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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Mr. Wes Wagner’s latest complaint prompted me to
look up the ballot access law in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'><a
href="http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Oregon#Political_parties">http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Oregon#Political_parties</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“As of October 2013, there are nine recognized political parties
in <a href="http://ballotpedia.org/Oregon" title=Oregon>Oregon</a>. <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> statutes
distinguish between "major" and "minor" political parties.
A political party is considered "major" if at least five percent of
the number of electors registered in the state are registered as members of the
party no later than the 275th day before the date of a primary election.<sup
id="cite_ref-major_2-0"><a
href="http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Oregon#cite_note-major-2">[2]</a></sup>
Any political party that does not meet this requirement but polled for any one
of its candidates at least one percent of the total votes cast in the last
general election for either President or any single partisan state office to be
voted upon by the state at large is considered a "minor" party.<sup
id="cite_ref-orminor_3-0"><a
href="http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Oregon#cite_note-orminor-3">[3]</a></sup>
Of the nine political parties recognized by the state, only the Republican and
Democratic parties qualified as major political parties for the 2014 elections.<sup
id="cite_ref-4"><a
href="http://ballotpedia.org/Ballot_access_requirements_for_political_candidates_in_Oregon#cite_note-4">[4]</a>”
</sup></span></font><sup><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Although it would not be easy, if the Libertarian Party aggressively
pursues improved ballot access laws over the next 2 years, and we elect several
thousand Libertarians to local, non-partisan offices during that time period,
it is not inconceivable that we could attain 5% of the voter registrations in <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> by Dec 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>Think how that kind of ballot status would increase the actual
and perceived status of the LP in the minds of our members, the media, and the
political establishment.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'> Scott Lieberman<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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