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Erie County Libertarians knocked off ballot after nomination certificates invalidated

Erie County Elections Commissioners Ralph Mohr (from left) and Jeremy Zellner discuss the new early voting system Sept. 9. They invalidated all of the Erie County Libertarian Party's certificates of nomination.

CREDIT MIKE DESMOND/WBFO NEWS

by Tom Dinki, WBFO 8.87

Libertarians finally gained automatic ballot access in New York state last year, but you won’t see any Libertarians on the ballot for Erie County races this November.

The Erie County Board of Elections invalidated the entire party line’s certificates of nomination earlier this month, saying there were deficiencies on the forms that violate state election law.

Four of the 18 would-be Libertarian nominees challenged the Board of Elections in a validation proceeding Wednesday, but state Supreme Court Justice Frank A. Sedita III upheld the decision, saying the Board of Elections simply followed state election law. 

Erie County Libertarian Party Chairman Duane Whitmer told WBFO the deficiencies were technicalities that should have not been held against the party. He alleged Erie County Democrats and Republicans conspired to knock Libertarians off the ballot.

“This is an example of the two parties coming together and suppressing the third parties,” he said after Wednesday’s court proceeding. “They have the time and resources. The (elections) commissioners are paid $120,000 a year in taxpayer funds to make sure that third parties can’t compete.”..

To read more, click here.

San Jose City Councilmember Backs Common Sense Party

Ballot Access News

According to this article, San Jose city councilmember Johnny Khamis now supports the Common Sense Party, a new party trying to qualify for the California ballot. San Jose is the largest city in northern California.

Khamis was a registered Republican until 2018, when he switched to being an independent. He is the first person of Arab descent to serve on the San Jose city council.

Green Party Local Candidate in Connecticut Off Ballot Because Form Lost in the Postal Mail

Ballot Access News

The Green Party collected enough valid signatures to place a nominee on the ballot for Mayor of New London, Connecticut, in the upcoming November 2019 election. But the candidate, Frida Berrigan, won’t be on the ballot (without a lawsuit) because the party’s letter to the Secretary of State, certifying that she is the Green Party nominee, was never received by the Secretary of State. See this story.

J.R.Myers: Sacrifice At Midnight; On The Campaign Trail In ID

"Here's the mugshots of CP-Idaho booth staff at Latah County 2019 Fair. Left to right: State Chairman F.W. Whitley, J.R. Myers of Montana (2020 Idaho presidential primary candidate), D.H. Hartigan (CP-Idaho State Area 3 Chair and State Chaplain) and J. Hartley, CP-Idaho Acting State Vice Chairman."

CPID FaceBook

First, I wanted to thank the Chairman, his wife and the members of the CPID for inviting and hosting me.  It was certainly another real adventure!  Little did I know that I would be spending Midnight on the side of the highway overlooking the lights of Lewiston, Idaho from high above the city at the top of, "The Grade", at the end of my first day of campaigning.

CPID - Latah County Fair Booth

It was about 11:00pm Idaho time (Midnight Montana time) September, Saturday the 14th, 2019. I had just enjoyed the evening at the Latah County Fair in Moscow, Idaho. I had brought campaign literature for the booth, met a former colleague and rode the Gravitron and The Zipper. That was fun. Upon leaving the fair in my car, I followed the Chairman of the Constitution Party of Idaho, and his guests home to stay overnight at his farm about 90 miles away. His passengers included Dave Hartigan and his wife Connie. None of us could have imagined what would transpire next. As we were cruising down the controlled access gated highway with the full moon overhead, just before descending into Lewiston, suddenly a flock of about twenty sheep swarmed the highway immediately in front of the car ahead of me. The car driven by CPID Chairman Whitley. Clearly, at least one sheep had met its quick demise. Almost $6,000.00 damage was done to Chairman Whitley's car.  Thankfully, no one was injured. I had been able to stop, as had the traffic behind me without hitting any sheep. It all happened very quickly. The single sheep carcass was removed from the highway.  We then waited for the Highway Patrol, the Tow Truck and the Shepherd to arrive. Then, we all got into my car and headed to the farm. The next day, I returned to the Fair for a few hours, before returning to Montana.



