Concord, NH – In 2020 the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire will fund its own Presidential Preference Primary, at zero cost to the taxpayer.
“This party-funded primary will allow New Hampshire Libertarians to show the rest of the country that ‘First in the Nation’ isn’t just a catchy slogan used by major party politicians every four years,” said former LPNH Chair Darryl W. Perry.
Libertarian Presidential candidates will file for inclusion on the ballot with the State Party, and the filing period will run concurrent with the filing period for the First In The Nation Presidential Primary. Ballots will be mailed to party members who are eligible to be delegates to the state convention and are due by the day before the start of the 2020 LPNH Annual Convention.
“We will demonstrate that we do not need the Secretary of State’s permission to operate as a political party,” said current LPNH Chair Brian Shields, “we will hold a Presidential Primary preference election without using a nickel of stolen taxpayer wages, using modern voting methods and ballots, at a lower cost, and with a larger voter turnout than the other two dying parties.”
To showcase the party’s dedication to alternative voting systems, the LPNH Executive Committee voted to use the Bucklin Method for voting and counting ballots. This system allows a voter to rank their top two candidates, and essentially use Approval Voting for any additional choice(s).
The use of mail-in ballots will demonstrate increased ballot box security compared to current methods by leaving a paper trail. Delegates will be mailed a ballot, with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and be mailed a receipt to prove their ballot was accepted. All documentation will be available to any delegate after the results are announced.
It is called a “Presidential Primary Preference Election,” because according to the National Libertarian Party bylaws, delegates at convention are not allowed to be told who to vote for by their state party, unlike the other parties who call conscientious delegates “unfaithful electors.” The purpose of the primary will be to inform the delegates chosen at the LPNH annual convention of the voters’ preferences before they attend the national convention in May 2020, where the Libertarian Party will choose their Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.
