Libertarian Chad Perry has won his run-off against his Democratic opponent. The office, Justice of the Peace, ward 7, Calcasieu Parish, is a partisan race. Here is a link to the returns. Scroll down to Justice of the Peace.
Ballot Access News
Edited By Richard Winger
Is Chad Ivery Perry, the victorious Libertarian, an activist in the state or national party, or is he just a local who used this label because this is where he stands philosophically?
A 3rd party can really start to claim it is growing when the local citizens run under the party label and win. Too often, 3rd partisans who win are activists who double as candidates and party leaders.
Who is Cryer, the “(O)” candidate, in the race below? He also seems to have one.
Austin:
Cryer is registered “Independent.”
Louisiana’s term for voters and candidates with no party affiliation is “No Party,” but many people list their affiliation as “Independent,” presumably thinking that is the way to indicate no party affiliation. Officially, though, those voters and those candidates (and, if they win, those office-holders) are affiliated with the Independent Party.
There is no party with that name organized in Louisiana. However, that may change next year when a law goes into effect allowing a party with that name to gain recognized party status. Current law prohibits a party called simply the “Independent Party” from gaining recognized status in Louisiana, but the state legislature recently passed a bill changing that.
There are about 50,000 registered “Independents” in Louisiana, so they easily meet the 1000 registrant threshold for recognized party status. If anyone goes to the trouble of filing the paperwork and paying the $1000 fee, the Independent Party will become the third largest party in Louisiana by number of registrants. It will also become the third largest party in Louisiana by number of office-holders. I don’t know the current number of “Independent” (as opposed to “No Party”) office-holders in Louisiana, but I checked a few years ago and there were several.
I am happy to learn of this new legislation allowing a party by the name of “Independent Party” to operate in Louisiana.
I thought there were more than 50,000 voters registered as “Independents.” If someone would organize such a party and it not be a leftist party or a extreme rightist party, that registration could continue to increase.
It would take something like a Louisiana version of the California American Independent Party to accomplish this.
Contrary to many who disagree, the word “Independent” resonates with more voters than any other political label. Let us hope someone will organize that Independent Party soon.
While I appreciate and sympathize with those who aspire to an “Independent Party”, even if I think it’s a bit silly, I have to concede there is a good argument against allowing it as being misleading. The situation outlined where any group of kooks could claim to represent thousands of voters who thought they were declaring no party affiliation, isn’t exactly something to be proud of. California has a similar problem, where for years the Const. Party affiliate has floated along on the strength of “American Independent” registrants who aren’t even aware of the existence of the C.P.