<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div>Fair enough.  Thanks for pointing me to that.  I will read over all of those minutes.<br><br></div>Provided what you're pointing me to answers that question then perhaps what we lack is simply documentation organizing these strategies.  I know we have some reports being generated, but a simple mechanism to steer ourselves seems like it would be of value rather than having to sift through minutes.  Still, I'm happy to do it and perhaps will propose a better system at our next LNC meeting.<br><br></div>Thanks again.<br></div>Kevin<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 11:13 AM, Wes Benedict <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
  
    
  
  <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
    The LNC discussed, debated, and adopted specific goals this term,
    not the "implied goals" Mr. Olsen refers to. It was probably before
    you joined the LNC. I realize you joined to replace another member
    that resigned. <br>
    <br>
    They're in at least one of the minutes here:
    <a href="http://www.lp.org/leadership/lnc-meeting-archives" target="_blank">http://www.lp.org/leadership/lnc-meeting-archives</a><br>
    <br>
    You might want to read all of the minutes for this term, because
    they have a lot about ballot access in them, as well as other
    things. <br>
    <br>
    <div>Wes Benedict, Executive Director<br>
      <small><small>Libertarian National Committee, Inc.<br>
          <b>New address: 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314</b><br>
          <a href="tel:%28202%29%20333-0008%20ext.%20232" value="+12023330008" target="_blank">(202) 333-0008 ext. 232</a>, <a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a><br>
          <a href="http://facebook.com/libertarians" target="_blank">facebook.com/libertarians</a> @LPNational<br>
          Join the Libertarian Party at: <a href="http://lp.org/membership" target="_blank">http://lp.org/membership</a></small></small><br>
      <br>
    </div>
    <div>On 12/11/2015 11:59 AM, Kevin Ludlow
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite">
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        <div>
          <div>
            <div>
              <div>Wes,<br>
                <br>
              </div>
              No, I definitely did not know that.  It seems like it
              would be the case as presumably we would get more
              efficient with our efforts over time, but I've not seen
              any data to illustrate that point.<br>
              <br>
            </div>
            In case I've come across poorly, I don't want to seem as if
            I object to the idea or anything like that.  I just want to
            encourage the body to have specifically defined strategic
            goals rather than the "implied goals" that Mr. Olsen was
            referring to.  As an advocate of the devil, while ballot
            access may be cheaper, one could still ask what it's end
            goal is.  I would argue that getting a single person elected
            to a partisan office would have a far greater impact than
            simply allowing others (who will realistically never win an
            election) to run for office through our ballot access
            measures.  I concede one affects the other and am not making
            a case for either, but just illustrating how the strategy
            could differ if it were defined that way.<br>
            <br>
          </div>
          For the time being, I'm delighted to see the party working so
          hard to help Oklahoma, am totally behind the effort, and hope
          that it provides the party with a big morale boost and helps
          boost the party throughout the state.<br>
          <br>
        </div>
        -Kevin Ludlow<br>
      </div>
      <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
        <div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 10:24 AM, Wes
          Benedict <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>></span>
          wrote:<br>
          <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
            <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"> Kevin, did you know
              that ballot access has gotten easier and cheaper, year
              after year, as a result of our decades of sustainable
              efforts?<br>
              <br>
              <div>Wes Benedict, Executive Director<br>
                <small><small>Libertarian National Committee, Inc.<span><br>
                      <b>New address: 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA
                        22314</b><br>
                      <a href="tel:%28202%29%20333-0008%20ext.%20232" value="+12023330008" target="_blank">(202)
                        333-0008 ext. 232</a>, <a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank"></a><a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a><br>
                      <a href="http://facebook.com/libertarians" target="_blank">facebook.com/libertarians</a>
                      @LPNational<br>
                      Join the Libertarian Party at: <a href="http://lp.org/membership" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://lp.org/membership" target="_blank">http://lp.org/membership</a></span></small></small><br>
                <br>
              </div>
              <div>
                <div>
                  <div>On 12/10/2015 10:57 PM, Kevin Ludlow wrote:<br>
                  </div>
                  <blockquote type="cite">
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                      <div>
                        <div>
                          <div>
                            <div>
                              <div>
                                <div>
                                  <div>I appreciate the variety of
                                    voices responding to my questions. 
                                    And to Mr. Olsen, 6 paragraphs were
                                    most certainly welcome :)<br>
                                    <br>
                                  </div>
                                  I apologize for not being on the call
                                  on Monday.  Unfortunately work does
                                  occasionally take precedent over my
                                  extra-curricular activities -
                                  political or otherwise.  I was also
                                  fairly confident the vote would pass
                                  and of course it did.  So regardless
                                  of anyone's position on the matter,
                                  here we are.<br>
                                  <br>
                                </div>
                                The gist of what I was getting at was
                                simply to have the cost/benefits
                                explained to me.  Mr. Tomaso nailed one
                                simply by citing the overall morale
                                boost that ballot access provides. 
                                While perhaps difficult to measure,
                                there is no doubt relevance to the
                                claim.  Mr. Olsen, however, adds a tick
                                to the "con" side in that he cites the
                                difficulties with the sustainability of
                                ballot access.<br>
                                <br>
                              </div>
                              In most any business model one would
                              likely be advised to stray AWAY from
                              something that is unsustainable.  It
                              becomes difficult to predict costs, there
                              is always an element of being
                              unsuccessful, and meanwhile there exist
                              goals that actually ARE sustainable should
                              one direct their effort that way.<br>
                              <br>
                            </div>
                            Perhaps I'm still just too new, but it
                            simply struck me that I could not really
                            weigh the cost/benefits of the financial
                            decision we were about to make in any
                            practical way.  I have since been informed
                            of 1 or 2 costs and 1 or 2 benefits, but it
                            still seems the Libertarian party should
                            really be making decisions almost
                            exclusively upon this kind of analysis and
                            having a specifically defined strategy
                            rather than an implied one as Mr. Olsen
                            points out.<br>
                            <br>
                          </div>
                          Anyway, thank you all for listening and for
                          responding to my questions / concerns.  I
                          appreciate your time.<br>
                          <br>
                        </div>
                        -Kevin Ludlow<br>
                      </div>
                      Region 7<br>
                      <div>
                        <div>
                          <div><br>
                               <br>
                          </div>
                        </div>
                      </div>
                    </div>
                    <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
                      <div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at
                        2:44 PM, Scott L. <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:scott73@earthlink.net" target="_blank"></a><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">
                          <div link="blue" vlink="purple" lang="EN-US">
                            <div>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">I
                                    am very glad that the Regional
                                    Representative from Colorado is
                                    asking us to look at and evaluate “</span></font><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">This implied
                                    goal, or objective if you prefer, is
                                    50+ state ballot access for the
                                    Libertarian party</span></font><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">.”</span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Unfortunately,

