-Caveat Lector- ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 17:03:31 -0500 (EST) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Advisory: Updated Election Results From: Libertarian Party Announcements <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- ========================================= ADVISORY FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY News from the National LP headquarters for members & supporters of the Libertarian Party ========================================= Watergate Office Building 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 Website: www.LP.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For information about the party: (800) ELECT-US ========================================= November 22, 2000 ========================================= Election Results Update: Harry Browne wins about 382,000 votes; 31 Libertarians elected to local office; record setting House & Senate results. [Updated November 22] In what may turn out to be the closest election in U.S. history, Libertarian Party presidential candidate Harry Browne has apparently won just over 382,000 votes. With more than 99% of the precincts reporting as of November 22 -- but with some absentee ballots still to be counted -- Browne and vice presidential candidate Art Olivier won 382,869 votes, or about 0.4% of the total, according to the Associated Press. The Libertarian Party performed better at the local level, electing at least 31 people to office in Florida, Alabama, Iowa, West Virginia, Michigan, Wyoming, Texas, Arizona, and California. The Libertarian Party's record-setting slate of U.S. House candidates won a combined 1.66 million votes -- the largest cumulative vote total ever won by third-party Congressional candidates. "There has never been a minor party -- or any party other than the Republicans and Democrats -- that ever got even a million votes for U.S. House," said Richard Winger, publisher of Ballot Access News. "I think it's stunning." And across the country, at least 3.3 million individual Americans voted for Libertarian candidates. "According to our figures, LP candidates won at least 3,362,829 unique votes -- whether they were cast for Browne, a U.S. House candidate, or another state-level candidate," said LP National Director Steve Dasbach. "We got that number by adding up the highest vote total partisan Libertarian candidates received in every non-overlapping geographic area around the USA. "If nothing else, that 3.3 million number shows there is a much larger pool of Libertarian support than was indicated in the top-of-the-ticket vote totals." In the presidential race, Browne won about 100,000 fewer votes than he had in 1996 -- and only about one-half of what pre-election polls had been predicting. The Libertarian had been showing up at between 0.6% and 0.8% in the Zogby and Rasmussen polls just one day before the election. Other earlier polls had showed him as high as 1.6%. Browne said he was "disappointed" by the vote, and attributed it to the closeness of the presidential contest. "In the weeks prior to Election Day, the media emphasized the point that the race between Gore and Bush would be very close, as in fact it turned out to be," he said. "It is very likely that many people who intended to vote Libertarian wavered at the last moment and voted for Gore or Bush. This is a problem in every election, but it was especially so this year because the race was perceived in advance to be so close." That same "wasted vote" concern appeared to affect all the third-party candidates, said Dasbach. "It's clear that the closeness of the race between Bush and Gore depressed vote totals for every third-party candidate," he said. "If you look at Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan, both saw their vote percentages down dramatically from what polls had been predicting. Disappointingly, the same was true for Harry Browne." The razor-tight contest between Bush and Gore almost certainly cost Browne "a few hundred thousand votes," said Browne campaign manager Perry Willis. "People who might otherwise have voted for us thought it was important [to] vote for Bush or Gore, if only to keep the other one out of the White House," he said. Browne was also hurt because his vote totals were not reported on television as Election Day progressed, said Willis, and by the fact that the LP still isn't large enough to reach voters with its message. "The fact remains that despite our growth, most people still don't know who we are or what we stand for, and that's the fundamental problem we must solve in the next campaign, just as in all previous elections," he said. Despite the less-than-expected results, Browne said he relished the accomplishments of the campaign. "I believe we persuaded hundreds of thousands of people (and perhaps millions) that libertarianism isn't an abstract philosophy, but rather a practical attitude toward government that could dramatically improve their personal lives," he said. "In other words, we gave them a reason to become enthusiastic about promoting libertarianism, even if they didn't vote for us this year. "In addition, I believe Libertarian campaigns are now perceived as much more professional because of the relations we established