What a night to remember.  Little do most realize the perils of the campaign trail.  Be safe out there.

CPID Poll at Latah County Fair

Darcy Richardson Ends Reform Party Bid

1. 

   Darcy Richardson

   This is a comment left on Independent Political Report recently.

   See Darcy’s comments.

   “For the record, I am no longer seeking the Reform Party’s presidential nomination.

   As a witty observer once noted — a close friend of mine, as it turns out — a person can only drag a corpse around for so long before the smell becomes unbearable.

   Eventually, it starts attracting flies and other necrop hilous insects.

   My running mate, former State Senator and Public Service Commission chairwoman Nancy Argenziano, a longtime environmentalist and consumer advocate, and I tried to revive the Reform Party last year during my campaign for governor here in Florida — a candidacy in which we logged thousands of miles while taking a considerable amount of abuse from both major parties because of the razor-thin outcome. 

   While we were the only third-party campaign in the country to poll the difference between our major-party opponents in a gubernatorial or U.S. Senate race in 2018 (deep-pocketed independents Oz Griebel in Connecticut and Greg Orman in Kansas also polled the difference in their gubernatorial campaigns last year), thereby forcing an automatic statewide recount, support from the national Reform Party leadership, made up of a handful of inept keyboard warriors on Facebook with little or no practical political experience, was virtually non-existent. 

   If I’m not mistaken, members of the Reform Party’s national leadership provided a total of $5 toward our $70,000 budget. That was a donation from party secretary Nicholas Hensley. The party’s rank-and-file outside of the Sunshine State contributed even less.

   I wish the Reform Party well, but it’s really time to give up the ghost.

   If folks are looking for an alternative to the increasingly corrupt, Wall Street-controlled duopoly next year, the nationally-organized Libertarian, Green and Constitution parties — not necessarily in that order — would be a good place to start. 

   Or perhaps to some new entity emerging, say, next March, a month known best for college basketball madness, but also universally recognized as “Deaf History Month.” If we’re really lucky next year, it’ll also be known as a month when the politically hard of hearing and impaired — the vast majority of the American electorate, that is — finally had the ability to hear and to listen to a message not crafted by the financial oligarchy that has controlled our politics for the past century or longer.

   The Ides of March… “

Chafee discusses 2020 Libertarian presidential bid

Lincoln Chafee

by Ethan Hartley, Cranston Herald

A familiar face will be in the news again as the run-up to the 2020 presidential election begins to churn, as former Republican Senator, former Independent-turned-Democratic Rhode Island Governor and former Warwick mayor Lincoln Chafee is pursuing a bid – this time on the Libertarian ticket.

“The bottom line is I still do care about the direction of the country and I have some experience in getting elected to office, and this is an opportunity to continue expressing my opinions,” he said on Tuesday in a phone interview. “I still enjoy having the opportunity to make this country better for our children and our grandchildren.”

Chafee, who sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, further expounded upon his interest in another presidential run. He described being approached by members of the Libertarian Party after he registered as a Libertarian voter in Teton County, Wyoming, where he maintains a residence in Jackson.

Although he admitted that the interest he received from the party was “unexpected,” Chafee said that he was also “surprised” by how many of the core tenants and principles of the Libertarian he identified and agreed with – listing off a few, they include being anti-war, anti-death penalty, anti-torture, pro-gay rights, pro-choice (“Let people make their own personal decisions,” he said) and being “anti-deficit.”

“Both parties are guilty of the deficit,” Chafee said of the two traditional political parties. “Another trillion dollars this year…That's Republicans and Democrats, and something has got to change.”..

To read article in full, click here.

Alabama Secretary of State Hints that If State Loses Libertarian Lawsuit on Access to Voter List, the Legislature Might Charge All Parties for the List

Ballot Access News

On September 11, the Alabama Secretary of State filed his answer in U.S. District Court in Libertarian Party of Alabama v Merrill, m.d., 2:19cv-69. This is the case in which the Libertarian Party challenges the state law that says the qualified parties get a free list of the registered voters, but unqualified parties (even those that are petitioning) must pay $34,000 for the list.

The answer contains a remark that suggests if the state loses the lawsuit, it might repeal the existing law that allows the qualified parties to get a free copy of the list. The law also lets any incumbent legislator have a free list of the voters in his or her district; presumably the legislature would not repeal that provision.

