<div dir="ltr"><div><div>While the conversation has been sidetracked a bit, I would just like to say that I largely concur with Mr. Katz here. It's an obvious shortcoming of the Libertarian Party from anyone who is outside of it. I had about 30 young people work on my 2014 campaign. All have expressed an interest in continuing to work with me. Only 2-3 have expressed an interest in continuing to work with the LP. Why is that?<br><br></div>While I worked incredibly hard in my 2014 Texas House run, I was (and remained) greatly concerned that I became viewed as a top-tier candidate in the state. I was seen as an campaign expert simply because I raised money, arranged a team, ran complex analytics, frequently got published, had highway billboards, successful ad campaigns, etc. It's flattering, yes, but it also paints a horrible picture of the party in general. I had no previous campaign experience - zero - and did not get anywhere close to winning my race. My point being that one should not be considered an expert simply because they perform the bare minimum of what any campaign should do. And yet I still hear it frequently.<br><br>I write this to illustrate that Mr. Katz's point about "building a bench" rings very true to me.<br><br></div><div>When I ask about our strategies, I am directly referring to creating long-term goals that groom candidates for actual campaign success in the future. We should NOT praise candidates who raise $10k. Instead we should fire ones who do not. I bring this same attitude into the LNC and will continue to vote in a direction that helps us pursue that goal. If we cannot improve our base line, then really, what is the purpose of the Libertarian Party? There are countless activism groups out there, none of whom are restricted by silly campaign laws for their operation. If the purpose is not to win elections, then I fail to see the benefit of the party. Apparently that's debatable, though I really fail to see how.<br><br></div><div>Towards minimal standards, I refer back yet again to the Give or Get conversation that took place. It was immediately pointed out to me that the very mention of "Give or Get" has bad blood associated with it. As if one's personal feelings have relevance to the political machine. If a member can neither afford $600 over a 12 month period nor figure out how to raise $600, then I fail to see the value of said member. I realize it's a harsh opinion to this group, but it really should not be considered harsh in any way. The other two parties are certainly not sending us their sympathies for our shortcomings and some of these shortcomings are rather obvious.<br><br></div><div>Apologies for sounding ranty. It seemed appropriate given the conversation.<br></div><div><br></div><div>-Kevin Ludlow<br></div><div>Region 7<br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 12:26 PM, Joshua Katz <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:planning4liberty@gmail.com" target="_blank">planning4liberty@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Sure, if anyone literally believed that electing one person to office was this party's highest goal, we wouldn't even need to go recruit someone to run in some small town - we've already done that many hundreds of times, so we could just shut our doors. But that's not what anyone I've ever met believes. Lots of us believe, on the other hand, that a political party is an organization that works to elect candidates to office in the pursuit of certain larger goals, and that the unique contribution of the LP to the liberty world is its ability to engage in the hard, frustrating, but ultimately rewarding work of governing - first by electing people to office, and next by their actions in office - actions which will cut back the size and scope of government, producing a freer, happier, more prosperous society.<div><br></div><div>A lot of us further believe in the importance of a political party building a farm team system to train its candidates as they move up the ranks of governance - both to produce better candidates and to produce officeholders who will be more effective at furthering libertarian objectives. I can tell you that, when I was in high school, I happened to know a man whose brother in law was getting involved in politics. When I heard that, I naively asked "oh, what's he running for?" This gentleman looked at me like I was crazy and said "they're grooming him - in 2 years they think they'll be ready to run for school board." This man happened to be a Yale educated attorney who practiced education law, was quite wealthy, and was pretty well-known. I compare that to a system which doesn't build a bench, and instead goes looking for new blood, untrained and untested, to run for Congress, and I see an issue.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course, we work with what we have - but we also strive to have more. I am of the opinion that we'd be in a very different place right now if, 40 years ago, we had focused on building the bench. But we've spent, in my opinion, too much time and treasure on "get free quick" schemes. Like a get rich quick scheme, if these pay off, that's great, but they usually don't - and when they don't, you end up no further ahead than you were at the start. I can't do anything about that, but I can influence what we do now, as we all can.</div><div><br></div><div>Of course, I agree with the Executive Director that I can do that - I agree so much that I went and did it and got myself elected to office. Some affiliates have, in the past, devoted large efforts to doing so, with good results - such as California, to my understanding. Other members of this board have been elected and/or appointed to various offices. What we need is more than a random scattering of officials, though - we need a concerted effort that gives us a large bench and shows the world that Libertarians are serious about our task of rolling back government, and also credible in our claims that we can govern more effectively than our rivals in the Tired Parties. </div><div><br></div><div>Sidenote: This is why I have suggested, in the past, that training sessions held by a political party might usefully include one or two elected officials, who can presumably speak on two topics: 1. how to win office as a Libertarian (something outside professionals can't usually teach us, although they can teach us much), and 2. how to govern as a Libertarian - how to effectively advance an agenda while in office and move other office-holders (if serving in a non-executive capacity) to vote with you, build a coalition, and get a freer society as a benefit.</div><div><br></div><div>Sidenote 2: Building a bench is far from the only reason to elect local officials. A perhaps better reason is that so much of our contact with government is local, and that local officials can substantially improve the lives of the members of their communities.</div><div><br></div><div>Joshua Katz</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div><div dir="ltr">Joshua A. Katz<div>Westbrook CT Planning Commission (L in R seat)</div></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 12:35 PM, 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, you wrote: "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."<br>
<br>
Some Libertarians agree with you on this, but a lot of Libertarians
do not agree with you on this. But it is a common debate that has
raged on daily for decades between groups of people that refuse to
listen to each other--so don't count on it ending any time soon. <br>
<br>
Nationwide, there are 142 Libertarians holding elected offices: 38
partisan offices, and 104 nonpartisan offices.<br>
<a href="http://www.lp.org/candidates/elected-officials" target="_blank">http://www.lp.org/candidates/elected-officials</a><br>
<br>
See the attached Chapter 15 of my book, Introduction to the
Libertarian Party - Why Run for Office, for some of my views on the
issue. <br>
<br>
If getting just one person elected to a partisan office is your most
important goal, then you could personally recruit someone to run in
a tiny district in Pennsylvania and get it done, almost 100% as a
result of your efforts (plus the person you recruit). So could other
people who promote winning a partisan election above all else (and
in other states too--just that PA is easiest). And they don't need
anyone's permission to work on it.<br>
<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 12:14 PM, Kevin Ludlow
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<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"></a><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"></a><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">
<div dir="ltr">
<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"></a><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">
<div dir="ltr">
<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"></a><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"></a><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>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
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<div>
<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>
</div>
<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">BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB</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>
<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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