Document:National Email 9 April 2010 We need your help for Oklahoma ballot access
Dear Friend of Liberty,
For reasons sadly unknown to me, the title of my regular column in the LP News is "Chairman's Travelogue," which is ironic, because I write the column at home and it usually doesn't involve me going anywhere.
But today, that title is not a misnomer. I am headed to Oklahoma, where I will speak at the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma convention on Saturday, and, on Monday, I will personally lobby members of the Oklahoma legislature and speak at a press conference regarding HB1072, a bill that would greatly reduce the number of signatures needed for a previously unrecognized political party in that state (e.g., the Libertarian Party) to gain ballot access. Oklahoma currently has ballot access laws that are among the toughest of all the states.
HB1072 made great progress through the legislature last year and is poised to move forward to possible enactment this year. One of the reasons that we made greater progress with this bill in this legislative term than we did previously was that Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform (OBAR), which the Libertarian National Committee, among others, has financially supported in this effort, hired a former state Senator to lobby the legislature.
While the results have been positive to this point, it has unfortunately drained OBAR's bank account. To see this lobbying effort through to success, and future years of far less costly ballot access in The Sooner State, may take more funding, and OBAR may ultimately have to call on the Libertarian National Committee to provide the contributions that no other minor parties have been able to make.
You've probably heard of the phrase "If it is to be, then it is up to me." That's the situation in which the Libertarian National Committee usually finds itself when it comes to advancing causes that benefit all smaller political parties in the US. While that is unfortunate, that should not stop us from doing what benefits us--and what is right.
Your contribution to the LNC might be the difference in keeping this effort for reasonable ballot access laws going in Oklahoma. Your contribution will help keep the ongoing petition drive in Illinois for 50,000 total signatures for ballot access this year (and, hopefully, in 2012, as well) going.
And, your contribution might make the difference in putting a newly revitalized Libertarian Party of Nebraska on the ballot this year. The Democratic Party is not running someone for State Auditor there this year. If we can complete a 5,500 valid signature petition by August 2, and if our candidate for State Auditor can earn at least 5% of the vote in a two-way race (highly likely, don't you think?), then we will have ballot status for the 2012 election in Nebraska.
We also have many candidates (493 and growing) across the nation this year, many of whom will be provided with campaign assistance from the national office.
These and other ongoing needs of the Libertarian Party will be met with your most generous financial contribution to the Libertarian National Committee.
Thank you very much, and I fervently hope to report success to you soon regarding reduced ballot access barriers in Oklahoma.
Sincerely,
William Redpath
Chairman
Libertarian National Committee
2600 Virginia Ave, N.W. Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20037