Reform Party Will Hold Presidential Convention in March or April 2020

Ballot Access News

The Reform Party plans to hold a presidential nominating convention in March or April 2020. It will probably be either in Florida or North Carolina. At least two individuals, Joseph Wendt and Darcy Richardson, are seeking the party’s nomination. Both live in Florida.

Common Sense Party Says it Already Has Over 10,000 Registered Members in California

Ballot Access News

The Common Sense Party of California is trying to become ballot-qualified. According to the party’s press release, it already has over 10,000 registered voters. It needs registration equal to .33% of the total state registration in order to qualify. If it qualifies by October 2, 2019, its members may run for Congress and legislature in the March 2020 primary with the party label on the ballot next to their names. If it doesn’t qualify by then, but it does qualify by July 6, 2020, it can place a presidential nominee on the November 2020 ballot.

The law doesn’t permit anyone to know at this time exactly how many registrations the party needs. The .33% is applied to the state registration tally as of the deadline, which of course is in the future. But in October 2019 the requirement will probably be 70,000. When the percentage is applied, voters who are listed as having “unknown” registration are excluded from the denominator. “Unknown” voters are those who were registered automatically because they have drivers licenses or state ID cards, but they have never been asked to choose a partisan affiliation.

Link to North Carolina Special U.S. House Election Results

Ballot Access News

The North Carolina State Board of Elections web page has election returns for the two U.S. House special elections held on September 10. One of them is very close; the other is an easy Republican win. Both races have minor party nominees. See here.

J.R.Myers: Alaska CP Roars Past 500!

As of the most recently available statistics from the Alaska Division of Elections on 9/3/2019, the Alaska Constitution Party, the official affiliate of the national Life & Liberty Party has, for the first time ever, exceeded 500 registered voters.  Typical growth has been about 3-4 per month. The most recent official tally gives the ACP 514 registered Alaskan voters!  This is an increase of 14 voters in a month.  This is many more than the California CP, and serves as a testimony to the love of the Constitution, Rule of Law and Life & Liberty which the people of Alaska exhibit.  Our Life & Liberty Party affiliate, the Alaska CP continues to grow, in response to our message of hope! This bodes well for 2020.

Alaska Division of Elections 9/2019 Voter Registration Statistics

Florida Reform Party Chair Joe Wendt Announces POTUS Bid

Joe Wendt, Chairman of the Florida Reform Party, has thrown his hat in the ring for the Reform Party 2020 Nomination.  He joins Darcy Richardson and others who have, or soon will also announce.  Joe has been active in politics for many years.  He made his announcement via his FaceBook page.  

Joe Wendt September 6 at 9:16 AM, 

"I have decided to enter the Presidential race and run for the Reform Party's Presidential nomination. Within the next few weeks, I will be preparing a website and an initial fundraising round to raise $3000. Help me fix our country, help me give people a choice. Vote for Joe Wendt, Vote for a brave new world."

Joe Wendt's Platform

CPOW's Riley Hood: 'Settled Science: The Socialist Outcome'

Riley J. Hood

Published on 08/19/2019 by Riley J. Hood

“He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him.” -Proverbs 18:17

Socialists say, “The science is settled” once a socialist outcome has been achieved. After that, one can no longer examine the facts. Those who dare to do so are called “science deniers” or “climate deniers” in a cheap juxtaposition with “holocaust deniers.” Such academic put-downs are repeated by yellow journalists.

The term Settled Science is a fallacy. In science anyone can ask any question, challenge anything, and he can try to prove his case. Other people can take it upon themselves the cross-examine his work. Adding to humanity’s existing knowledge base is what scientists are supposed to do. The scientific quest for knowledge is an ongoing debate, because not only are facts involved but ideas and people. Under Socialism, the debate goes on until the socialist hears what he wants to hear, and then says stop, debates over, now the science is settled. For example:

Evolution: This impossible teaching, that life arises from non-life, and the cosmos comes from nothing and by nothing was banned by several states, when the ACLU lost the Scopes Trial. Yet the war on God was won by authors of fiction, such as “Inherit the Wind” and today creationists lose in court when they try to get their teachings into the government school curriculum. SCOTUS was the author of “settled science” not the scientists themselves.

