Siena College Poll Suggests Libertarian Party Will Become Ballot-Qualified in New York for First Time Ever

A Siena College Poll released October 1 for the New York gubernatorial race shows Larry Sharpe, Libertarian nominee, at 2%. Assuming that 5,000,000 voters turn out to vote, 2% would be 100,000 votes, double the legal requirement that a party poll 50,000 votes for Governor to become qualified.

The Libertarian Party has never been ballot-qualified in New York in the past. The closest it ever came was 2010, when Warren Redlich received 48,386. Other states in which it has never been ballot-qualified are Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia. Also the party’s qualified status in Georgia and Illinois has only been for statewide office, not district office. In Connecticut it is piece-meal, for some offices but not others.

In Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Washington, even when a small party is ballot-qualified, it still has huge hurdles placing nominees on the general election ballot, because either it is too difficult for a candidate to get on the party’s primary ballot, or because the candidate in the primary must poll a very large number of votes to get on in November.


Comments

Siena College Poll Suggests Libertarian Party Will Become Ballot-Qualified in New York for First Time Ever — 13 Comments

  1. With the dying Elephants on both coasts it will be the LP to deal with the social-econ wreckage of the commie Donkeys (esp on both coasts)

    — who want 100 percent tax rates, 100 percent govt control of all capital and economic production, etc.

    Super-easy to be a commie with the assets and income of OTHER folks.

    See the wreckage of the 1917-1991 Russia-USSR regimes.

  2. I’m going to hate myself for saying this, but DemoRep is correct (or at least has a good point). If the LP wants to grow beyond where they are, they need to be in heavily blue or heavily red areas, touting themselves as the primary alternative to the dominant Dem or Rep party. We really don’t have even a two party system anymore, but one party systems in many locales (with the one party varying depending on the locale). At heart, I believe people want choices. The LP can give them the choice where there is effectively none.

  3. TomP, this is essentially what we are trying to do in NY with Sharpe. The GOP here is a joke and even helped pass the notorious SAFE Act. We are getting tons of converts from former GOP.

  4. @Demo Rep: Yes, the 50,000 votes for governor for ballot qualification is a law that can be amended. However, many of the NY legislators have at various times benefited from having additional ballot lines on which they were endorsed, in addition to the Democratic or Republican line. There are the Conservative Party which endorses many Republicans, the Working Families Party and Women’s Equality Party which endorse many Democrats, and the Independence Party which has gone back and forth.

    If the legislators raise the 50,000 vote threshold, they could run the risk of a minor party that supports them losing ballot status.

  5. Every election is NEW.

    NEW equal ballot access requirements foe INDIVIDUAL candidates – petitions/fees.

    The party gangs can endorse whoever.

    PR legis

    NONPARTISAN AppV for ALL exec/judic offices

    — pending Condorcet.

  6. Ice Cold Day in Hell before the NY LP endorses ANY Donkey or Elephant —

    thus perfect excuse for the regime to wipe out ALL minor parties by a MAJOR increase in the 50,000 stat.

  7. ON THE OTHER HAND —

    DONKEYS WOULD LOVE TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER THE ELEPHANTS/LP GROUPS

    IE LOVE HAVING THE LP ON BALLOTS.

  8. The same poll shows the Green Party candidate only at 1% so that puts them right near the 50,000 cut-off. I wonder is they’ll lose party status this year? I’d love to see NY switch to only allowing fusion on non-gubernatorial races to get rid of the satellite parties or force them to actually run their own candidate for Gov.

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