Libertarians continue seeking access to ballot for presidential election

Libertarians continue seeking access to ballot for presidential election

Libertarians in Arkansas turned in 1,200 petition signatures on July 29 in hopes of getting presidential candidate Michael Badnarik on the state's Nov. 2 general election ballot.

The secretary of state's office has 10 days to determine if Badnarik has the required 1,000 valid signatures to be placed on the ballot. If there aren't 1,000 valid signatures, the Libertarian Party will be given another 10 days to submit more names and ensure a spot on the ballot.

Arkansas is one of four states where the LP has "done all the work that needs to be done and the petitions have been turned in, and we're just waiting for verification," says Richard Winger of Ballot Access News, which pushes for better access for third parties.

"In the August issue of Ballot Access News, I show that the Libertarian Party is on the ballot in 31 states, but those are only the states where the government has already said we're on the ballot," Winger said.

The deadline hasn't passed for turning in petition signatures to get on the ballot in several states, and the LP has a good chance of getting its presidential candidate on the ballot in at least 49 states, he said.

"I think there's a 75 percent chance or better that we'll be on in 49 states; there's probably only a 1-in-3 chance that the Libertarian Party will be on the ballot in Oklahoma, but there's still a chance," he added.

In Oklahoma, Libertarians fell short in their attempt to get on the ballot, after the deadline for submitting petition signatures was moved up 30 days from previous years -- from May 31 to May 1.

The party needed 51,781 valid signatures to get on the ballot; they turned in only 26,462, according to the state election board. The LP filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction that would put the party on the ballot there; the state Superior Court didn't issue the injunction, but the LP is still trying to get on the ballot.

"What we would like to do is go back to the same judge that didn't issue an injunction to put the party on the ballot, and present him with further evidence as to why the LP should be granted access," Winger said.

"One of the key things that's happened since the hearing was that election law was changed in Louisiana, making Oklahoma the only state that still requires a third party to get signatures from 5 percent of the state's voters to get on the ballot."

The LP also wants to show the judge that Badnarik will be on the ballot in most other states, which could certainly help convince the Oklahoma judge that the LP should be given access, Winger noted.

If that judge still doesn't issue an injunction to allow the party on the Oklahoma ballot, the LP will probably appeal to the state Supreme Court.

In other Badnarik campaign news, Steve Gordon -- communications director for the campaign -- said a Rasmussen poll is being conducted in New Mexico, and a week of heavy television and radio commercials will follow.

"After a heavy run of television and radio commercials for a week, we'll poll again, using exactly the same questions," Gordon said, noting that the data from "Project New Mexico Freedom" should give campaign workers "an idea of how effective our campaign push is."

"This will give us a much better idea of how well our radio and television ads are working," he said.

http://www.lp.org/lpnews/0409/arkansas-access.html

SUPPORTERS FILE PAPERS TO GET BADNARIK ON THE BALLOT IN PENNSYLVANIA

In an overwhelming show of support, Libertarian Party volunteers filed over 41,000 signatures on Thursday to place Presidential candidate Michael Badnarik on the ballot in Pennsylvania.

"The filing of such a large number of signatures yesterday show how Badnarik has a strong grass roots appeal in this state," said David Jahn, the Chair of the Pennsylvania Libertarian Party, who took part in the signature turn-in event in Harrisburg.

In Pennsylvania, a third party, or an independent candidate needs to collect over 25,000 signatures to be placed on the ballot. As of Thursday, the Libertarians were the only third party or independent group to file ballot access petitions to get their Presidential candidate on the ballot. The final deadline to file is Monday, August 2nd. The Pennsylvania filing means the party is well on it way to reaching its goal of getting the Badnarik/Campagna Presidential ticket on the ballot in all 50 states.

"It was exciting to see more and more people coming forward to help collect signatures during the petition drive," said James Babb, Chair of Pennsylvanians for Badnarik, the statewide committee formed recently to support Michael Badnarik's campaign. Babb said, "Our supporters reported back to us that people were willing, even excited, to sign, saying they were not happy with the choices being offered by the Democrats and Republicans." This contrasts with Ralph Nader's petition drive where, according to recent news stories, most people declined to help to put him on the ballot.

Many recent nationwide polls confirm Babb's statement. According to a nationwide survey of 1,000 American adults conducted last week by Rasmussen, Democratic challenger John Kerry (D-MA) leads incumbent president George W. Bush by a slim margin of 46-43% - within the 3% margin of error. However, when polled on their second choice, 43% of voters chose Badnarik rather than their first choice's main rival.

This same poll shows Badnarik at 3% as their first choice if the election were to be held today. According to Russ Diamond this proves that the Libertarian party is on the verge of a major breakthrough. "This will be the year that the country will elect Libertarians to higher offices than we have held previously," said Diamond, a resident of Annville, Lebanon County, who is running as a Libertarian in a very high profile two-race for State Representative.

The Libertarian Party is America's third largest political party. In 2004, the party expects to field more than 1000 candidates nationwide. More than 600 Libertarians currently serve in public office.