In a very contentious election year, polls consistently showed voters being fed up with the two-party system. While some Presidential candidates were touting the benefits of obtaining a certain percentage of the vote, in NH the offices that benefit a Party are Governor & US Senate, both offices on the ballot this year.

In the race for Governor, three candidates sought the seat left vacant by Maggie Hassan who opted to oppose Kelly Ayotte instead of seeking a third term in Concord. It was this open seat that gave Libertarians hope, not because Libertarian nominee Max Abramson was polling at a level to get elected, rather because Abramson has given the Libertarian Party something they have not had in 20 years: ballot access. Max Abramson received over 26,000 votes and 4%, thus giving the Libertarian Party ballot access in 2018!

When the Libertarian Party had ballot access in the 1990’s, there were 4 members of the General Court in the Libertarian Caucus. Then in 1997, the ballot access laws were amended to increase the vote threshold needed for a party to retain ballot access from 3% for Governor to 4% for either Governor or US Senate.

Obtaining official party status will save the Libertarian Party thousands of dollars and hundreds of man-hours by not requiring our candidates to petition onto the general election ballot. Barring a change of election laws, in 2018, Libertarian candidates will have the same requirements as their Republican & Democratic Party counterparts when it comes to getting on the ballot.