusetts

Libertarian ranks swell amid voter dissatisfaction | Gloucester Daily Times - Christian M. Wade:

March 6, 2020 - "Driven by voter dissatisfaction with the two major parties, the state's Libertarians have seen a surge in numbers in recent years, even as other parties shrink. The Libertarian Party of Massachusetts had 19,851 members as of Feb. 12 — a more than 130% increase from 2017 when it regained its party status, according to Secretary of State's Bill Galvin's office. A sizable portion of its membership draws from Essex and Middlesex counties, where about 6,300 voters are registered as Libertarians.

"While Libertarians are still just a sliver of the electorate – only 0.43% of more than 4.5 million registered voters – their ranks are growing faster than any other political party. Cristina Crawford, the state party's chairwoman, attributes the growth to voter dissatisfaction with the two major parties, as well as the Libertarians' message of civil rights, economic liberty and limited government.

"'We're seeing a lot of support, which is very encouraging,' she said. 'We've become a refuge for disillusioned voters who are tired of big government, high taxes and politics as usual'....

"Dozens of candidates are vying for the Libertarians' presidential nomination this year. In Massachusetts, 10 candidates were listed on the party's ballot on Super Tuesday. The Libertarians hold their state convention on March 22, ahead of the party's May 21–25 national convention in Austin, Texas.

"Nationally, the Libertarian Party has seen a 92% rise in membership in the last decade, fielding candidates in dozens of states. Two years ago, the party saw more than 600 candidates in federal, state and local races in nearly 40 states....

"Increased interest in the Libertarians also helped the party reclaim official state recognition three years ago, due to the party's showing in the 2016 presidential election. New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson was the party's candidate, with former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Bill Weld as his running mate.... The Libertarian ticket won 4.2% of the vote in Massachusetts – clearing a benchmark 3% necessary to be officially recognized and have its candidates listed on the next ballot.

"Two years ago, Dan Fishman of Beverly challenged Democratic State Auditor Suzanne Bump, and while he came in third [also with 4.2% of the vote - ed.] ... he boosted the party's profile.

"Independent parties come and go in Massachusetts.... Still, voter dissatisfaction with the two major parties continues to simmer, according to polls that cite frustration over divisive national politics. A 2018 Suffolk University survey found a strong appetite for strong third-party candidates, with only 22% of the respondents saying the Democratic and Republican parties do a good job of representing Americans’ views."

Read more: https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/libertarian-ranks-swell-amid-voter-dissatisfaction/article_0261da49-c86a-5521-aad4-1a58cca4b91d.html

Midterm results disappointing for Libertarians

The Libertarian Party Future, Perennially Out of Reach - Reason.com - Matt Welch:

January 2019: ""He's going to finish certainly no worse than second, and maybe first,' Libertarian Party (L.P.) 2016 vice presidential nominee Bill Weld enthused about Massachusetts state auditor candidate Dan Fishman in mid-October.... It looked like Weld might be onto something two weeks later when The Boston Globe took the highly unusual step of endorsing the L.P. candidate....

"Massachusetts voters declined the advice. When the smoke cleared on November 6, the would-be Libertarian auditor for the government of Taxachusetts finished not first, not second, but a distant third place, with a desultory 4.2 percent of the vote. The effort was enough to give the party automatic statewide ballot access for 2020 ... but not enough to stave off the national wave of nausea that afflicted many libertarians on election day.....

"About the only federal candidate prioritizing the budget calamity was Gary Johnson.... Running in the state he governed twice, and where he earned 9.3 percent of the presidential vote in 2016, ... Johnson was able to participate in debates and generate extensive media coverage. The first independent three-way poll in late August hinted at a shockingly competitive race: 39 percent for Heinrich, 21 percent for Johnson, and just 11 percent for Rich. And yet Election Day 2018 brought another Libertarian bummer:... Rich doubled up on Johnson, 31 percent to 15 percent....

"Political fear and loathing, it turns out, is no friend to independent and third-party candidates.... As we learned in 2016, when voters feel revulsion toward a candidate or party, they are likely to go for the alternative with the best chance to defeat the bad guy. In a high-turnout midterm like 2018, minor parties undershoot their polling projections by massive amounts.

"The most anticipated of the 22 Libertarian races for governor, for example, was rising party star Larry Sharpe in New York. An energetic, fast-talking campaigner with a preternatural talent for fundraising, Sharpe brought in an impressive $450,000.... He pulled just 1.6 percent, behind even Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins' 1.7. Yes, the L.P.  achieved state ballot access for the first time in history, but that low showing came as a demoralizing shock.

"'WTF is going on?' Wisconsin Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Phil Anderson messaged me on election night..... Anderson's pre-election polling average of 4.2 percent had collapsed to a barely visible 0.8 percent. Eight Libertarian candidates for governor were polling higher than the Democratic-Republican point spread on election eve; zero repeated the trick once the votes were counted....

"The three state legislators who had previously switched from Republican to Libertarian once in office — Nebraska state Sen. Laura Ebke and New Hampshire state Reps. Brandon Phinney and Caleb Dyer — all faced their first election wearing the L, and all lost badly.... Insurgent Wyoming state House candidate Bethany Baldes came so close to unseating incumbent Republican Majority Leader David Miller that she was erroneously reported as winner on election night, only to eventually lose by 53 votes....

"Libertarians are accustomed to being outnumbered and excel at playing long-game strategies, often far outside the cyclical sugar highs of electoral politics.... As disappointing as November 2018 felt for the L.P., the party did emerge in a stronger position for 2020, when it will be the only minor party with a spot on all 50 state ballots. American politics moves fast, so the next two years may yet feature more political libertarianism than we can currently fathom. As hard as that may be to believe after Election Day."

