Meriden CT Libertarians win fight to get on ballot

Libertarian candidates win fight for ballot access in Meriden - Mary Ellen Godin, Meriden Record-Journal:

October `4, 2019 - " Libertarian candidates Roger and Ellen Misbach settled a lawsuit against the Secretary of the State, and their names will appear on the November mayoral and City Council ballot. Roger Misbach sued the Secretary of the State’s office and Secretary Denise Merrill for denying ballot access to the Misbachs over filing requirements.

"The parties settled the matter the day before an Oct. 10 court hearing. Roger Misbach will appear on the ballot as the Libertarian Party’s mayoral candidate and Ellen Misbach as the City Council Area 4 candidate. A post on the Meriden Libertarians’ Facebook page thanks the state 'for doing what parties ought to in litigation — try and resolve their differences.'

"The husband and wife were originally named as placeholder candidates for the purposes of generating enough signatures to meet the state’s filing deadlines, according to the lawsuit. Third parties often run placeholder candidates to allow time to get signatures before a party’s nominating convention, they said.

"After submitting the required number of signatures to petition for a spot on the ballot in August, the state Libertarian Party nominated its candidates: Roger Misbach for mayor and Ellen Misbach as a City Council candidate in Area 4.  According to the lawsuit, the party sent the Secretary of the State’s office notification of its slate of candidates after the convention and before the Sept. 4 deadline. But the information did not match the earlier placeholder information and the state denied them ballot access over the discrepancy.

The lawsuit outlined the difficulties third parties face to gain ballot access, calling the petition process “arcane and outdated.” Candidates can’t use online resources and must seek invasive personal information from signers. The process poses an arbitrary burden and cost on town clerks and election officials and introduces unnecessary and costly delays into all steps of the electoral process, the lawsuit stated....

"The Libertarians wanted a mayoral candidate to challenge unaffiliated incumbent Mayor Kevin Scarpati, who they accuse of blocking ballot access to third parties.... Scarpati and the city settled a lawsuit with the Libertarian Party for $37,000 for their roles in preventing Libertarian and other third-party candidates from collecting signatures at the city’s Daffodil Festival in Hubbard Park in 2018. In addition to the costs, the city agreed not to interfere in ballot petition drives."

Read more: http://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/Libertarian-candidates-back-on-Meriden-ballot.html
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2 Meriden CT Libertarians cut from ballot

Two Libertarian candidates in Meriden denied ballot access - Mary Ellen Godin, Meriden Record-Journal:

September 25, 2019 — "Two Libertarian candidates won’t be on November’s ballot after the Secretary of the State’s office rejected their state party’s endorsement letters.

"According to Roger Misbach, the Libertarian party had gathered enough petitions to put a placeholder, his wife Ellen Misbach, on the ballot for mayor. Roger Misbach originally intended to run for a City Council seat in Area 4, but after learning that incumbent Mayor Kevin Scarpati was running unopposed at the time, he decided to run for mayor. Scarpati, who is not affiliated with any party, has since been challenged by Republican Ernestine Holloway, a petitioning candidate....

"The state Libertarian Party sent endorsement letters to the Secretary of the State’s office for Roger Misbach for mayor and Ellen Misbach for Area 4, different than what the submitted petitions had read. 'We didn’t put that one candidate (Ellen) was ‘withdrawing’ and ‘replaced with’ in there,' Misbach said.

"The Misbachs were approved to appear on the ballot, but on Sept. 18 Party Chairman Dan Reale received an email from the Secretary of the State’s office saying the names on the petitions differed from the state party’s endorsement letters and they would not be on the ballot....

"Misbach and the state Libertarian Party intend to challenge the decision, despite it being too late for November’s election, he said. 'There is no statute we can find that says the letter has to be drafted that way,' Misbach said. “Obviously it’s somebody’s interpretation. This happens to the Independent and other third parties'....