with much of the media and because of our TV ads. This should serve the next [presidential] candidate very well." Around the country, Browne did best in Georgia, where he won 1.4% of the vote, Alaska (0.9%), Indiana (0.7%), Wyoming (0.7%), Colorado (0.7%), Idaho (0.7%), Massachusetts (0.6%), and Virginia (0.6%). Browne won 0.5% in Maine, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington state. In four states, Browne also won more votes than the margin of difference between Bush and Gore: Florida (where his 16,401 votes are considerably more than the 500-1,000 votes that separate the Republican and Democrat), New Mexico, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Browne's 382,869 votes nationwide are also more than the 300,000 votes that divide Bush and Gore in the popular vote -- and mark the first time a Libertarian presidential candidate won more than the margin of difference in an election. "Of course, we were the margin of difference because the race was so close," said Dasbach. "And, of course, Nader and Buchanan also got more votes than the margin of difference. But it is a historic first for the Libertarian Party to have helped determine the outcome of a presidential election." Browne finished in fifth place in the presidential contest, about 63,000 votes behind Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, who won 445,124 votes. In 17 states plus DC, Browne actually finished ahead of Buchanan: California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington state. "The fact that Browne was roughly competitive with Buchanan -- even though Buchanan had $12 million in federal money to spend -- is reassuring," said Dasbach. "Over the years, the Libertarian Party has shown it can bounce back from temporary setbacks, but I expect that Buchanan's showing will mark the effective end of the Reform Party, since they've lost their federal welfare." Also coming up short in his bid for federal campaign money was the Green Party's Ralph Nader, who won about 2.7 million votes -- well shy of the 5% needed to qualify. "That's significant for the Libertarian Party, since it means we won't have to face any third party that is propped up with millions of dollars of taxpayers' money in the 2004 election," said Dasbach. As a result of both Buchanan and Nader failing to qualify for federal money, both the Reform and Green parties "are likely to have passed their high-water marks," predicted Willis. "There is now nothing to hold the Reform Party together," he said. "Their wealthy and charismatic founder is gone, and there is no more federal money to attract famous names like Pat Buchanan. "As for the Green Party, its life or death depends on Ralph Nader. Without him, the Greens would be hard pressed to find another name that would so excite the liberal media, but even with him they should still find their prospects diminished. Many so-called progressives are angry that Nader may have cost Gore the election, and the media will likely discount a third Nader run, just as they discounted Perot's second effort." As a result, the Libertarian Party may be the only "major" minor party left standing for the 2004 election, said Willis. "Only the Libertarian Party remains strong, united by a coherent philosophy, independent of personality, and possessed of a more thorough and robust infrastructure than any other third party," he said. "In short, there could be fewer third parties in 2004. It's even possible we could have the field to ourselves." Browne's all-but-final total of 382,869 votes was down slightly from some immediate post-election reports, which showed him winning more than 384,000 votes. Other third-party presidential contenders fared even worse: Howard Phillips of the Constitution Party won 100,031 votes, while John Hagelin of the Natural Law Party won 90,403 votes. In Arizona, a break-away faction of the Libertarian Party declined to put Harry Browne on the ballot -- and, instead, listed science fiction writer L. Neil Smith as the Libertarian presidential candidate. Smith won 5,418 votes, or about 0.4%. That number was down sharply from the 13,458 votes (1%) that Browne had won in that state in 1996. In high-profile LP races around the country: * Carla Howell won about 12% in a six-way race for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts -- just one percentage point behind the Republican candidate, Jack E. Robinson, who won 13%. It was the highest percentage that any LP candidate for U.S. Senate has received in party history. "We're very, very pleased" with the results, said Howell's campaign manager, Michael Cloud. "The 305,000 votes [Howell won] is three times what she did two years ago, when she ran for State Auditor. We're moving in the right direction." * James Dan made a strong showing in his bid for State Assembly (District 28) in Nevada, but came up short -- winning 45% in a two-way race against the Democratic incumbent. "This was a record high percentage for a Libertarian candidate in Nevada," said Chris Azzaro, executive director of the Nevada LP. "And a very strong showing against an incumbent Democrat in a district with 60% Democratic voter registration. But a disappointment nonetheless." * Dale Ritchey got 30% of the vote in a two-way race for