                                    now is not a good time for a
                                    full-blown analysis of the issues
                                    that the Regional Representative is
                                    asking us to look at.</span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">We

                                    are only 6 months away from the end
                                    of our LNC term, and only 6 months
                                    away from the beginning of the
                                    General Election portion of the 4
                                    year Presidential Election Cycle.  I
                                    think we have a moral commitment to
                                    our members to maximize the number
                                    of states that the <b><span style="font-weight:bold">2016 </span></b>Libertarian

                                    Presidential Nominee is on the
                                    ballot, obviously constrained by how
                                    much money we have available to pay
                                    for signatures.</span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">However

                                    – the next LNC <b><span style="font-weight:bold">should
                                      </span></b>start discussing the
                                    topic of ballot access at their very
                                    first full-weekend meeting of the
                                    next LNC term.  That way, they have
                                    at least 6 months before they even
                                    have to begin collecting signatures
                                    to get a candidate on the ballot for
                                    vote test purposes for the Nov. 2017
                                    elections (VA, NJ, and a couple of
                                    others).</span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">That

                                    being said, I disagree with the
                                    Regional Representative’s statement
                                    that “</span></font><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">Since

                                    specific strategies and or
                                    objectives have not been
                                    established, the vacuum is filled
                                    with the implied objective of
                                    achieving 50+ state ballot access. 
                                    While a noble and legitimately
                                    political objective, it suffers from
                                    several problems;  the most
                                    significant of which is the problem
                                    of being unachievable on a
                                    permanent, or even semi-permanent,
                                    basis .”</span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">The

                                    Republican and Democrat Parties have
                                    permanent ballot status, because
                                    they understand that if they removed
                                    ballot access for the other major
                                    party in even one state, that
                                    “accomplishment” could be turned
                                    into a nationwide scandal.  But
                                    until the LP becomes a major party
                                    (1) the  Libertarian Party will not
                                    have “permanent” ballot access in
                                    any state.</span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"><br>
                                    However, we CAN achieve
                                    semi-permanent ballot access in 50
                                    states, or darn close to that
                                    number.  To do that, the LNC needs
                                    to stop focusing on October ballot
                                    access, and instead focus on
                                    December ballot access.  That
                                    probably means sacrificing ballot
                                    access in a few states BEFORE an
                                    election in an even-numbered year,
                                    and using the money saved to lobby
                                    or sue for lower vote tests in
                                    states that have ridiculously high
                                    vote tests (Alabama and Connecticut
                                    come to mind).</span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">    
Scott

                                    Lieberman</span></font><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"></span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">1. 