"A spokesman for the Secretary of the State’s office said the office received petitions for one candidate and endorsements for another. A withdrawal in writing or even crossing off one name and adding another before the deadline would have sufficed....

"The party's position is that we have used placeholder candidates for decades and had no issue doing so,” Reale said in an e-mail. 'What was done — arbitrarily denying any Libertarian Party candidate ballot access for either position, is downright arbitrary and unconstitutional. The party has adopted a zero tolerance policy for these sort of things because they have continued to waste valuable resources and time we could otherwise spend campaigning and giving the voters a choice they want and the relief they desperately have waited for.'

"Libertarian candidate Richard Cordero is on the ballot in the Area 1 City Council race."

Read more: http://www.myrecordjournal.com/News/Meriden/Meriden-News/Libertarian-candidates-denied-ballot-access.html
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Mayoral candidates in CT & NY join Libertarians

Hartford mayoral candidate Aaron Lewis changes party affiliation from Democrat to Libertarian - Hartford Courant - Rebecca Lurye:

September 18, 2019 - "Aaron Lewis, a candidate for Hartford mayor, is changing his party affiliation from Democratic to Libertarian, he announced this week. The publisher and ghostwriter said that historically, 'the Democratic Party has posed itself as the party for African Americans and minorities throughout the United States.' 'After careful consideration, I’ve concluded that is untrue and that the loyalty that people of color [have] had to the party has been counterproductive,' Lewis said Tuesday.

"Lewis is the founder and director of The Scribe’s Institute, a literacy organization, and president and CEO of The Scribe’s Ink, a ghostwriting service. He said he was primarily driven to leave the Democratic Party by the state of Hartford Public Schools, which lag far behind the state but also trail Connecticut’s other urban districts.... Democrats, in leadership in Hartford since 1971, are responsible for the city’s educational failures, Lewis said....

"Lewis was unsuccessful in gathering enough signatures to participate in the Democratic primary earlier this month.... However, Lewis did collect enough signatures to participate in the Nov. 5 general election."
Read more: https://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-pol-hartford-mayors-race-aaron-lewis-party-20190918-oh47pm6ucragvgabz4r6zkj4s4-story.html


Liuzzo Joins Libertarian Party - WFRA 107.9:

September 23, 2019 - "Jamestown City Councilman At Large and 2019 mayoral candidate Andrew Liuzzo has left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party. The announcement was made during a press conference Sunday morning with county Libertarian party officials present, along with an appearance by Larry Sharpe, 2018 Libertarian candidate for New York Governor....

"Liuzzo was elected to the city council during the 2017 election when he ran as a Republican candidate. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican Party’s endorsement for mayor earlier this year [but] after losing the primary he accepted the Libertarian party’s nomination to run as mayor under their party line on the ballot. This is the first year where a local election will feature the Libertarian Line on the ballot. The addition comes after Sharpe received at least 50,000 votes during his failed run for governor in 2018.....

"'I am grateful that the Libertarian Party recognized me as an individual that cares about the residents and holding our elected officials accountable,' Liuzzo added. 'Because of their support, I can now represent all parties and all people that want to work hard to restore a community that is one city.'”
Read more: https://www.wrfalp.com/liuzzo-joins-libertarian-party/

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Libertarian named to Bridgeport CT school board

A Libertarian is named to Bridgeport School Board - Connecticut Post - Linda Conner Lambick:

April 22, 2019 - "With only one candidate in the running, the city school board selected LaMar Kennedy, a member of the Libertarian Party, as its newest member. Kennedy, 41, is a special education teacher at Wilby High School in Waterbury. He is also head football coach and assistant boys basketball coach at the school.

"With six board members present, the vote was 5-0 with Board Member Hernan Illingworth abstaining.... Kennedy was immediately sworn in by Mark Anastasi, a city attorney.

"Kennedy was one of six candidates when the board chose Joe Lombard to fill a vacancy in February. This time around, the pool of candidates was restricted to Liberarians, the party that Ben Walker — the member who resigned — had quietly switched to after he was elected in 2015. Walker was a Democrat when elected. Walker resigned unexpectedly on March 25.

