Libertarians Seek Ballot Access At 2014 Convention in Albany, April 26
New York, NY (PRWEB) March 31, 2014 -- Delegates of the Libertarian Party of New York (NYLP) will convene for their 42nd Annual Convention in Albany, NY on April 26. Convention attendees will hear from and nominate candidates for Attorney General, State Comptroller, and Governor. The Convention is open to the public but only credentialed delegates are eligible to vote.
The Libertarian Party is not among the six parties that will automatically appear on New York's ballot this November but there is substantial evidence that may be about to change.
New York's ballot access law(s) require a political party's gubernatorial candidate to secure 50,000 votes to achieve an automatic “line” on the ballot in the next election. Despite the Democrats and Republicans shrinking share of voter registration and low approval ratings they remain unaffected by such regulations. So-called “third parties” such as the Libertarians are required to complete a difficult and expensive process of petitioning to obtain a place on the ballot. Third parties face much higher signature requirements and many technical and administrative challenges that are usually not applied to their major party competitors. Third party advocates contend that this system reinforces the status quo, stifles debate and disenfranchises a growing share of voters.
For the first time New York Libertarians appear poised to win the 50,000 votes and their automatic spot of the ballot. In 2010 Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate Warren Redlich nearly did so when he received 48,359 votes. In 2012 Libertarian Presidential candidate Gary Johnson received 47,256 votes.
Chairman of the LPNY, Mark Axinn said, "For decades, New York’s political elite has used draconian ballot access legislation to disenfranchise independent voters by excluding small political parties from our political process; we aim to change that in 2014”.
Declared Libertarian candidates for governor include Nathan Lebron of Albany, Chris Edes of Rochester, and Richard Cooper of New York City.
Nathan Lebron lives with his wife in Colonie, NY and owns a computer consulting firm called The Lebron Group LLC. He said, "The strength and greatness of New York came from the freedoms of its people. Let us make New York great again. Let us make New York free again.”
Chris Edes is a computer programmer who lives in Rochester, NY. Mr. Edes said, “A free state allows everyone an equal opportunity to pursue happiness by empowering the individual. It does this by not confiscating the fruits of their labor through taxation, not interfering in their private lives, and showing no favoritism to any person or business”.
Rich Cooper lives on Long Island and is the Vice President of a major manufacturing firm. Mr. Cooper said, "Libertarians offer the best choice for a better New York."
Chair of the Libertarian National Committee in Washington, D.C., Geoff Neale will speak at the convention banquet. Mr. Neale said, "The Libertarian Party is committed to instituting lasting changes to our political systems to preserve and protect the constitutional rights of our citizens.”
The Capital District Libertarian Party will host the April 26 convention. For more information go to http://ny.lp.org/state-convention-2014.
Todd Haggerty, Chair, Capital District Libertarian Party, http://www.CapitalDistrict-LP.org, +1 518-312-9742, [email protected]
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