“State legislatures should consider whether to retake [the authority to choose electors] in the 2016 election in an effort to stop Trump,” he says. “Many could consider this proposal, but the Texas state legislature is a natural place to start. It could easily pass a law returning power to the legislature. On Election Day, the legislature could decide whether to vote for Trump or Mitt Romney, the prior Republican nominee; former Texas governor Rick Perry, who dropped out of the 2016 race early on; a popular GOP figure such as Condoleezza Rice, whose name has recently been floated as an alternative; or their own junior Sen. Ted Cruz, presently trailing Trump in the Republican Party delegate count.”
Elections
Elections, Lawsuits, Libertarians
Illinois LP wins lawsuit
On February 12, the Libertarian Party of Illinois won a lawsuit filed in 2012 against a state law requiring that new parties run full slates of candidates.
Via Illinois LP wins lawsuit to strike unconstitutional ballot access restriction @ Libertarian Party.
Elections, GOP, Libertarians
Kasich Behind Take Down Of Libertarian Gov Candidate In 2014
According to court documents, Kasich successfully derailed his Libertarian Party competitor for governor in 2014 in order to clear his path of obstacles so he could win without worry, then launch his second bid for president.
“The Kasich Campaign, Borges, Schrimpf, Damschroder, the Governor’s staff and Casey from the very beginning were in constant contact about the protest,” wrote plaintiff attorneys for Libertarian Party of Ohio (LPO) candidate Charlie Earl in court documents. According to filings from Mark Brown and Mark G. Kafantaris, co-counsels for Charlie Earl,”They shared a common objective — to keep Earl off the ballot. Their minds had met; they acted together.”
Campaign Ads, Elections, Free Speech, Law
Lessig’s Bad Example
Lawrence Lessig likes to point to Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 campaign as he argues for restrictions on election spending. It’s just a really bad example. John Samples explains.
Elections, Lawsuits, Politics
Fighting for Inclusion
“A group of third-party advocates filed a lawsuit this week in an effort to force the Federal Election Commission to change rules for televised presidential debates that prevent independent candidates from sharing the stage with the Republican and Democratic nominees. According to the group Level the Playing Field, which is backed by wealthy financier Peter…
Elections, Libertarians, Presidential Race 2016
Rigged Game
“Most Americans have no idea that the official-sounding and acting Commission on Presidential Debates is, in reality, a private organization created by the Republican and Democrat Parties and funded by special interests whose goal is to protect the status quo,” the Libertarian Party says in its mission statement. “Thus, it is no surprise that the…
Bigotry, Elections, History, Law
‘Literacy’ Tests for Voting: What Racism Looked Like in 1964
From literacy tests to voter ID laws, the right to vote remains threatened. Watch as Harvard students attempt to pass the 1964 Louisiana literacy test as part of a project that raises awareness about barriers to voting. In October of 2014, we gave a group of Harvard students a test. But it was not just…
Elections, Law
Lewis Black on Voter Suppression
Congress, Crony Capitalism, Elections, Free Markets, GOP, Politics
Amash Wins in Michigan: Pro-Market Defeats Pro-Business Insider
Liberty-respecting Congressman Justin Amash of Michigan defeated a primary challenger put up by so-called business interests and other party insiders: The Liberterian-minded Amash on Tuesday, Aug. 5, soundly beat Ellis, who billed himself as sort of the “anti-Amash” candidate for votes he considered out of touch with Third District voters. Countless endorsements, including the Grand…
Elections, Law
Libertarian Case Against Voter Photo ID
A pro-government idea whose time was never right, and is now fading: That was what Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, said in 2011 as he signed a law imposing this new mandate. “There really is no barrier for people,” he asserted. “Particularly in a society where people need photo identification for just about everything…
Elections, Libertarians
Change the Presidential Debates
Blogging, Elections, Law
Foes Attempt to Revoke Blogger’s Right to Vote
The voting rights of a single Cincinnati resident took center stage this week in the never-ending drama over the city’s under-construction streetcar. Cincinnati blogger Randy Simes was forced to defend his right to vote this week in the face of conspiracy allegations by a Tea Party-affiliated anti-streetcar group. Image: Business Journals Members of the Tea…
Elections, Presidential Race 2016, U.S. Senate race
Rand Paul (wisely) hedges his bets
The occasionally-libertarian Republican night be thinking about 2016, but not the 2016 that others are: there’s a US Senate race in Kentucky that year for which he’ll again be running. That’s much better than focusing only on a presidential contest with a hundred shifting possibilities. Via Rand Paul to seek re-election in the Senate @…
Elections, Government Spending, Liberty, Politics
Florida Libertarian nets 43% of vote on platform to abolish his office
That’s the stuff: Joseph Wendt, 2012 candidate for Florida’s Soil and Water Conservation Board, netted the largest Libertarian Party vote total in his state, and one of the largest in the nation, running on a platform to defund and abolish the board he was campaigning to join. “I am going to be blunt, the board…
Elections, Law
The Political Imbecility of GOP Electoral College Changes
Hansen notes that even if rules for apportioning states’ electoral college votes been different in 2012, there’s no certainty that the outcome would have been different (since Pres. Obama would have campaigned and spent differently under different rules). Yet, the real GOP problem might become one of voters’ perception: And finally, there is the risk…
Elections, Law, Libertarians
2012 elections give Libertarian Party full ballot access in 30 states
Elections, Libertarians
How Libertarian Party candidates provided the margin in at least nine races
Over at Daily Kos, there’s a review of election results suggesting Libertarian candidates provided the margin in nine major races. LP candidates may have played a decisive role in other races, of course. Even more important than the role LP candidates may have played is the role that libertarian-leaning voters (of whatever party) undoubtedly played…
Elections, Libertarians, Liberty
Did Libertarians Really Win the 2012 Election?
There was certainly significant movement in a libertarisn direction: Ballot initiatives measure actual popularity of social movements, and the resounding victories last victories of ballot measures to approve the legalization of marijuana and to support gay marriage amount to a stunning shift in public opinion in favor of freedom. Voters approved gay marriage in three states,…
Elections, Presidential Race 2012
The “Biggest Loser” of the 2012 Election?
Elections, Libertarians
Top 2012 Libertarian Campaigns for US House of Representatives
There’s more evidence, beyond the seven libertarians who each won over a million votes, of LP candidates’ success in House races. Here’s how some top vote-getting LP candidates did in their contests: The top Libertarian vote percentages in 2-way U.S. House races with a Democrat or Republican candidate were: Joel Balam Kansas 3rd 31% 90,391…