                                    Defined by the FEC, for example, as
                                    receiving 25% of the vote for
                                    President</span></font><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"></span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                              <div>
                                <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">
                                      <hr align="center" size="2" width="100%"> </span></font></div>
                                <p class="MsoNormal"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold">From:</span></font></b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">
                                      Lnc-business [mailto:<a href="mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org" target="_blank"></a><a href="mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org" target="_blank">lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org</a>]
                                      <b><span style="font-weight:bold">On

                                          Behalf Of </span></b>Norm
                                      Olsen<br>
                                      <b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b>
                                      Monday, December 07, 2015 11:50 AM</span></font></p>
                                <div>
                                  <div><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><br>
                                      <b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b>
                                      <a href="mailto:lnc-business@hq.lp.org" target="_blank">lnc-business@hq.lp.org</a><br>
                                      <b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b>
                                      Re: [Lnc-business] report on
                                      Oklahoma visit</font></div>
                                </div>
                              </div>
                              <div>
                                <div>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">Hello Kevin .
                                        . .</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">>></span></font>
                                    why we should be focusing so many
                                    efforts on Oklahoma?<font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"></span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">I’d like to
                                        take a shot at answering your
                                        question.  I have been asking
                                        similar questions for five years
                                        now.  I could write a book in
                                        response.  But alas; you ask for
                                        a paragraph.  And a short one at
                                        that.  Would I be unreasonable
                                        to supply five or six
                                        paragraphs?</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">The LNC does
                                        not have a specifically defined
                                        strategy; nor does it have a
                                        stated set of objectives.  The
                                        indisputable result is that it
                                        does not have a list of tactics
                                        (i.e. well defined activities)
                                        to pursue to achieve any of
                                        these undefined objectives. 
                                        While attempts have been made, I
                                        am unaware of any meeting that
                                        has established such
                                        strategies/objectives or any
                                        writing in the bylaws or policy
                                        manual that establishes such. 
                                        (The policy manual lists a set
                                        of “core activities”, but that’s
                                        about it.)</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">Nevertheless,
                                        the LNC is not totally
                                        rudderless.  There exists an
                                        implied basic goal and implied
                                        tactics to achieve the implied
                                        goal.  I became aware of this
                                        implied goal (although I did not
                                        immediately recognize the
                                        significance of it) at my very
                                        first LNC meeting in November of
                                        2010 in New Orleans.  At that
                                        meeting, the following motion
                                        was adopted:</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><i><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d;font-style:italic"><a href="https://www.lp.org/files/2010-11-20-LNCMeetingMinutes-NewOrleans.pdf" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.lp.org/files/2010-11-20-LNCMeetingMinutes-NewOrleans.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.lp.org/files/2010-11-20-LNCMeetingMinutes-NewOrleans.pdf</a></span></font></i><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> 
                                        (printed page 17, .pdf page 17):</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><font face="Century Schoolbook" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span>.
                                        . . moved to authorize the
                                        Executive Committee to encumber
                                        expenses for ballot access,</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><font face="Century Schoolbook" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span>notwithstanding