Atheism: Government schools are a federally mandated, state-supported engine for atheism. Separation of Church and State never means separation of Mosque and State, or Buddhist temple and State: those teachings are allowed. The majority of teaching in all subjects is based on Darwin’s theory. Federal Judge Brian Jones said, “Intelligent Design” wasn’t science either, and in his mind, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and Tyco Brahe would have all been considered quacks unless their biographies could be rewritten describing them as Darwinists.

Global Warming: A subset of “settled science.” A population control zealot superimposes a population statistic graph, which does look like a “hockey-stick” onto a CO2 emission graph, and fabricates data to justify a socialist conclusion. Suddenly the “science is settled” even though 600 scientists signed a statement against “man-made global warming,” the ACLU is suing people in our corrupt federal courts, where “settled science” originates.

You can make stabs at reforming the system, but the best reform of this system is to destroy it, namely, the US Constitution doesn’t grant the federal government any role in education, and according to the 10th Amendment, such activities are prohibited, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

The Milwaukee County Constitution Party asserts that education is related to assumptions about God and man and cannot be separated from faith. The law of our Creator assigns the responsibility of educating children to their parents. Education should be free from federal subsidies, vouchers, and loans. The US Department of Education should be abolished. Federal legislation related to education should be repealed. No federal entity may exercise jurisdiction over any child’s upbringing. We assert that the State of Wisconsin has no legitimate role in subsidizing education. We support amending the State Constitution to abolish the DPI. We reject evolution, the US Declaration declares that all men are created equal, and are endowed with God-given rights, this stands in contrast with viewing men as animals, whose existence depends on the state.

Libertarian Party of Douglas County, Nevada Officially Organizes

Libertarian Party of Douglas County, Nevada organizational meeting

August 31, 2019

Call to order at 6:00pm

Officers elected by unanimous vote

Cody Quirk  Chair

David Jones  Vice Chair

Mary Anne Martin  Secretary/Treasurer

Also in attendance 

Bridget Farmer  

Discussion

Various topics were discussed throughout the evening. 

We decided to name the meeting “The Douglas County Liberty Group”.

Discussion was had on Mary Anne’s potential bid for a County Supervisor’s seat. She is going to look into and research the matter.

Also discussed the venue for the next meeting. Cody suggested a venue with a private room. Mary Anne will check in with the owner of the Overland. We unanimously decided to meet again Wednesday, October 3, 2019 at 6:00pm.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:45pm.

Alabama Libertarian Party Petition for Special Legislative Election

Ballot Access News

Alabama holds a special election on November 12, 2019, for State House district 42. The Libertarian Party submitted a petition to be included in this race. It needed 448 valid signatures. The party submitted 668 signatures. The Secretary of State then said the petition only has 429 valid signatures, so it is 19 short. However the party has been re-validating the petition, and has already found six more valid signatures that had erroneously been marked “invalid”. The party is only one-fifth of the way through the revalidation process, and is optimistic that it will find enough signatures to make the petition valid.

The Republican nominee is Van Smith; the Democratic nominee is Kenneth Allison; the Libertarian nominee is Doug Ward.

Kamala Harris Snubs Working Families Endorsement Meeting

Ballot Access News

According to this story, U.S. Senator Kamala Harris had been set for an interview with leaders of the Working Families Party, but at the last minute she decided not to attend. The story says that other Democrats running for President had already had similar interviews with the WFP, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Julian Castro, and Bill de Blasio.

The Working Families Party will eventually endorse someone for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Green Party Candidates Win Enough Primary Write-ins to Qualify for Tucson Ballot

Ballot Access News

Tucson elects a mayor and city council on November 5, 2019, in a partisan election. The Green Party candidates were all write-in candidates in the Green Party primary. According to this story, all four of them received enough primary write-in votes to be placed on the November ballot.

The Green Party is not ballot-qualified in Arizona, but it is ballot-qualified inside Tucson, and has been for some years. Because it has ongoing status inside Tucson, as opposed to being a “new” party, it faced a requirement that its write-in candidates poll a certain number of write-in votes, as opposed to getting just one write-in.