Read more: https://reason.com/archives/2018/12/08/the-libertarian-party-future-p

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Also read: Libertarians see progress in midterm elections

Boston Globe endorses Fishman for state auditor

Editorial board endorsement: Dan Fishman, a Libertarian, for auditor - The Boston Globe: 

October 29, 2018 - "The office of the state auditor could do so much more for Massachusetts, but not under the leadership of Suzanne Bump. The unfolding payroll scandal at the State Police — which somehow escaped the incumbent Democratic auditor’s notice — is a good example of the sort of waste and abuse that a real activist in the job might ferret out on behalf of taxpayers. An auditor without any partisan axes to grind could shake up the state.

"In that spirit, the Globe endorses Daniel Fishman of Beverly, the Libertarian candidate, in the Nov. 6 general election....

"The state auditor’s job is to root out fraud and misspending by periodically auditing state agencies. In a state with a Republican governor and an overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature, Fishman, a software architect, makes a good case that an auditor from either party is inherently compromised. 'Why would you elect a Republican or a Democrat to audit Republicans and Democrats?' he asks.

"Events this year have helped make his case. Not only did Bump miss what appears to be rampant payroll abuse at the State Police, she gave the office a black eye in September with an embarrassingly partisan audit of the Registry of Motor Vehicles. She accused the agency of issuing licenses to licensees after their date of death, a charge that fell apart when the RMV determined the drivers were still alive.

"It’s part of a pattern for an auditor who has politicized the office, failed to complete the required number of audits, and pursued audits of overly narrow scope. Bump should not serve a third term....

"Fishman ... has worked at start-ups companies and in IT at Massachusetts General Hospital. A former colleague described him as a “math geek,” adept at managing large amounts of data. Government waste in the 21st century hides in databases like payroll records, and although Fishman isn’t a CPA (neither is Bump), he has an intriguing background for a modern auditor.

"Fishman wants to step up payroll audits and post information on the Web for citizens and journalists to scrutinize. And he wants to meet the legal requirements of auditing each agency once every three years....

"There are two other candidates in the race ... but [we] don’t feel either candidate is quite as ready to run the office as Fishman.... Fishman would bring a sorely needed independent streak to the office. Give this Libertarian a shot."

Read more: https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2018/10/29/editorial-board-endorsement-dan-fishman-libertarian-for-auditor/wefAPjZ6BCss2FfDxg8IYJ/story.html
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Bill Weld readying 2020 Libertarian POTUS run

Bill Weld Lays Groundwork for 2020 Libertarian Presidential Run - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Matt Welch:

May 2, 2018 - "2016 ... vice presidential candidate Bill Weld ... is now openly laying the groundwork for a 2020 presidential campaign. The only question is whether he'll be the one running....

"'I take this stuff seriously," he told me. 'But I'm sincere when I say that I'm not talking about who is going to do the Libertarian race in 2020; I'm just here to say that I think that's a race that has some real potential to go the distance, and the sooner we all wrap our minds around that, the better'....

"Weld has been schlepping his favorite brown coat from Houston to New York to Long Beach for state conventions, delivering his rap about how the party can best grow from here ('The number one thing we need to do by November 2020 is to elect a Libertarian president of the United States') and sketching out tantalizing visions of '$50 million or $100 million in the bank at the beginning of the campaign'....

"Weld is also issuing strategic endorsements to some of the party's biggest names — Republican-turned-Libertarian Nebraska state Sen. Laura Ebke (facing her first re-election with an "L" by her name starting with a May 15 jungle primary), Massachusetts auditor candidate Dan Fishman (said to have a plausible shot if some local scandals break right), Phoenix mayoral hopeful Nicholas Sarwark (the party's national chairman), New York gubernatorial challenger and ubiquitous state-party-convention presence Larry Sharpe, and others. More rounds of endorsements are expected in the near future.

"Other party-building activities include filing lawsuits to make the allocation of electoral votes proportional instead of winner-take-all in four states (which, Weld says, would have resulted in the L.P. receiving 17 electoral votes in 2016); recruiting potential candidates, donors, and (quietly) vice-presidential possibilities; and starting the obligatory 501(c)(4) advocacy group, Freedom for America....

"Weld's access to money, media, and prestige stands in stark contrast to his potential presidential competitors, though that's in part because there really aren't any so far, aside from anarcho-libertarian activist and trouble-magnet Adam Kokesh. The Adam vs. the Man impresario has been dogging Weld on the L.P. circuit, challenging him to debates, ambushing him on camera with questions like 'How much did Hillary Clinton pay you off?' and accusing him of being a 'liar and backstabber'....

"At the same time, if a growing party is going to continue to grow, and to position itself as the beneficiary of the Democratic and Republican parties' ongoing nervous breakdowns, it is going to need to absorb major-party defectors with less libertarian cred than Bill Weld....

"The Libertarian Party has a truly valuable commodity: likely ballot access in all 50 states, at a time when the major parties are both abandoning even rhetorical support for balanced budgets, free trade, civil liberties, non-interventionism, and a host of other key issues. By planting a tentative flag in early 2018, Weld is establishing a floor of mainstream possibility — and signaling to any would-be outsiders eyeing the prize that libertarian-leaners are going to need to tack more Libertarian if they want to woo the activists who have made this moment possible."

Read this: http://gdspoliticalanimal.blogspot.ca/2018/05/reason-bill-weld-readying-2020.html
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