<div dir="ltr">I disagree here. Yes, LPUS has provided money towards ballot access in NY, as is true of many, many states. The states make the requests, and the LNC votes to spend the money. We are free to vote no; we choose instead to vote yes because, presumably, we believe it is in the interest of the LPUS for those states which we fund to have ballot access in the races we fund them for. When a state makes a request for help with ballot access, the state does not submit forevermore to have the LNC control its internal operations. When we vote to approve the money, we don't attach any strings to it or attach an expectation that the state will forevermore agree to pursue a legislative agenda and lobbying efforts put forth by the LNC.<div><br></div><div>The LNC's business is to decide what to do with our money, not to control those who we agree, under no compulsion, to provide money to for pressing needs - needs we clearly believed were pressing and related to the interests of LPUS, else we would not have voted to fund in the first place.</div><div><br></div><div>I do not agree that it is the LNC's business to ensure that affiliates will need the minimum possible amount of support in the future. That's the affiliate's business. The relevant items for us would be to consider PAST activities when a future request comes in, or else to consider attaching specifics to ballot access funding. I am not opposed to these, as a general matter, so long as the latter is applied as broadly and generally as possible - that is, not in a discriminatory way. In fact, I favor both, because we as a board have a responsibility to use other people's money appropriately.</div><div><br></div><div>But we as a board do not buy the right - with other people's money - to decide what a state should pursue by voting to fund ballot access.</div><div><br></div><div>In this particular case, as the alternate of the region involved, I asked Mr. Axinn when this first came out why he believed it to be a threat. I didn't ask so I could judge his answer - that's not my place; if he as state chair believes it is a threat, he will and should take appropriate actions - which we know less about than he does because it's his state, and in which we have less stake because, again, he's the state chair. I asked him why he thought it was a threat so I could start thinking what, if anything, LPUS might be able to do to assist in the actions NY will take. If the board disagrees with those actions, it is free to not assist, but not to direct other actions instead. I also asked to see how I might help, as chair of a neighboring state. </div><div><br></div><div>If members of this board personally want to offer assistance and advice, that's their business - but if the advice is "you're doing it wrong" I believe it should not be offered under color of office. We have several board members with expertise in legislative lobbying who can, I hope, provide Mr. Axinn with advice on how to achieve HIS goals, or possibly advice on a different direction to take. </div><div><br></div><div>I will favor helping NY to take the actions that NY's leadership believes will best position them, not only to retain ballot access in the future, but to win elections. That doesn't mean I'll uncritically vote to always give money whenever asked, but that is a different question from claiming that the LNC has legitimate business deciding what a state should lobby for absent, say, an affiliate agreement allowing for that, or a provision attached to ballot access funding - two things I favor doing, but which we have not done yet.</div><div><br></div><div>Joshua Katz</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Joshua A. Katz<div>Westbrook CT Planning Commission (L in R seat)</div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jan 15, 2015 at 1:21 PM, Scott L. <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:scott73@earthlink.net" target="_blank">scott73@earthlink.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Since he wants you to
see it, I am forwarding the LPNY Chair’s e-mail to the rest of you.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">If the LP of NY was
self-funding all of their ballot access drives, then I would agree with the
LPNY Chair’s comment immediately below.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">However, since most or
all of their ballot access petitions have had substantial financial support
from the National LP, then <b><span style="font-weight:bold">IT IS </span></b>the
LNC’s business to make sure that our affiliates are taking the best possible
actions to minimize their need for financial support from the National LP for
future ballot access drives.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Even if the LPNY is
successful in somehow stopping this new bill, that will not get them any closer
to not needing<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">tens of thousands of dollars
of National LP money every 2 years for the foreseeable future.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><br>
I hope that my fellow LNC members would like to save our National LP members as
much money as possible by helping LPNY lobby for a new ballot access bill that requires
the NY State election ballot to have separate columns for each party that is on
that ballot, and for their vote test to be a more typical 2% or 3% for any statewide
office, and that passing the vote test gives 4 years of ballot access (as it
currently does in NY).<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">As I have mentioned
before, we have 3 LP members who have volunteered to give free advice on
lobbying to our affiliates for situations just like this one.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> Scott Lieberman<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold">From:</span></font></b><font face="Tahoma"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> <u></u>mark axinn<u></u> [mailto:<a href="mailto:markaxinn@hotmail.com" target="_blank">markaxinn@hotmail.com</a>] <br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b> Thursday, January 15, 2015
9:48 AM<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b> Scott Lieberman<br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Cc:</span></b> LP-State Chairs; Arvin Vohra;
Richard Tomasso; <u></u>Vicki Kirkland<u></u>;
William Redpath; Josh Katz; Dan Wiener; Alicia Mattson; Tim Hagen; Norm Olsen;
Jim Lark; Sam Goldstein; Evan McMahon; <u></u>Guy McLendon<u></u><br>
<b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b> RE: Bad ballot access
