How Does the Libertarian Party Nominate Its Candidate for President?
Every election year I hear a common complaint amongst libertarians who aren't involved with the Libertarian Party that goes something like this, "If the LP had nominated Candidate X instead of Candidate Y then I'd be excited about this election. Why did they nominate Candidate Y?"
And the answer is extremely simple: Candidate Y was nominated because Candidate Y's supporters showed up as delegates to the National Convention.
I really can't stress this enough. In the Libertarian Party you have to show up to the convention as a delegate in order to have a voice. A candidate can organize 4 billion Steemit followers but that candidate will still lose the nomination if only 40 of those supporters show up to the convention.
For the most part the Libertarian Party does not use primaries to decide its nominees. You actually have to go to your State Convention and vote for the candidates you'd like to see win the nominations for statewide offices; and you actually have to go to the National Convention and vote for the candidates you'd like to see win the nominations for national office.
So, how does one go about becoming a delegate to the National Convention?
Contact your most local Libertarian Party affiliate. In well-organized states, like Texas, this will usually mean starting with your County Libertarian Party; whereas in more developing states your State Libertarian Party might be the most locally organized affiliate. You can find this information by using the googlie machine and searching for "Libertarian Party of [insert your county name or your state name here]."
Ask your most local Libertarian Party, "How can I become a state and national delegate?" We're about 2/3rds of the way through convention season at this point, which means that most states have already selected their delegates. But DON'T LET THIS DETER YOU. There are a number of work-arounds and loopholes that you may be able to take advantage of to become a 2018 delegate. But, even if you can't be a delegate until 2020 go ahead and get involved with your local Libertarian Party as soon as possible. It is much easier to secure a delegate seat when people know who you are, have seen you before, and have worked with you on LP-related projects.
And that's it!
So, you see, the next time you hear someone say, "Why didn't Candidate X win the nomination?" you can reply by saying, "Because you didn't show up."
In order to change the world - whether you've chosen the activist route, the political route, or both - the most important thing you can do for the movement is to SHOW UP. Show up to events. Show up to meetings. Show up to protests. Show up to conventions. Show up to rallies. Show up to fundraisers. Be helpful, polite, fun, and engaged. If knowing is "half the battle" then showing up is the other half.
Oh my God !! $112 only with 1 vote???? 😲😲😲😲😲. That's unbelieveable
Ron Paul was the last Presidential candidate I was truly enthusiastic about. In his last race he was up against a stacked deck and got cheated by the Romney people, but he still received a lot of support at the grassroots level. He was a man of principle and I'm glad he didn't endorse Romney when Romney became the nominee.
Dr. Paul's mind is still very sharp even in his 80s. He is amazing and a true patriot.
I would still like Ron Paul. I knew the last time he ran it would have to be his last - he was already pushing it age wise last time he ran. His son is solid on the basic concepts, but tries too hard to play the game and keep people happy. Ron Paul's biggest problem - when it came to running, is he was too nice.
The establishment attempted to "Ron Paul" Donald Trump, but it didn't work. Why? Donald Trump has a big mouth and called them on it. Also he could afford the lawyers to stop it.
Had Ron Paul been able to be a loud mouth like Trump he might have been able to pull it off - but would we have still liked him as much?
Rand Paul needs to learn from all of this - if he can learn to not cave to the pressure of "popular media opinions" and learn to be a bit of a loud mouth he might be able to be the president his dad wanted to be. I'm able to look past party labels and accept libertarianism beyond party affiliation. That being said, I hope Austin Peterson makes it as a Republican.
And he’s not running. He never even made it onto the ballot. However, the Libertarian Party nominee will be on the ballot in all fifty states.
I thought they just picked the last guy to pull the bong.
That is funny. Good one!
That's actually the way I would run it.
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a very great post ... thanks for sharing ... you are very extraordinary @benfarmer
Great article and advice @benfarmer. The problem I have is the cost to attend the state and national conventions. It also costs to attend the various events and for people on fixed or limited incomes this becomes a battle, do I eat this week or attend this event? What about the people that for health reasons can't travel easily? Then the people with jobs and children. These people get left out of the process many times and hopefully there will be more thought put into how everyone can be included in the process that wants to be a part of it regardless of their financial status or whatever reason. Another reason that the idea of using the blockchain needs to be seriously explored, to make the LP more inclusive. Politics has become all about the money and Ms. Cynthia McKinney discussed that some when she was with @adamkokesh at Anarchapulco 2018, which was a really good video.
Convention dates are released years ahead of time. For instance, we already know that the 2020 National Convention will be held at the JW Marriott in Austin, TX over Memorial Day weekend. I usually spend right around a thousand dollars for travel, hotel, tickets, and food for a National Convention which means that if I can manage to save 42 dollars a month between now and then, then I’ll be able to afford it.
But, since Adam Kokesh has offered to upvote supporters’ Steemit posts, any of his supporters can easily pay for their National Convention experience just by participating on Steemit.
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STOPTrying to get more involved, there was a local LP gathering tonight, but I couldn't quite figure out where they were meeting. Unless it was in that nail salon? haha
I have no idea. In which city are you?
Hey Ben,
I'm in Huntsville AL, I've been trying to figure out the main POC for a bit. I just put another query out and signed up as a volunteer online in Madison County.
Alabama is going through a transition right now. You may want to reach out to TE Finnegan. She’s a great contact out there.
I gotcha, KK thank you Ben!
#1. Mostly true, Texas is huge however and there are MANY gaps where there are unaffiliated counties, including the one I grew up in and the ones that border that one. Land percentage wise that's a huge chunk of the state, though granted population wise it's pretty insignificant. Still - room to grow.
#2. In most counties in Texas, with the exception of Harris and Travis county, just showing up and asking will probably get you a seat as a state delegate. To be a national delegate pretty much means showing up as a state delegate and wanting to be a national one. You can become a national one without being a state one, but it's safer to take the state>national route.
I've been a state delegate three times. I've got to back you up on what you've said - showing up is about 90% of the process. I've had friends ask how I pulled off being a state delegate, especially the first time. Answering "I showed up" didn't seem to register with them as much as I had hoped it would.