"The city charter requires the unexpired term to be filled by a city resident of the same party as the departed member, according to city and board attorneys. According to the Registrar of Voters, there were only 31 voters in the city registered as Libertarians two weeks ago. Kennedy became a member of the Libertarian party in February.

"As a political party, Libertarians support political freedom and autonomy. It is said to be the third largest party in the United States. Its members support a free-market economy, civil liberties and personal freedom. Kennedy said it was the party that best represents his middle of the road values....

"Kennedy will fill the seat until general elections are held in November. If the board had failed to make the selection by April 25, the decision would have gone to the mayor, who would also have had to choose a Libertarian to fill the vacancy."

Read more: https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/A-Libertarian-is-named-to-Bridgeport-School-Board-13786661.php
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City pays Libertarians $37K for petition shutdown

Jon Lender: Legal Mess Endures Months After Meriden Mayor Had Cops Oust Libertarians From Park - Hartford Courant:

September 7, 2018 - "Minor political parties’ candidates must jump through hoops to get on the election ballot in Connecticut. State law requires them to submit petitions containing thousands of voters’ signatures.... [G]aining ballot access is hard enough without a public official deciding to send the police to chase away party volunteers who are peacefully collecting such petition signatures in a public park.

"But that’s what happened on the sunny Saturday morning of April 28 to Rod Hanscomb, the Libertarian Party’s candidate for governor, and a few companions who were helping him collect ballot petition signatures from passers-by at the entrance to the annual Daffodil Festival in Meriden’s Hubbard Park. Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati walked past them and, not long afterward, a police lieutenant approached and told the Libertarians that they had to leave....

"The incident continues to fester today in a Superior Court lawsuit filed three months ago by the Libertarian Party’s state chairman, Dan Reale. He’s named Scarpati as the defendant and is claiming violations of his constitutional rights of free speech and assembly.... Reale said that partly because of being thrown out of Hubbard Park, the Libertarians ended up having to spend tens of thousands of dollars — as much as $50,000 — to supplement their volunteer efforts by paying people to collect signatures, and to hire a fundraising consultant.

"He said that now the state Libertarian Party organization has intervened legally to enter the lawsuit as a second plaintiff, and, during so-far-unsuccessful discussions of a possible settlement, has requested $50,000 in compensation."
Read more: http://www.courant.com/politics/government-watch/hc-pol-lender-libertarian-lawsuit-20180905-story.html

Jon Lender: 'Go After The First Amendment, You'll Pay The Price' — $37K To Settle Lawsuit Against Meriden Mayor - Hartford Courant:

September 28, 2018 - "The city of Meriden has paid $37,000 to settle a First Amendment lawsuit against Mayor Kevin Scarpati over his April 28 order that police oust members of the Libertarian Party, including its state chairman and gubernatorial candidate, from Hubbard Park, where they were circulating ballot petitions.

"'The First Amendment actually matters. We have confirmed that this isn’t Soviet Russia,' Dan Reale, the Libertarian Party state chairman, said Thursday after he and the party’s lawyer filed papers to withdraw the Superior Court action that had been filed in June. 'So, you go after the First Amendment, you'll pay the price'....

"Reale said that a Sept. 7 Government Watch column, which gave statewide exposure to the politically embarrassing situation for Meriden, seemed to increase the city’s willingness to settle the case."
Read more: http://www.courant.com/politics/government-watch/hc-pol-lender-libertarian-lawsuit-20180905-story.html
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CT Libertarian gov. candidate outlines fiscal plan

EXCLUSIVE: Libertarian Gov Candidate on Why He’s Not Running as a Republican – Reclaim Connecticut:

March 19, 2018 - "Rod Hanscomb is not the typical gubernatorial candidate in Connecticut. He talks about why Washington, typically considered a blue state, could be a model for Connecticut’s path to an economic comeback. He criticizes some Republicans for not being true fiscal conservatives.