State Representative (District 34) in Georgia, losing to the Republican incumbent. * Bonnie Flickinger got 8% of the vote in a four-way race for California State Assembly (District 65), losing to a Republican with 47%. A Natural Law candidate in the same race won 2%. Flickinger remains the Mayor Pro Tem of Moreno Valley. * Michael Costanza won 26% in a tight three-way contest for Connecticut State Representative (District 43). The Republican squeaked out a victory with 37% of the vote. * In a quirky result in New Hampshire, a Democrat running on the Libertarian ticket won election to the State House in Hillsboro (District 45). Steve Vaillancourt, a Democrat who lost in his party's primary, won 18% in the general election as a Libertarian, picking up the third of three open seats. The New Hampshire LP had allowed one Democrat and six Republicans to qualify for the ballot as Libertarians to strike a blow for "free and open elections," according to State Chair Danielle Donovan. * Don Gorman, former New Hampshire LP State Representative and one-time candidate for the party's presidential nomination, got 35% in a two-way race for State Representative (Rockingham District 8), losing to the incumbent Republican. According to preliminary reports, 31 Libertarian candidates around the country won their elections -- more than any other alternative party. By November 22, the Green Party had 19 winners listed on its website; the Reform Party had zero; the Natural Law Party had zero; and the Constitution Party had zero. Libertarians in the winners' circle included: * Lisa Bullion, who was elected to the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation Board (District One) in Florida, with about 127,000 votes. * Frank Longo, who won a seat on the non-partisan Palm Beach Soil and Water Conservation District (Group Four), also in Florida. Longo got 135,999 votes, or 52.5%, in a two-way race. * Brad Cline, who was also elected to Florida's Palm Beach Soil and Water Conservation District (Group Two), in an unopposed race. * James L. Bertrand, who came in second in a three-way race for three seats on the Drexel Heights Fire District #2 Board of Directors in Pima County, Arizona. * William Clem, who was elected to a four-year term as Jefferson County Surveyor in West Virginia. Clem was unopposed for the partisan office. * Gary Bora, who won a spot on the Library Board of Trustees in Lyon, Michigan, in an uncontested, non-partisan race. "This was a non- partisan race, but I'll take it," said Bora. "I plan on running for Trustee in 2002, which will be a partisan race." * Brett Cashman in Michigan, who was re-elected to a four-year term as Superior Township Parks Commissioner in an uncontested, partisan race. * Mark Nelson, who was elected as a write-in to the Scott County Soil and Water Commission in Iowa. * Mike Ryan, who won a spot on the Scott County Agricultural Extension District in Iowa as a write-in. * Kate Sherrod, who was elected to the Saratoga Town Council in Wyoming. * Teri Kahn in California, who beat the incumbent to win a two-year seat on the non-partisan Tehachapi HealthCare District. Kahn won with 55.5% of the vote. * Erik Henrikson, who defeated fellow Libertarian Tom Murphy in a two- way race to replace retiring Libertarian Dennis Schlumpf to become the next director ofSeat 4 of the Tahoe City Public Utility District, California. * Joseph Corey, who swept past an incumbent to win one of three director seats of the Galt Fire District in Sacramento County, California. * Linda Strom, who won one of eight positions on the Lakeside Community Planning Area Board in San Diego County, California. * Robert R. Mendez, who beat incumbent Richard L. Vasquez in Division 2 of the Vista Irrigation District in San Diego County, California. * Greg D. Flores, who surprised his better-known opponents to win the Division 1 seat of the Santa Maria Water Conservation District in Santa Barbara County, California. * Michael McFarland of Sacramento County, who was elected to one of three director positions on the Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District with 19% of the vote. In Texas, four Libertarians were elected to the position of Public Weigher: Noah Davis (Lubbock County); Clyde Garland (Brazos County), Charlie Lambert (Hutchinson County), and Robert Paty (Nacogdoches County). In Alabama, four Libertarians were elected as County Constables: Dan Bowden (Barbour County), Jack Kevin Andrews, (Dallas County), Jerry Vines (Blount County), and Ken Hearin (Mobile County). And in California, six Libertarians won uncontested, non-partisan races: Geoff Braun was elected to the Placentia Library District; Gilbert Carroll won a seat on the Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District; John Dennison was elected to the Alexander Valley Unified School District; Ray English won re-election to the Descanso Community Planning District; Kelly McKnight won a seat on the La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District; and Gary Molle was elected to the Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District. "We are very pleased with our results and are proud of all 289 Libertarians who appeared on the California ballot yesterday," said California LP State Chair Mark