                                        the provisions of section 1.05
                                        of the Policy Manual, for the
                                        year 2011.</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="1"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">[Section 1.05
                                        of the Policy Manual is that
                                        section which limits Executive
                                        Committee encumbrances to that
                                        which has been budgeted.]</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">This motion
                                        was made, seconded, <b><span style="font-weight:bold">and
                                            the question called</span></b>
                                        in a time frame of about 35
                                        seconds.  It was approved by a
                                        11-1 roll call vote.  This
                                        implied goal has been
                                        recertified, implicitly, in
                                        every budget resolution pass by
                                        the LNC in the last 5 years. 
                                        The Ballot Access Petitioning
                                        Expense line typically receives
                                        65% to 85% of the budgeted
                                        discretion funds in each year. 
                                        You participated in the budget
                                        discussions of the 2016 budget
                                        where Ballot Access Petitioning
                                        Expense was allocated 70% of the
                                        funds available for allocation
                                        among the Policy Manual’s “core
                                        activities”.</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">This implied
                                        goal, or objective if you
                                        prefer, is 50+ state ballot
                                        access for the Libertarian
                                        party, with some added emphasis
                                        on Presidential elections.  On
                                        the surface, this appears to be
                                        a noteworthy objective. 
                                        However, it has been adopted
                                        implicitly rather than
                                        explicitly.  That is why the
                                        question you asked comes up from
                                        time to time.  Gaining ballot
                                        access in all 50 states is the
                                        primary focus of the LNC, and
                                        remains a primary focus in
                                        fundraising efforts.  (It’s hard
                                        to raise funds to purchase
                                        office supplies, much easier to
                                        raise funds for ballot access.) 
                                        And so, given the improved
                                        chance to gain ballot access in
                                        Oklahoma, even if it is for a
                                        single election cycle, it is not
                                        surprising that the effort is
                                        getting a large share of our
                                        attention and resources.  Given
                                        that this has been the primary
                                        focus of what the LNC does, and
                                        has been doing for at least two
                                        (if not four) decades, it is
                                        something we must demonstrate
                                        success at or we begin to lose
                                        the respect of our members and
                                        donors.</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">That answers
                                        the primary question, but the
                                        leaves the follow up questions
                                        begging for an answer.</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">Since
                                        specific strategies and or
                                        objectives have not been
                                        established, the vacuum is
                                        filled with the implied
                                        objective of achieving 50+ state
                                        ballot access.  While a noble
                                        and legitimately political
                                        objective, it suffers from
                                        several problems;  the most
                                        significant of which is the
                                        problem of being unachievable on
                                        a permanent, or even
                                        semi-permanent, basis .  Thus,
                                        the LNC has a single
                                        overpowering objective which is
                                        absorbs most all of its
                                        resources to achieve, and
                                        continued consumption of these
                                        resources to maintain to the
                                        degree achieved.  In other
                                        words, a pleasant way of saying
                                        an enormous, perpetual, drain on
                                        resources which precludes most
                                        all other possible uses of
                                        financial resources.</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">I have been
                                        suggesting for some time now
                                        that expending most all of our
                                        discretionary funds on ballot
                                        access petitioning may not be
                                        the best use of the financial
                                        resources entrusted to us by our
                                        members and donors.  For that, I
                                        have been unofficially dubbed
                                        the “nattering nabob of
                                        negativity” of the Libertarian
                                        Party.  However, things are
                                        looking up.  Thanks to efforts
                                        of the Chair and Executive
                                        Director, the 2016 budget
                                        includes $45,000 for Affiliate
                                        Support, up 4,500% from where it
                                        was in 2014.  Our Affiliate
                                        Support Specialist contractor
                                        appears to have made more
                                        progress in just three months
                                        than the LNC has in the previous
                                        six years (since the formation
                                        of the Affiliate Support
                                        Committee).  I look forward to
                                        the time when the “core
                                        activities” other than the
                                        Ballot Access Petitioning
                                        activity are allotted equivalent
                                        amounts of the financial
                                        resources entrusted to us.  At
                                        that time, the primary question
                                        and the follow up questions will
                                        both, hopefully, be moot.</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">We have
                                        ballot access in 28 states; and
                                        ballot access is reasonable
                                        (e.g. ~1,000 signatures) in
                                        another 10 states.  The low
                                        hanging fruit in the ballot
                                        access arena has been picked. 
                                        It’s time to start producing
                                        political success in the 38
                                        states where we have ballot
                                        access or can reasonable obtain
                                        such.</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">Norm</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">--</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">Norman T
                                        Olsen</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">Regional
                                        Representative, Region 1</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">Libertarian
                                        National Committee</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">7931 South
                                        Broadway, PMB 102</span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">Littleton</span></font><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d">,
                                        CO  80122-2710</span></font><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"></span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"><a href="tel:303-263-4995" value="+13032634995" target="_blank">303-263-4995</a></span></font></p>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri" color="#1f497d" size="2"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri;color:#1f497d"> </span></font></p>
                                  <div style="border:none;border-top:solid #b5c4df 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
                                    <p class="MsoNormal"><b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold">From:</span></font></b><font face="Tahoma" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">
                                          Lnc-business [mailto:<a href="mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org" target="_blank"></a><a href="mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org" target="_blank">lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org</a>]
                                          <b><span style="font-weight:bold">On

