On June 15, Ken Blevens filed a formal complaint with the New Hampshire Attorney General, against authorities of four towns that are now refusing to let Libertarian petitioners work at the town recycling centers. Blevens is the party’s candidate for U.S. Senate.
The New Hampshire Code for “Towns, Cities, Village Districts, and Unincorporated Places”, title 3, section 31:102-a, gives municipalities the power to regulate access to such places. But it says, “A city, town, or village district shall be specifically prohibited from licensing or regulating a candidate for public office in the process of obtaining signatures on nomination papers, who seeks to have the candidate’s name placed on the ballot for the state general election.”
Libertarians are petitioning to place statewide candidates on this year’s ballot. Although only 3,000 signatures are required, petitioning is more difficult in New Hampshire than most states because only one signature is allowed per petition form. Libertarian statewide petitions in New Hampshire failed in 2004 and 2006. The Green Party has never managed to place a candidate on a New Hampshire ballot for statewide office, except in 2000.
The four towns named in the complaint are Bedford, Candia, Deerfield, and Pittsfield. The towns say petitioning at their recycling centers is dangerous, or alternatively that it impedes traffic flow, although Blevins refutes this charge in his complaint.