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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Mr. Chair: <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>I did not look at the
law, but I did look at the comments here:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'> <a
href="http://ballot-access.org/2015/12/09/maine-secretary-of-state-denies-libertarian-partys-ballot-access/">http://ballot-access.org/2015/12/09/maine-secretary-of-state-denies-libertarian-partys-ballot-access/</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>My opinion is that the
chance of this lawsuit winning on both the early deadline issue AND the “you
have to beat the deadline by a random number of days that changes depending on
which Statist occupies the Secretary of State’s Office” is over 80%.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><br>
Do you concur with my assessment, or am I underestimating the prevalence of
rational judges?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'> Scott Lieberman<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
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face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Lnc-business
[mailto:lnc-business-bounces@hq.lp.org] <b><span style='font-weight:bold'>On
Behalf Of </span></b>Joshua Katz<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Friday, December 11, 2015
9:36 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">lnc-business@hq.lp.org</st1:PersonName><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: [Lnc-business]
Advisement of proposed lawsuit - <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>There's a rather outrageous claim being made her: that a deadline
is not when you need to turn something in, but rather when the government has
to finish processing it. By that logic, they can just refuse to process
petitions at all. If <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>
gets away with it, why wouldn't other states follow suit - particularly when it
counts the most? This means, for instance, that a very viable candidate,
polling above 50% in every poll, could be kept off the ballot simply by
"not having time" to process their paperwork. This is an
outrage, and an insult not just to democracy, but to their very own laws.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>It is, in my opinion, in this party's interest, nationwide, to fight
this absurdity. I strongly support entering litigation on this and
nipping this particular line of nonsense in the bud.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Joshua A. Katz<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Westbrook CT Planning Commission (L in R seat)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 12:26 PM, Kevin Ludlow <<a
href="mailto:ludlow@gmail.com" target="_blank">ludlow@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
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<div>
<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Thanks, Mr. Chair.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Unless somebody can steer
me in a different direction, it seems to me this is precisely the sort of thing
we allocate a legal budget for in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=hoenzb><font size=3 color="#888888"
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#888888'>Kevin
Ludlow</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=hoenzb><font size=3 color="#888888"
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#888888'>Region 7</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 11:24 AM, Nicholas Sarwark <<a
href="mailto:chair@lp.org" target="_blank">chair@lp.org</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>To answer Mr. Goldstein and Mr. Ludlow's question, this expense would<br>
be under the litigation line item that has $13,500 in the remaining<br>
budget for the year.<br>
<br>
-Nick<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><br>
On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 10:10 AM, Kevin Ludlow <<a
href="mailto:ludlow@gmail.com" target="_blank">ludlow@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
> Mr. Chair,<br>
><br>
> Thank you for sending this out. I would very likely support this
kind of<br>
> effort.<br>
><br>
> I realize there would be an effort to have the legal fees refunded upon a<br>
> favorable outcome, but ignoring that possibility, would the $4,000 come
from<br>
> our legal budgeting, would it borrow from a different category, or would
it<br>
> need to be raised separately altogether?<br>
><br>
> Again, I would likely support the effort either way, but just want to<br>
> clarify how we'd be allocating it.<br>
><br>
> Thanks much.<br>
><br>
> Kevin Ludlow<br>
> Region 7<br>
><br>
> On Fri, Dec 11, 2015 at 10:57 AM, Nicholas Sarwark <<a
href="mailto:chair@lp.org" target="_blank">chair@lp.org</a>> wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> Dear Fellow LNC Members,<br>
>><br>
>> Pursuant to Policy Manual provision Section 2.04(2), I am writing to<br>
>> advise you of a proposed lawsuit to be filed in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>.<br>
>><br>
>> As you may be aware, the Libertarian Party of Maine undertook a voter<br>
>> registration drive to obtain party status by obtaining over 5,000<br>
>> Libertarian voter registrations by December 1, 2015. The Libertarian<br>
>> Party of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>
collected and turned in over 6,000 voter registrations.<br>
>> However, many of those registrations were not processed by the local<br>
>> officials who had them prior to the Secretary of State evaluating<br>
>> whether the party had 5,000 registrations. Per the Secretary of<br>
>> State's office, the Libertarian Party of Maine only had 4,489<br>
>> registrations by the deadline. More details here:<br>
>><br>
>> <a
href="http://ballot-access.org/2015/12/09/maine-secretary-of-state-denies-libertarian-partys-ballot-access/"
target="_blank">http://ballot-access.org/2015/12/09/maine-secretary-of-state-denies-libertarian-partys-ballot-access/</a><br>
>><br>
>> On hearing this news, I asked Oliver Hall to evaluate the cost of<br>
>> filing suit to require the Secretary of State to count the<br>
>> registrations that were turned in prior to the deadline but<br>
>> unprocessed and/or challenge the early deadline (Dec. 1 in the year<br>
>> before the election) as unconstitutionally early. He has
consulted<br>
>> with a colleague of his in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>
who he has worked with before and<br>
>> would be willing to be co-counsel on the suit in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>. The retainer<br>
>> for litigating the entire District Court case would be $4,000, and<br>
>> would include: drafting and filing the complaint; drafting and filing<br>
>> the motion for temporary restraining order/preliminary injunction;<br>
>> preparing supporting affidavits; arguing the motion; and converting<br>
>> the (presumably successful) motion for preliminary relief into one for<br>
>> summary judgment (i.e., permanent relief) and filing that motion.<br>
>><br>
>> Per Mr. Hall, "The complaint would probably assert both facial
and<br>
>> as-applied challenges to the statute (and the Secretary’s failure to<br>
>> process registrations pursuant thereto) under the First and Fourteenth<br>
>> Amendments and Section 1983. It would request declaratory and<br>
>> injunctive relief. It would also request attorney's fees under Section<br>
>> 1988. Assuming we win, and attorney's fees are awarded, the amount of<br>
>> the fees awarded would be paid to the LNC, as a refund of the retainer<br>
>> fee...."<br>
>><br>
>> The attorney in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>
is prepared to work on this case over the<br>
>> weekend to get the case filed ASAP. It is my intention to seek<br>
>> approval from the Executive Committee today to go forward with this<br>
>> litigation.<br>
>><br>
>> I apologize for not giving more notice, but I am writing you as soon<br>
>> as I received an estimate from Mr. Hall. Please let me know if
you<br>
>> have questions or concerns.<br>
>><br>
>> Yours truly,<br>
>> Nick<br>
>><font color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></p>
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