                                              Behalf Of </span></b>Kevin
                                          Ludlow<br>
                                          <b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b>
                                          Wednesday, December 02, 2015
                                          2:21 PM<br>
                                          <b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b>
                                          <a href="mailto:lnc-business@hq.lp.org" target="_blank">lnc-business@hq.lp.org</a><br>
                                          <b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b>
                                          Re: [Lnc-business] report on
                                          Oklahoma visit</span></font></p>
                                  </div>
                                  <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></font></p>
                                </div>
                              </div>
                              <div>
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                                    <div>
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                                                        <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Wes,</span></font></p>
                                                      </div>
                                                      <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Thank you for this update.  </span></font></p>
                                                    </div>
                                                    <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I would like to make a request of the LNC
                                                          body.  Is
                                                          there a member
                                                          that could, in
                                                          a short
                                                          paragraph or
                                                          less, explain
                                                          why we should
                                                          be focusing so
                                                          many efforts
                                                          on Oklahoma? 
                                                          As the
                                                          Region-7 rep I
                                                          find myself in
                                                          an interesting
                                                          position with
                                                          this issue. 
                                                          On the one
                                                          hand I am
                                                          biased to see
                                                          Oklahoma get
                                                          additional
                                                          resources, but
                                                          on the other
                                                          hand I am a
                                                          practical
                                                          business
                                                          person who
                                                          sees numerous
                                                          flaws with
                                                          pouring money
                                                          into this.</span></font></p>
                                                  </div>
                                                  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times New
                                                      Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Do
                                                        we want ballot
                                                        access across
                                                        the country?  Of
                                                        course!  This
                                                        doesn't even
                                                        need to be
                                                        discussed.  But
                                                        at what cost are
                                                        we willing to
                                                        attain that
                                                        goal?</span></font></p>
                                                </div>
                                                <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times
                                                    New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">What
                                                      is the actual
                                                      downside of us
                                                      losing Oklahoma
                                                      ballot access?  I
                                                      don't fully
                                                      understand the
                                                      loss would affects
                                                      others running in
                                                      the state, but
                                                      even if it
                                                      entirely prevented
                                                      their own
                                                      candidacy, how
                                                      much do we lose
                                                      with that?  This
                                                      isn't meant to be
                                                      antagonistic, but
                                                      rather something
                                                      the LNC should be
                                                      tasked with
                                                      carefully
                                                      analyzing.  There
                                                      was a lot of
                                                      conversation that
                                                      it hurts our brand
                                                      in Oklahoma (a
                                                      similar argument
                                                      was used in
                                                      Oregon).  No doubt
                                                      this is true, but
                                                      in Oklahoma
                                                      specifically, by
                                                      how much does it
                                                      hurt us?  Do we
                                                      raise an
                                                      exorbitant amount
                                                      of money in OK
                                                      each year that we
                                                      might not see in
                                                      2016 if we cut our
                                                      losses?  </span></font></p>
                                              </div>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times
                                                  New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I
                                                    will refer back to a
                                                    point I've made
                                                    before.  Would any
                                                    of you personally
                                                    spend tends of
                                                    thousands of dollars
                                                    of your own money on
                                                    this cause?  I
                                                    remain extremely
                                                    frustrated we
                                                    couldn't even get
                                                    our own body to
                                                    commit to $50 /
                                                    month as top
                                                    representatives of
                                                    the Libertarian
                                                    Party and yet here
                                                    we are cavalierly
                                                    about to discuss
                                                    whether to spend
                                                    $10s of thousands of
                                                    additional dollars
                                                    on a cause which by
                                                    all accounts we
                                                    simply may not
                                                    succeed in.  I feel
                                                    very strongly this
                                                    is the kind of
                                                    difficult decision
                                                    the LNC **should**
                                                    have to make and it
                                                    strikes me that we
                                                    haven't really
                                                    analyzed the
                                                    cost/benefits of
                                                    it.  Rather we
                                                    relying upon the
                                                    notion of: "we
                                                    believe in ourselves
                                                    so let's pour more
                                                    money into this." 
                                                    ...a la every
                                                    government pep-talk
                                                    ever.</span></font></p>
                                            </div>
                                            <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times New
                                                Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I
                                                  will also concede that
                                                  I fully appreciate and
                                                  understand the
                                                  position the party
                                                  (specifically the
                                                  Chair) is in for
                                                  having raised certain
                                                  monies specifically
                                                  tied to us making this
                                                  effort.  I do get
                                                  that.  But I'm merely
                                                  wanting us to consider
                                                  how much more useful
                                                  that money could
                                                  possibly be in other
                                                  areas.  Are we not a
                                                  political party? 
                                                  Could we not politick
                                                  donors into
                                                  understanding WHY the
                                                  money they donated was
                                                  ultimately moved to a
                                                  different state
                                                  cause?  Since everyone
                                                  is a philosopher here,
                                                  there is very basic
                                                  Aristotelian logic at
                                                  play here regarding
                                                  donation
                                                  distribution.  In the
                                                  famed question, "There
                                                  is a surplus of
                                                  flutes, to whom do
                                                  they go?", they go to
                                                  the flutists as those
                                                  are the only people
                                                  who can use them.  My
                                                  point being that there
                                                  is simply no sense in
                                                  us pouring money into
                                                  a cause we cannot win
                                                  when that money could
                                                  be given to
                                                  states/people who can
                                                  actually improve the
                                                  overall results of our
                                                  Party - rather than
                                                  MAYBE catch us up to
                                                  the status quo.</span></font></p>
                                          </div>
                                          <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times New
                                              Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">So
                                                to conclude, I am in no
                                                way saying we SHOULD cut
                                                our losses.  But I would
                                                really like somebody to
                                                quantify for me
                                                specifically what we
                                                lose (objectively) if we
                                                don't chase this goal. 
                                                Or for that matter if we
                                                chase it and fail.  I am
                                                asking that because I
                                                believe the "goal" right
                                                now is far too broad; of
                                                course we all want
                                                ballot access.  I want
                                                to know if what we would
                                                lose is tolerable to the
                                                body.  That question
                                                seems far more relevant
                                                in the decision process.</span></font></p>
                                        </div>
                                        <div>
                                          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                              Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Please
                                                feel free to
                                                email/call/text me any
                                                time of day at <a href="tel:512-773-3968" value="+15127733968" target="_blank">512-773-3968</a>
                                                with any questions /
                                                comments.</span></font></p>
                                        </div>
                                        <div>
                                          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                              Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></font></p>
                                        </div>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Thank
                                              you much for your time.</span></font></p>
                                      </div>
                                      <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                          Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Kevin