Hinkle. "We ran more candidates than all other third parties combined, our candidates got the message out, and we worked hard to make sure voters knew that only the Libertarian Party will fight to dramatically reduce the power and presence of government in their lives." In three other races in California, Libertarians were within a handful of votes of winning, with absentee ballots still to be counted, reported California LP Executive Director Juan C. Ros. Final results are expected by December 5. In a race for three director positions on the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District in Ventura County, Kate O'Brien was eight votes behind her opponent; in Orange County, Neal Franks is 32 votes away from his nearest opponent in the Sunset Beach Sanitary District race; and in Contra Costa County, Barbara Kowall was 36 votes shy of her nearest opponent in the Rodeo Sanitary District race. Even without the too-close-to-call races, an estimated 52 Libertarians now hold elected or appointed office in California. "Libertarians have reason to celebrate this year," said Hinkle. "We expect the Libertarian Party to continue growing, and we plan to compete in and win more races in coming years." The Libertarian Party also appears poised to pick up at least one more officeholder from the 2000 election: Woodie Howell, the winner of the non-partisan position of Constable (Precinct 1) in Howard County, Texas, announced that he planned to join the party. In the area of ballot access, the party "held its own," said Dasbach, coming out of the 2000 election with ballot status in 25 states. "We're in about the same position we were in coming out of the 1996 election," he said. "Even though we moved backwards in terms of presidential vote totals, we managed to protect most of our gains in ballot status." The party won ballot status in two states (Alabama and Washington), lost it in four states (West Virginia, Michigan, New Mexico, and Nevada), and maintained it in eight states where it was at risk (Wyoming, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, and Utah). In Washington state, the LP not only earned major party status, but also won over a million votes, reported LP activist Kelley Haughton. "Libertarians have historians scrambling to see if any third party has ever received 1 million votes in one election in Washington," he said. "This unprecedented total gives the Libertarian Party the right to a seat at the table when considering how to change Washington's blanket primary." By comparison, Green Party candidates won 140,000 votes and the Reform Party won 50,000 votes in the state. "These results show that the Libertarians are the third party in Washington," said Haughton. In other news of interest to Libertarians, former LP presidential candidate Ron Paul won re-election to the U.S. House (14th District) in Texas as a Republican with 60% of the vote. And in Vermont, Neil Randall was re-elected to the state legislature (Orange, District 4) in a two-way race with 53% of the vote. Randall, who had won office in 1998 as a Libertarian with a Republican cross- nomination, ran as a Republican this year after falling out with the state LP over the issue of civil unions. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBOhxs9tCSe1KnQG7RAQETYgQAkibLO/fv9lEzvGtHAcjgZxnuBzdVBwR2 xMl2qHcKKRfQsoknyZdVHn4j2uprbJXXyrudIUViavrL1BMbDQc7BVhaHajalAon x6pwx2bUy5MRUaJO6R3qwkIfB+lZzgVRtTJwW22CBKpaAkRGnVFDmHBegUmoHKbi yvpG0SNbPvk= =M+xI -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/ 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 voice: 202-333-0008 Washington DC 20037 fax: 202-333-0072 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- For subscription changes, please use the WWW form at: http://www.lp.org/action/email.html Alternatively, you may also send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with just the word "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line. ------- End of forwarded message ------- A<>E<>R Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Integrity has no need of rules. -Albert Camus (1913-1960) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The libertarian therefore considers one of his prime educational tasks is to spread the demystification and desanctification of the State among its hapless subjects. His task is to demonstrate repeatedly and in depth that not only the emperor but even the "democratic" State has no clothes; that all governments subsist by exploitive rule over the public; and that such rule is the reverse of objective necessity. He strives to show that the existence of taxation and the State necessarily sets up a class division between the exploiting rulers and the exploited ruled. He seeks to show that the task of the court intellectuals who have always supported the State has ever been to weave mystification in order to induce the public to accept State rule and that these intellectuals obtain, in return, a share in the power and pelf extracted by the rulers from their deluded subjects. [[For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, Murray N. Rothbard, Fox & Wilkes, 1973, 1978, p. 25]] <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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