"And, perhaps most consequentially, he’s a conservative who’s not running as a Republican in the 2018 race for governor. Instead, Hanscomb is opting for a libertarian run....

"Hanscomb grew up in Connecticut, attended Stamford High School, and lives in Stamford now. In between, though, [Hanscomb], an ex-military man, lived in Washington state, the Seattle area, 'for 20-plus years'.... 'When I left Connecticut back in ’85, we had the highest incomes in the country,' Hanscomb added. 'Coming back here four years ago,' he said, 'it was kinda surprising, or I hadn’t realized, how much the energy had kinda died in this state.'

"What happened while Hanscomb was gone? Well, he points out, the income tax.... Hanscomb’s prescription for Connecticut then?

• First: 'We need to drastically cut spending.' 'There’s a lot of obstacles to it,' Hanscomb said, 'but that just has to happen, in order to get these tax rates down.'
• Second, on taxes: 'We’ve just gotta get these taxes as low as possible'.... 
• Third: 'deregulating.' 'People that aren’t in small businesses or small industry don’t understand, but the amount' of regulation, Hanscomb said, 'it really stagnates the economy, it really puts a lot of pressure on smaller companies'.....

"Hanscomb expressed, at times, his frustration with Republican leadership.... 'Republican after Republican just kept saying that they don’t feel that their leaders are true fiscal conservatives anymore,' Hanscomb said, of his time on the campaign trail.... The Republicans in many ways … they just seem very gun-shy to bring up even anything that talks about spending, or reining this in,' Hanscomb later added.

"That said, Hanscomb praised the legislature, some of whom he has met. 'When you talk to them, I really get the feeling that they want what’s best for the state,' Hanscomb said. 'I think there might be something to having a third-party leader in there that wasn’t beholden to either party'....

"Hanscomb said his focus is on social media, getting on the debate stage, and calling people.
'You have to get as much media as possible,' Hanscomb said.... Hanscomb’s website is www.RodForCTGov.com."

Read more: https://reclaimct.com/exclusive-libertarian-gov-candidate-on-why-hes-not-running-as-a-republican/
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Melissa Joan Hart is Connecticut campaign chair for Gary Johnson

Melissa Joan Hart Joins Gary Johnson's Campaign as Connecticut Chairperson : People.com - Lindsay Kimble:

September 27, 2016 - "Melissa Joan Hart ... tells PEOPLE Now that she's joined Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson's presidential campaign as the Connecticut Chairperson.

"'I want to break away from this two-party system and I think it's important for people to know that there's another candidate out there who really toes the line between Democrat and Republican,' says Hart, who has a home in Connecticut. 'I mean he's Libertarian. But socially he's liberal, but fiscally conservative.'

"Johnson, 63, is the former governor of New Mexico – a position he held from 1995 to 2003. He previously ran for president in 2012.

"'Governors, I love, because they already ran their state as like a little president,' Hart, 40, says. 'So he gets the way, you know, things run. The politics of it all.'

"She adds, 'He was on a border state, so if you want to talk about immigration, he's the guy."

"Hart says she disagrees with the notion that a third-party candidate can't win the election, dispelling arguments that a vote for Johnson is a wasted vote.

"'I think that everyone that I keep hearing say that, if they all voted for him we could have a third party win,' she says. 'Even if he doesn't get that far, I just hope that they let him debate.'"

Read more: http://www.people.com/article/melissa-joan-hart-gary-johnson-campaign-connecticut-chairperson
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Connecticut LP beats non-state petitioner ban

CT News Junkie | Libertarian Party Wins Right to Hire Out-of-State Signature Gatherers:

January 27, 2016 - "The Libertarian Party won a legal victory Wednesday that allows them to hire out-of-state contractors to collect signatures for candidates petitioning their way onto the ballot.