bill proposed in <u></u><u></u>New York<u></u><u></u></span></font><u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font size="3" color="black" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:black">Scott--</span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
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<font color="black"><span style="color:black">Obviously, I disagree with you, as
does my membership. Please do not tell us how to run things in <u></u><u></u>New York<u></u><u></u> and I promise
not to meddle into the affairs of the California LP.</span></font><br>
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<font color="black"><span style="color:black">Thank you. </span></font><br>
<br>
Mark Axinn<br>
<br>
P.S. Since you sent your message to the LNC and I do not have access to
that list, I am cc'g those members for whom I do have email addresses. I
am sure I am leaving several others out, and of course do so merely because I
don't have their addresses. <u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font size="3" color="black" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font size="3" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Calibri">From: <u></u><a href="mailto:scott73@earthlink.net" target="_blank">scott73@earthlink.net</a><u></u><br>
To: <u></u><a href="mailto:lnc-business@lp.org" target="_blank">lnc-business@lp.org</a><span class=""><u></u><br>
Subject: Bad ballot access bill proposed in <u></u><u></u>New York<u></u><u></u><br></span>
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 06:39:27 -0800<u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class=""><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">“<a href="http://www.ballot-access.org/2015/01/new-york-bill-to-make-definition-of-political-party-more-restrictive/" target="_blank">Ballot Access News</a>: (via IPR)</span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
</span></font></span>New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-Mt. Vernon) has introduced
AB 838. It would alter the definition of “political party” from a group that
got 50,000 votes for Governor, to a group that got 100,000 votes for Governor.
If passed, it would take effect for elections starting in 2016. Thus, it would
remove the <u></u><u></u>Independence<u></u><u></u>,
Women’s Equality, and Stop Common Core Parties from the ballot.”<font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><u></u><u></u></span></font></p><span class="">
<p class="MsoNormal"><cite><b><i><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold"> </span></font></i></b></cite><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><cite><i><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-style:normal">And the Chair of the LPNY commented
on IPR:</span></font></i></cite><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><cite><b><i><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold"> </span></font></i></b></cite><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><cite><b><i><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold"> </span></font></i></b></cite><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><cite><b><i><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold">“Mark Axinn</span></font></i></b></cite><cite><i><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"> </span></font></i></cite><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><a href="http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2015/01/new-york-bill-to-make-definition-of-political-party-more-restrictive/#comment-1069415" target="_blank"><u></u>January 13, 2015 at
7:34 am<u></u></a> <u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
<u></u>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Obviously, if this bill were ever enacted, it would be a disaster for
the Libertarian Party of New York. I urge every New Yorker to contact his/her
local Assemblymember and urge him/her to oppose this Draconian restriction.” <font color="black"><span style="color:black"><u></u><u></u></span></font></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p>
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">Dear fellow LNC members:<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><span class="">
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" face="Calibri"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Calibri"><br>
</span></font><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">I disagree with the Chair of the LPNY. Since the
LPNY has failed the current vote test 10 in a row since 1972, this bill
would be psychologically annoying, but it would not in any way be a
“disaster”. The LPNY has never had semi-permanent ballot access, so they
would not be losing anything.</span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
</span></font><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">If I lived in New York, I would be heavily lobbying to add
to that bill the requirement that the Elections Department change the
ballot layout so that each party on the ballot gets its own column (Row?), and
that <b><span style="font-weight:bold">all</span></b> statewide offices count
for the vote test. And maybe change the vote test from 50,000 votes to 2%
or 3% of the vote for Governor. (1% would be nice, but would probably
fall on deaf ears).</span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
</span></font><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"> </span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
</span></font><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">I suspect there are not enough minor party activists who
care enough to complain, so directly opposing the bill will, IMO, not work.</span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
</span></font><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"> Scott Lieberman</span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
</span></font><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"> </span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
</span></font><font face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana">bcc: Mark Axinn, Richard Winger (bcc to
protect their e-mail addresses from spammers)</span></font><font face="Calibri"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><br>
<br>
</span></font><font color="black" face="Verdana"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><u></u><u></u></span></font></p>
</span></div>
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</div>
<u></u></div>
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<br></blockquote></div><br></div>