                                            Ludlow</span></font></p>
                                    </div>
                                    <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Region

                                          7 <br>
                                          <a href="tel:512-773-3968" value="+15127733968" target="_blank">512-773-3968</a></span></font></p>
                                  </div>
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                                        <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black"> </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Verdana" color="black" size="2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black">BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB</span></font></p>
                                      </div>
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                                <div>
                                  <div>
                                    <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></font></p>
                                    <div>
                                      <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                          Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">On
                                            Wed, Dec 2, 2015 at 2:47 PM,
                                            Wes Benedict <<a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank"></a><a href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org" target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>>

                                            wrote:</span></font></p>
                                      <div>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> I
                                              went to Oklahoma for two
                                              reasons: first, to help
                                              with the petition drive,
                                              but second, to get a
                                              closer look so I could
                                              decide if I thought we
                                              should just shut it down.
                                              We are spending about
                                              $2,500 a week there, and
                                              we're about to double that
                                              rate, so if we are going
                                              to cut our losses and end
                                              it, the sooner the better.</span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">My
                                              bottom line report to the
                                              LNC executive committee is
                                              that I'm confident we can
                                              ramp up our signature
                                              collection rate enough to
                                              finish the drive before
                                              the March 1 deadline, but
                                              we are going to have to
                                              exceed the $65,000 budget
                                              for Oklahoma by $15,000 to
                                              $25,000 to finish the
                                              drive.</span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I'm

                                              recommending we try to
                                              finish the drive, but it
                                              wouldn't be so
                                              unreasonable to end it now
                                              if that's what you decide
                                              to do. Things have gone
                                              worse than we had
                                              originally planned. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">We
                                              initially hoped that we
                                              could do this drive for $2
                                              per signature and that we
                                              could finish it by early
                                              fall. Recent petition
                                              drives in places like
                                              Arkansas have gone well,
                                              and with stories of
                                              petitioners fighting over
                                              turf and demanding the
                                              opportunity to work for us
                                              in some places, it seemed
                                              like we might actually be
                                              exceeding the market rate
                                              for signatures in some
                                              cases.</span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">But
                                              things have been harder
                                              than expected in
                                              Oklahoma.  On October 27,
                                              we raised the rate in
                                              Oklahoma from $2 to $2.50
                                              per signature, and even at
                                              that higher rate, finding
                                              enough people to work has
                                              been a challenge. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Before
                                              we started the Oklahoma
                                              drive, stalwart
                                              libertarian petitioner
                                              Andy Jacobs warned us that
                                              petition drives for
                                              initiatives in other
                                              states in the fall would
                                              be competing with us for
                                              workers and would drive up
                                              our costs, so we needed to
                                              get it done over the
                                              summer. Unfortunately, we
                                              didn't start until the end
                                              of the summer.  And while
                                              Andy did good work for us
                                              in Oklahoma for several
                                              weeks, he, as well as
                                              other petitioners, have
                                              indeed left Oklahoma for
                                              the higher paying
                                              non-Libertarian Party
                                              Petition work in other
                                              states that he warned us
                                              about. Although Andy is
                                              out of Oklahoma now, he
                                              does continue to stay
                                              interested in our progress
                                              and has been generous with
                                              suggestions for
                                              improvement. I'm sure he'd
                                              be happy to share his
                                              thoughts on our Oklahoma
                                              effort with any of you
                                              directly if you reach out
                                              to him. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">One
                                              suggestion from Andy is
                                              that we should pay more to
                                              entice petitioners back
                                              and possibly even pay $5
                                              per signature for door to
                                              door petitioning. Our
                                              petitioners have had hard
                                              times finding good
                                              locations with lots of the
                                              kind of foot traffic that
                                              makes for productive
                                              petitioning. Door-to-door
                                              petitioning can give very
                                              high validity signatures,
                                              so the $5/signature rate
                                              for 100% validity is not
                                              so far off from $2.50 per
                                              signature for around 65%
                                              validity.  </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">In
                                              hind sight, I wish we had
                                              started this drive
                                              earlier. But I don't think
                                              right now we need to offer
                                              a higher pay rate (not
                                              that we could afford it,
                                              anyway). Instead, we need
                                              to focus on recruiting
                                              more petitioners, and we
                                              are already seeing success
                                              from that. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Projections

