Even though your taxes are used to run statewide elections, as a member of the Libertarian Party of Ohio, you have again been unfairly denied ballot access. At your local Primary Election location in May, Libertarian ballots will not be available!
Even though the Johnson/Weld campaign got 3.17% of the vote in 2016 and exceeded the state’s requirement of 3%, the Libertarian Party has once again been excluded from ballot access by a dastardly partisan election law passed by a Republican legislature, signed by a Republican governor, and upheld by Republican state Supreme Court Justices.
Instead, we will hold our Primary Elections like Libertarians – privately!
Please join us to help select our Central Committee for 2018.
There will be a Libertarian Primary Election in each of the sixteen Federal Congressional Districts in Ohio sometime between April 2 and May 8, 2018. (You can confirm your Congressional District here).
All election dates, locations and times are posted and available on the LPO Events Page.
Candidates for Central Committee will be announced and posted no less than 30 days prior to the posted Primary Election Date.
2018 Elections – a Year of Growth: A record number of Ohioans (over 100 so far) have stepped up to run as Libertarians in the 2018 elections! This mirrors the interest and growth the party has seen in Ohio across the board. Bone indication of this interest is that advance registrations for our speaker-rich LPO Convention (May 18-20) have already exceeded the total attendance of last year’s conference!
Unfortunately, the State of Ohio is denying our candidates access to the ballot, so we can’t nominate our candidates like the old parties in power.
Primary elections are important for two reasons:
- Elect leaders to the Central Committee of the Libertarian Party of Ohio.
- Keep your personal party identity in the state of Ohio. In Ohio, the only way a voter is registered as a member of the party they choose is to vote in that party’s primary elections!
Everyone can and should go to their local polling location on Election Day, but to be a Libertarian you can’t vote in the primaries for Democrats, Republicans or the Green Party. Instead, ask for an “issues only ballot.” As Libertarians, we will be marked as unaffiliated until we regain ballot access (which we expect to have for the fall General election – more below).
Delegates and Central Committee members of the LPO must be registered as a Libertarian when we have ballot access, or must refrain from registering with another party during primary elections when ballot access is denied.
Central Committee: The Central Committee of the LPO is comprised of two representatives from each of the 16 Congressional districts in Ohio. Like a company’s Board of Directors, they help guide and direct the Party and elect the Executive Committee, which runs the day to day operations (much like the officers of a company – only without pay). These two leaders represent their district at the State level. Learn more about Central Committee responsibilities.
Nominations for new Central Committee members are open until forty-five days before the election. See the LPO Events Page for the deadline in your district.
Voter Requirements: In order to vote in the Libertarian Primaries, one must be a member of the Libertarian Party of Ohio which has only two requirements:
- You must affirm the oath:
“I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals” - You must not have voted in the past Primary Election for another Party (once we regain ballot access, you will again be able to register as a Libertarian).
Registering as a Libertarian: Since Libertarians aren’t officially recognized by the state, the only thing Libertarians can to do is avoid being registered as a Democrat, Republican, or (for one more election cycle) the Green party. To do this, a voter must ask for an “issues only” ballot at the usual polling place. Then, instead of voting in some other party’s tax-supported primary election, Libertarians should vote in our private elections.
Absentee ballots will be available to download from the LPO Events Page 30 days before each district’s election. Instructions on how to submit an absentee ballot will also be included. There is no excuse not to vote!
Meet the Candidates: Be sure to sign up for the 2018 LPO State Convention, May 18th to 20th. We have an exciting agenda including national party favorites Larry Sharpe, Caryn Ann Harlos, Adam Kokesh, Joshua Smith, and Jesse Fullington.
Ballot Access: We are in the home stretch of the Voter Freedom Drive, and we are confident we will be able to submit the 54,965 signatures required in time for the elections in November – with your help! The number of signatures needed in Ohio is second only to California at 60,000! We just need another 10,000 signatures! Please ask for blank petitions and ask your friends and family to sign to give Ohio voters another choice this November. If you cannot get any signatures – or even if you can! – please consider making a donation to the LPO Voter Freedom Drive.