Posted on 08/19/2005 3:18:52 PM PDT by Libloather
N.C. Libertarians may lose status as official party
RALEIGH, N.C. — Libertarians could lose their official status as a political party in North Carolina because they failed to get at least 10 percent of the votes cast in last year's gubernatorial and presidential races.
The State Board of Elections has scheduled time during a teleconference meeting Monday to discuss the party's standing. Sean Haugh, the party's executive director, said Friday he and party Chairman Thomas Hill will participate from Raleigh.
Along with the missed vote totals, the party has gathered only 25,000 of the nearly 70,000 signatures it needs to stay alive. Only Democrats and Republicans would be entitled to appear on ballots in partisan elections.
Haugh conceded that the party has failed to meet the state requirements, but said he hopes that the elections board will use its discretion to allow the party to remain on the ballot.
"It's simply in their best interests," he said. "If they did de-certify us they would have to send a mailing to all 13,000 members of the Libertarian Party.
"It would be very expensive and time-consuming."
Libertarians have appeared on ballots in North Carolina continuously since 1996. About a half-dozen municipal leaders belong to the party, along with several members of county soil and water district boards and a county surveyor.
Elections board chairman Larry Leake, a Democrat from Asheville, said Libertarians have used up their grace period.
"They either have the petition signatures," Leake said, "or they don't."
If the party disappears, registered Libertarians would become unaffiliated voters. Even Iraq, Hill noted, has more than two parties.
"They had a lot more choices on their ballot than ours, and that's just vulgar," he said.
In North Carolina, starting a new party and keeping one on the ballot are five times harder than in the median state, said Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News.
Libertarians plan a court challenge to the state's laws for starting new parties if the party is stripped of its status, Haugh said. Such a decision would unfairly disqualify Libertarian candidates in coming elections in Charlotte and Winston-Salem, he said.
There are nearly 2.5 million registered Democrats and 1.8 million registered Republicans in North Carolina. Just more than one million people are registered as unaffiliated voters.
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August 19, 2005 - 8:58 a.m. PDT
Or at least enlist GWB as their candidate to promote the platform.
You could just put up a notice in Denny's restaurants across the state and reach 99% of the party members.
LOL
FYI ping
NC Ping
They're not serious about winning elections.
Right before the 2004 campaign heated up, the head of the Libertarian party of my county wasn't even aware that our treasurer had resigned over a year earlier.
But he or she probably knows where to get the best dope.
The 8-table by the window is good for coffee in the morning with a few chairs left over for joiners.
How to destroy freedoms and the Constitution - allow states to "certify" a political party before people can choose.
Wow, 13,000 in the entire state. That deserves a Hee Haw salute.
And currently I'm one of them. And yes I disagree with the open border policy. But I wouldn't vote for a backstabbing Republican if you paid me
Well, erm, um. Someone HAD to say it...
And it's not like the Republicans haven't tried either.
I am in the same boat as you. I left the LPNC and went back to the GOP. I met the state exec committe in cluding Sean haugh, who at the time was challenging Eliz. Dole for Senate. He is an idiot! There was notyhing impressive or intelligent about him. Many of the other exec committee members should have been wearing tin foil hats to stop the govt mind reading rays from getting to them. They are not serious about actually WINNING elections. You can have all the ideals you want but if you can't enact them..............
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
at least 10 percent of the votes cast in last year's gubernatorial
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That is unbelievable that Republicans voted for their parties nomination.. forget his name, but he was more liberal than Easley.
I voted for Barbra Howe (the Libertarian candidate).
Wow, 13,000 in the entire state. That deserves a Hee Haw salute.
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Only 13,000 understand true freedom.... Sort of sad...
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