"Currently, only Connecticut residents are permitted to collect signatures. Professional circulators from out-of-state firms, which are often hired by candidates, must be accompanied by a Connecticut resident.

"The lawsuit filed in December by Stanley Twardy of Day Pitney on behalf of the Libertarian Party says that the restriction is unconstitutional and increases the cost of collecting signatures.

"U.S. District Court Judge Janet Hall granted a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction Wednesday that stops Secretary of the State’s office from enforcing the law in this year’s elections....  Hall concluded that circulating a petition is 'core political speech' and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill would be infringing on the Libertarian Party’s First Amendment rights by impeding it.

"'This decision is good news for free speech,' Dan Barrett, the ACLU of Connecticut’s legal director and a cooperating attorney, said. 'The Libertarian Party deserves the chance to deliver its message by hiring signature-gatherers based on their qualifications, not their zip codes.' The decision, according to Barrett, aligns with other federal court rulings across the country....

"Libertarian Party candidates have run in every election cycle in Connecticut from 2010 to 2014, and the national Libertarian Party candidate has appeared on the Connecticut ballot for President and Vice President of the United States in six of the seven past presidential election cycles."

Read more: http://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/libertarian_party_wins_lawsuit_against_connecticut_secretary_of_the_state/
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CT Libertarians challenge out-of-state petitioner ban

Libertarian Party files lawsuit against Connecticut - Christine Stuart, New Haven Register:

 December 23, 2015 - "The Libertarian Party of Connecticut wants Connecticut to stop enforcing its law that says only state residents can collect signatures for candidates seeking to petition their way onto the ballot.

"Connecticut law says only Connecticut residents can gather those signatures, but a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Libertarian Party in federal court alleges that the provision is “unconstitutional” and violates its First Amendment rights....

"The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in anticipation of the start of the 2016 election cycle. Candidates wishing to get on the 2016 ballot can start collecting signatures starting on Jan. 1, 2016, but the residency requirement is a hinderance, according to the complaint.

"If a candidate uses an out-of-state firm to circulate a petition, each of those professional circulators has to be accompanied by a Connecticut resident. The complaint argues that limiting the pool of professional circulators to in-state professionals creates a monopoly for Connecticut professional circulators and decreases the party’s ability to negotiate favorable contract terms.

"The complaint also says that out-of-state circulators tend to get better results that generate a 'much higher percentage of valid signatures....

"'The prohibition on non-resident circulators therefore reduces the quality of circulators that the Party may use, which in turn reduces the percentage of valid signatures and increases the cost of securing sufficient valid signatures to place the Party’s candidates on the State’s general election ballot,' the complaint states.

"The lawsuit was filed against Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, who is Connecticut’s chief election official. Merrill’s office will be represented by the Attorney General’s office who had no comment on the complaint."

Read more:  http://www.nhregister.com/article/NH/20151223/NEWS/151229829
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2 CT Libertarians keep ballot access for their seats

Two Connecticut LP candidates retain ballot access for their seats | Libertarian Party:

November 17, 2014 - "Two Connecticut LP candidates, Dan Reale and Richard Lion, retained ballot access for a U.S. House seat and for a state House seat because of the votes they received in their respective races.

"In Connecticut, a political party is recognized if it has at least 20 percent of the registered political party voters, or if the party's gubernatorial candidate gets 20 percent.

"If a party isn't recognized, the party can appear on the ballot for any specific partisan race in the next election for that seat if a candidate receives 1 percent.

"Dan Reale obtained 1.1 percent in his race for the U.S. House of Representatives 2nd district, and Richard Lion received 14 percent in the election for the state House of Representatives in the 9th district.

"Reale had also run for the 2nd congressional seat in 2012, and received 1.2 percent, thereby garnering ballot access for the office this year.

"In addition, the LPCT will have ballot access in 2016 for the U.S. Senate seat, as Paul Passarelli received 1.7 percent in 2012. There was no race for U.S. Senate in the state this year."

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