New Hampshire Republican Party State Chair Under Attack for Having Signed Libertarian Party Ballot Access Petition
August 18th, 2011According to this story, New Hampshire Republican Party state chairman Jack Kimball is being threatened with removal, just because he signed the petition to put the Libertarian Party on the ballot in 2012.
The attackers are confusing signing a ballot access petition for a newly-qualifying party with an endorsement of that newly-qualifying party. The meaning of a signature on a ballot access petition was explained well by U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pratt, a Nixon appointee, in Hall v Austin, 495 F.Supp.782 (eastern district of Michigan, 1980). He said a petition measures “whether there is enough support for placing a given candidate on the ballot, not whether there is enough support for electing the candidate. A large segment of the public may be determined never to vote for the candidate yet may wish to see them on the ballot and support their efforts to get on the ballot.” Thanks to Eric Dondero for the link.
August 18th, 2011 at 9:26 am
We will have an official statement from our Senior Editor Clifford Thies, prof. of economics at Shenandoah Univ. VA and a former Libertarian Party National Treasurer, as well as fmr. National Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus, tomorrow at LibertarianRepublican.net.
Hint; We Libertarian Republicans fully and completely support ballot access rights for third parties and Republicans signing petitions for such ballot access.
Eric Dondero, Publisher
LibertarianRepublican.net
August 18th, 2011 at 9:40 am
This is sad. Some people just are blinded by their passionate, unwavering loyalty to the Republocrap that’s been dished out to us for over a century. Let’s hope the LP gets ballot access in all fifty states like last time in 2008.
August 18th, 2011 at 10:20 am
Be careful of what you sign !!! Duh.
P.R. and App.V. — to END the party hack caucuses, primaries and conventions.
See the Roman Republic in 120 B.C. – 27 B.C. — left/right purges, civil wars, etc.
Deja Vu all over again ???
August 18th, 2011 at 11:02 am
#2, the last time a Libertarian presidential candidate was on the ballot in all 50 states was 1996. Harry Browne missed Arizona in 2000 because the Az. Libt. Party officers wouldn’t put Browne on the ballot. In 2004, Michael Badnarik missed Oklahoma and New Hampshire. In 2008, Bob Barr missed D.C., West Virginia, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, and Connecticut.
August 18th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
“We Libertarian Republicans fully and completely support ballot access rights for third parties and Republicans signing petitions for such ballot access.”
Do you support ballot access for left wing third parties and leftist independents as well?
August 18th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
#4 Still we had 50 state access in 2000 which was back to back elections, even though it wasn’t all the same candidate. Has there been other 3rd parties that have accomplished 50 state access in successive years?
August 18th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
The only minor parties that put their presidential nominee on the ballot of all jurisdictions that had electoral votes (in the years since we have had government-printed ballots) were the Peoples Party in 1892, and the New Alliance Party in 1988, and the Libertarian Party in 1980, 1992, and 1996, and the Reform Party in 1996.
The Socialist Party never put its presidential nominee on the North Carolina government-printed ballot until 1932. However, before 1929, North Carolina law said even if a party wasn’t on the government-printed ballot, it could distribute privately printed ballots to its supporters, and those ballots were legal. Because this North Carolina situation is difficult to characterize, one could say that the Socialist Party presidential nominee was on “a” ballot in all states in 1904, 1912, and 1916.
August 18th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
#4 oops my mistake. Thanks for clarifying. When you get as old as me, sometimes you get elections mixed up. :-)
#5 very good question. I doubt those Patriot-act loving Republicans would support ballot access for a leftist 3rd party. If they did, it would be to try to swoon independents into their fold.
August 18th, 2011 at 4:32 pm
# 7 — should be in a Third Parties in the U.S.A. wiki for the entire world to see.
August 18th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
#9 that is the best and smartest comment you have ever made – maybe the only smart thing you have ever said. Somebody put that in Wikipedia soon!
August 18th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Wait a second. Really, why would a party want one of its leadership positions helping out a competing, rival party?
I don’t think the attackers are really confusing anything, really. To the members of the party, one could construe signing the petition with support. Does not signing the petition help the Libertarians? Sure, it is.
It’s one thing for regular members to sign such a petition, but those in party leadership? They are supposed to be defending and supporting their own party. Not, helping another party get on the ballot and potentially win.
I’m all for the Libertarians getting on the ballot and I hope Kimball doesn’t lose his position, but, come on, parties are going to do whatever they can to ensure loyalty to their party. I hope no one is really, truly shocked by the party’s reaction.
August 18th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
# 10 Gee thanks. Ditto about your comment.
Add P.R. and App.V. to that wiki — to put the robot party hacks OUT of BUSINESS — i.e. to join the political graveyard — along with divine right of kings, slavery, etc. etc.
August 19th, 2011 at 5:44 am
[...] Under FirePatch.comKimball calls for special meeting in aftermath of shakeupThe Union LeaderBallot Accessall 8 news [...]
August 19th, 2011 at 9:07 am
How would a federal judge know what was intended by a legislature?
August 19th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
# 14 Only with a New Age LIE detector test — along with perhaps blood oaths, Stone Age death contracts for violations of deals, etc.
Reality check — the left/right gerrymander MONSTERS do even TOLERATE each other — less and less.
P.R. and App.V.
August 20th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
My view is look at the party rules. In 1972, I was a member of the Calforifornia Republican Party State Central
Committee, I ran for US House of Representative that year also. I came to the view that no person in their
right mind should vote to re-elect Richard Nixon. When
John Schmitz ran for President, I did the honorable thing, viz., resigned my membership in the State Central
Committee and the office I held on that committee.
My view is that state chairman should do the honorable
thing and resign. The only other thing is to go to the
State Central Committee and ask for approval to allow
the Chairman to sign the nomination paper without resignig.
In 2010, the American Independent Party State Central
Committee voted not to back Nightengale for Governor.
Therefore, that allowed party activists to do their own
thing. This State Chairman should go to his central
committee and ask what he did was o.k. If they say NO,
then he should resign.
Sincerely, Mark Seidenberg, Vice Chairman, American Independent Party