The deadline has passed for independent candidate petitions, and petitions for the nominees of unqualified parties, in New Hampshire. Two separate statewide petitions for Libertarians were submitted.
One has Jeremy Kauffman for Governor and Karlyn Borysenko for U.S. Senate.
The other has Kelly Halldorson for Governor.
Assuming both petitions are valid, and there are two Libertarians on the ballot for Governor, it appears that the vote for both of them may be combined, to see if the combined total equals 4% of the vote cast. The New Hampshire definition of “political party” is “any political organization which received at least 4% of the total number of votes.”
I know there is no way for the state to determine if there is an “official” Libertarian nominee but wouldn’t they try to say that since the two candidates were adversaries in the election they couldn’t be part of the same organization. I’m unaware of any precedents here.
The state already argued in 2008 that it need not determine who is the “official” nominee and officers of an unqualified party. That was in the case Libertarian Party of NH v Gardner. In 2008, both Bob Barr and George Phillies submitted valid petitions to be on the November ballot for president with the “Libertarian” label. The state party and the national party jointly sued the Secretary of State, saying the Libertarian Party had a freedom of association right to limit its label to Bob Barr. But the U.S. District Court and the First Circuit ruled in favor of the Secretary of State, so both candidates were on the ballot with “Libertarian.” Barr got 2,217 votes and Phillies got 531 votes, even though Phillies had the ballot position above Barr.
ok but was there a precedent set for counting all 2,748 votes as “Libertarian” votes?
They should all get behind the Republican ticket.
Kauffman is running for Senate, and Borysenko is running for Governor
Does US Senate count for the vote test, or is it just for Governor. I thought it was only Governor, but I saw somebody on another forum say US Senate also counts for the vote test for ballot retention. I have not looked it up yet, so what is the real story here?
the LPNH Slate of Candidate’s volunteers collected 6,000 signatures and had them all turned in and validated ahead of the deadline.
Kelly Halldorson’s paid out of state petitioners collected approximately 4,300 according to public statements, and was turning them in at the deadline.
Assuming the same 70% validity rate the LPNH candidates were receiving, it’s very unlikely that Halldorson will have the 1,500 valid signatures per congressional district needed to achieve ballot access.
Tempest in a teapot. Republicans have a good ticket.
Andy, in 1997 the Secretary of State influenced the New Hampshire legislature to increase the vote test from 3% for Governor only, to 4% for either Governor or US Senator. The Libertarian Party didn’t fight that bill because it had got 4.52% for US Senator in 1996, but only 1.20% for Governor. The party thought that bill would put it back on the ballot. But then a conference committee altered the details of the bill so that the 1996 US Senate showing didn’t count; only future elections counted.
Have they ever helped Republicans get elected or only been detrimental each and every time?
No Lib is going to beat Gov Sununu unfortunately. People have to be sick and tired of the two party dictatorship. The Democraps and Republicants have done absolutely nothing but separate and divide this country. I’m ready for real change. Who else is?
Borysenko is better than Sununu but we have to make sure Democrats lose.