                                              I've sent to Bill Redpath
                                              and Nick Sarwark show that
                                              with the new workers we've
                                              already recruited, we will
                                              likely finish the drive on
                                              time. But we also have
                                              several more petitioners
                                              saying they will probably
                                              be here soon to help, and
                                              if just a couple of those
                                              pan out, we could finish
                                              in January. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I've
                                              heard lots of complaints
                                              from petitioners that it's
                                              been very hard to find
                                              good locations in Oklahoma
                                              to collect signatures.
                                              Petitioners have told us
                                              the grocery stores won't
                                              let them petition, public
                                              places like universities
                                              and festival grounds have
                                              been hostile, and the
                                              Oklahoma Driver's
                                              licensing places are too
                                              numerous to have
                                              significant people at any
                                              single location. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">My
                                              uncle lives in Oklahoma
                                              City. I visited him
                                              Saturday night briefly and
                                              was surprised when he told
                                              me he had seen petitioners
                                              lately at the grocery and
                                              post office and he assumed
                                              they were ours. I asked
                                              him exactly which
                                              locations because I
                                              wondered about the
                                              conflicting reports. He
                                              specified by name the
                                              Crest grocery, Buy For
                                              Less grocery, and post
                                              office near his home. I
                                              had hoped to find time to
                                              visit those stores myself
                                              to ask why they might be
                                              letting petitioners for
                                              other efforts work there
                                              but not libertarians
                                              (assuming that was the
                                              case).  </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I
                                              didn't find time for that,
                                              but LPOK vice chair Tina
                                              Kelly has since told me
                                              that even she had been
                                              personally told by those
                                              chains she couldn't
                                              petition there, only to
                                              find out later that one of
                                              the petitioners she
                                              recruited somehow did get
                                              permission at a location
                                              of both chains. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I
                                              think some of our stalwart
                                              petitioners like Andy are
                                              used to finding locations
                                              where they occasionally
                                              hit the jackpot and
                                              collect over 500
                                              signatures on a single
                                              day. That makes up for the
                                              more common slow days.
                                              Petitioners who come from
                                              out of town usually have
                                              transportation and motel
                                              expenses they pay out of
                                              pocket. Locals don't have
                                              the travel overhead and we
                                              are getting a few locals
                                              working. They may be
                                              slower than someone like
                                              Andy, but they can go
                                              slower and still make the
                                              economics work. Locals can
                                              spend more time asking for
                                              permission at more places
                                              and can afford to get
                                              chased away from more
                                              locations. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I
                                              personally saw the entire
                                              batch of petition forms.
                                              That was reassuring. In
                                              fact I pulled an
                                              all-nighter Monday and
                                              scanned all 2,000 sheets
                                              in case we need help
                                              remotely with validation,
                                              and because while often
                                              hearing anecdotes of
                                              certain petitioners
                                              routinely getting better
                                              validity than others, I
                                              wanted the opportunity to
                                              see for myself. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">LP
                                              vice chair Tina Kelly has
                                              been indispensable to this
                                              drive. Petitioners turn in
                                              signatures to her, she
                                              gives us the counts, we
                                              wire funds, she writes
                                              checks, and pays the
                                              petitioners. She also
                                              visits with the elections
                                              authorities to find out
                                              important rules and
                                              procedures for our
                                              petition drive. She has
                                              worked to get cooperation
                                              from a couple single-issue
                                              groups doing ballot
                                              initiatives. Although
                                              results from those
                                              cooperation efforts have
                                              been lower than hoped,
                                              we’ve gotten a couple
                                              thousand signatures from
                                              the cooperation.  </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">Tina's
                                              son recently put the
                                              Oklahoma registered voter
                                              database online in a
                                              searchable format to
                                              assist with validity
                                              checking. That will be
                                              hugely helpful. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">While
                                              Tina has done lots of
                                              work, it's hard for one
                                              person to do all that she
                                              does plus respond to all
                                              the complaints from
                                              current petitioners and
                                              inquiries from prospective
                                              petitioners, not to
                                              mention answering frequent
                                              questions about progress
                                              from Bill Redpath and me.
                                              We recently decided to
                                              have Paul Frankel help
                                              with some of the local
                                              management assistance. I
                                              had gone to Oklahoma with
                                              the expectation that I
                                              might recommend removing
                                              Paul to save money, but
                                              right now I think we
                                              should keep him at least
                                              for a month to make sure
                                              new petitioners have
                                              someone they can reach
                                              quickly any time of day.
                                              Later we can reevaluate
                                              the cost of having him
                                              there. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> Tina
                                              invited me and the LPOK
                                              officers and activists to
                                              a nice restaurant Tuesday
                                              night. I asked who would
                                              be a candidate if we got
                                              ballot access. Out of
                                              about ten people, at least
                                              3 indicated interest,
                                              including one who was
                                              against attempting this
                                              daunting petition drive
                                              originally (because it’s
                                              so much work), but would
                                              run if we made it. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I
                                              told the prospect who
                                              might be interested in US
                                              Senate I'd give $200
                                              towards the $1,000 filing
                                              fee if he runs in 2016,
                                              and someone else quickly
                                              offered another $200. I
                                              think we’ll get several
                                              people to run for office
                                              in addition to having our
                                              candidate for President on
                                              the ballot if we get
                                              ballot access.</span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">(My
                                              plane, where I'm writing
                                              most of this note, just
                                              landed in DC. Final
                                              thoughts below from the
                                              office.)</span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I’m
                                              not counting on legal help
                                              to make a difference in
                                              time for us. However, if
                                              our counsel or the
                                              Oklahoma ACLU is
                                              successful in time, of
                                              course that might make
                                              things easier. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I’m
                                              also mindful of keeping
                                              alive the dream for 50
                                              state ballot access, and
                                              the negative impact giving
                                              up in Oklahoma now might
                                              have.</span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">A
                                              Libertarian from Austin,
                                              Texas, Michael Chastain,
                                              donated $4,000 last week
                                              to help the Oklahoma
                                              petition drive. That’s in
                                              addition to the five
                                              thousand or so we raised
                                              online recently: </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/serious-help-needed-for-oklahoma-petition-drive" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/serious-help-needed-for-oklahoma-petition-drive" target="_blank">http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/serious-help-needed-for-oklahoma-petition-drive</a></span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I
                                              rushed out to Oklahoma
                                              Saturday partly so I could
                                              be back in the office
                                              Wednesday to meet Mr.
                                              Chastain in person (he was
                                              visiting the D.C. area and
                                              was interested in visiting
                                              the headquarters
                                              today--Wednesday).</span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">I’ll
                                              have more good news about
                                              support from Mr. Chastain
                                              soon. </span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">The
                                              LNC-EC is schedule to meet
                                              Monday 12/7/2015, to
                                              decide whether or not to
                                              continue the LPOK drive.
                                              I’m sending this info to
                                              all of you know in case
                                              you’d like more
                                              information before that
                                              meeting.</span></font></p>
                                        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New
                                            Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">cc'ing
                                              Richard Winger.</span></font></p>
                                        <div>
                                          <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font face="Times New
                                              Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">--
                                                <br>
                                                Wes Benedict, Executive
                                                Director<br>
                                              </span></font><font size="1"><span style="font-size:7.5pt">Libertarian

