Libertarian Party of New York

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The Libertarian Party of New York was founded as an unregistered political party in 1970 by Paul and Michael Gilson who became its first people in public office the next year on election to a zoning board in Upstate New York. It helped drive the creation of a national party, and was re-organized in 1972 by a group now centered around Ed Clark, later the Libertarian Party presidential candidate. Its name was changed to the "Free Libertarian Party" when the New York Board of Elections ruled that the name Libertarian Party would confuse voters with the Liberal Party of New York. However, the Board of Elections eventually allowed the name "Libertarian Party" to be used. The Statue of Liberty is their ballot symbol, and they now appear on the ballot as the Libertarian Party.

Starting in 1974, the Libertarian Party of New York has had a candidate for Governor of New York on the ballot every four years except for 1986, the only party in New York State without official ballot status to do so. Most other minor parties in New York have achieved ballot status simply by endorsing one of the major candidates. The Libertarian Party of New York calls itself "The Party of Principle" and has so far refused to achieve ballot status by this means, although Republican William Weld flirted with the Libertarian Party nomination in 2006.

The Libertarian Party of New York is an alternative political party in the United States active in the state of New York. It is the recognized affiliate of the national Libertarian Party.

The Libertarian Party of New York is dedicated to the principle that free people have the right to do anything they please, except to initiate force, the threat of force, or fraud, against other persons or their property. Any law that violates this principle should be repealed. The only moral laws are those designed to protect this principle.

Elected Officials

Libertarian Party of New York members currently hold 8 public offices. See: http://www.lp.org/organization/officials.php

Ballot Access

The Libertarian Party of New York regularly expends great effort in petitioning to get its candidates onto the voting ballot in New York State. Special impediments in NY Election Law are responsible for the relatively slow progress, when compared to the Libertarian Parties in other states.

After it first received write-in votes in 1972 for Presidential Candidate John Hospers and Vice Presidential Candidate Toni Nathan (The first woman Candidate for Vice-President to receive an electoral vote), the Libertarian Party has obtained at least 15,000 petition signatures and placed statewide candidates on the ballot in every statewide election between 1974 and 2002, except 1986. These signatures were by law collected in a mere six-week period in mid-July to August (except in 1994, see Schulz v. Williams, 44 F.3d 48 (2d Cir. 1994)). During the six-week petition period, which is scheduled by the State Legislature, many voters are away from their voting districts on summer vacation. The petition period allotted the New York Libertarian Party excludes petitioning among the crowds of persons celebrating Independence Day.

In spite of these impediments, in the Gubernatorial Elections, Libertarian candidates included a full slate of the possible statewide candidates: Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, and, when one is up for election: Senator. In the Presidential races, candidates included the full number of Electors for President and Vice President, and when one is up for election, Senator. This regular achievement of statewide ballot status by a full slate of candidates for 29 years indicates substantial support in New York State.

The party has at various times petitioned and placed local candidates on local ballots in New York, such as in the last New York City Mayoral election. Nationally, the Libertarian Party has 208,456 voters registered by the respective state boards of election. See Richard Wingerâs Ballot Access News (Dec. 1, 2002) at www.ballot-access.org (Click to the December 2002 issue) for a chart of state official registrations as of Oct. 2002 or go to: http://www.ballot-access.org/2002/1201.html#11.

In Green Party, et al., -vs- NYS Board of Elections, et al., 02-CV-6465 (JG), Judge Gleeson, in his Memorandum at pages 5–6, recognized the anomalous unfairness of using the 50,000 vote threshold in a race for governor, as the sole means to qualify as a recognized party. Indeed, the criterion seems calculated to minimize the possibility of a new party receiving such status. Or the criterion can wipe a small party out, if that party's governor candidate stops running at the wrong time, as happened to the Liberal Party. By Order of Sept. 13, 2003 Judge Gleeson gave voters a right to enroll as Libertarian. He was affirmed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

The major parties have a history of passing laws to disadvantage minor parties in New York. Where three-judge court panel had struck down an election statute on Equal Protection grounds, the New York legislature simply reenacted the provision. Schulz v. Williams, 44 F.3d 48, 60 (2d Cir. 1994).

Vote totals for Libertarian Candidates in NY

Vote totals for Libertarian Gubernatorial Candidates in NY

1974    Jerome Tuccille         10,503
1978    Gary Greenberg          18,990
1982    John Northrup           16,913
1990    Gary Johnson            24,611
1994    Robert Schulz            9,506
1998    Christopher Garvey       4,722
2002    Scott Jeffrey            5,013
2006    John Clifton            15,068

(Lt. Governor candidate list needed: vote totals are the same as for Governor)

Vote totals for Other Statewide Libertarian Candidates in NY

Attorney General

1994    Daniel A. Conti           19,202
2002    Dan Conti                 23,213
2006    Chris Garvey              29,413

Comptroller

2002    James Eisert              19,235
2006    John J. Cain              40,472

Vote totals for Libertarian U.S. Senate Candidates in NY

1992    Norma Segal             108,530
1994    William P. McMillen       8,223
2000    John Clifton              4,734
2004    Donald Silberger         19,093
2006    Jeff Russell             15,929

Vote totals for Libertarian Congressional Candidates in NY

(no data yet)

Vote totals for Electors from NY for Libertarian Presidential Candidates

1980    Ed Clark                 52,648
1996    Harry Browne             12,220
2000    Harry Browne              7,649
2004    Michael Badnarik         11,607
2008    Bob Barr                 19,513

Vote totals for Libertarian Candidates in NYC 2005

• Audrey Silk for Mayor 3,105 .25%
• Jim Lesczynski for Public Advocate 17,034 2.22%
• Ron Moore for Comptroller 12,629 1.67%
• Joseph Dobrian for Manhat. Boro Pres. 2,891 1.17%
• Gary Popkin for Brooklyn Boro Pres. 2,143 .82%
• Claudia Flanagan for City Council D. 2 643 2.59%
• Jak Karako for City Council - Dist. 4 358 1.03%
• Thomas Ruks for City Council - Dist. 22 352 2.26%

For lists of Libertarian candidates who have run in NY since 1998, please see: [1]

Party Background

The Libertarian Party was founded in 1971 (see [2]) on the libertarian principle: that people should be free to do whatever they wish, except to initiate force, the threat of force, or fraud against others or their property. The principle does not preclude retaliatory force, as in the redress of wrongs through courts, and as in the traditional common law of self-defense. National Libertarian Party Members, including the New York Members, have paid $25 per year, and have as a condition of membership signified: "I certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals."

External links

• Bob Schulz's fight for more fair ballot access, November 1994 LP Press Release
• Ballot access in New York State, (written around 1995) by William Kone
• The 1994 Petition Drive by Blay Tarnoff
• Libertarian Party of NY website
• National Libertarian Party website