                                                National Committee, Inc.</span></font>
                                          </p>
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                                              <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times
                                                  New Roman" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"> </span></font></p>
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                          <br>
_______________________________________________<br>
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                          <br>
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                      <br>
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                      <br>
                      -- <br>
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                        <div dir="ltr">
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                            <div dir="ltr">
                              <div>========================================================<br>
                                Kevin Ludlow<br>
                                <a href="tel:512-773-3968" value="+15127733968" target="_blank">512-773-3968</a><br>
                              </div>
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                    <br>
                    <pre>_______________________________________________
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</pre>
                  </blockquote>
                  <br>
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        <br>
        <br clear="all"><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">
        <br>
        -- <br>
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          <div dir="ltr">
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              <div dir="ltr">
                <div>========================================================<br>
                  Kevin Ludlow<br>
                  <a href="tel:512-773-3968" value="+15127733968" target="_blank">512-773-3968</a><br>
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      <br>
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      <br>
      <pre>_______________________________________________
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</pre>
    </font></span></blockquote>
    <br>
  </div>

<br>_______________________________________________<br>
Lnc-business mailing list<br>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>========================================================<br>Kevin Ludlow<br>512-773-3968<br></div><div><a href="http://www.kevinludlow.com" target="_blank">http://www.kevinludlow.com</a><br></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div>
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