ballot access

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Barr wins in Pennsylvania. He loses in West Virginia. Texas ignores its laws. And, in Indiana, Libertarians continue to face a different standard than the entrenched parties.

Continuing his excellent coverage of ballot access is Richard Winger, editor of Ballot Access News. The award-winning online resource is a must-read for third party and independent candidates.

Consider the following updates:

• Pennsylvania GOP to Appeal Barr Substitution Decision
• Barr loses first round in fight to keep Obama and McCain off the Texas ballot

Reported and reprinted by Richard Winger at Ballot Access News.

WEST VIRGINIA, US -- On September 5, U.S. District Court Judge John Copenhaver upheld West Virginia ballot access laws for president. Barr v Ireland, 2:08-0990.

The decision is 34 pages long. It puts heavy stress on the problems that a later deadline than August 1 would cause elections officials. Of course, if the state didn’t require so many signatures (over 15,000), the burden on the elections officials would be less.

Andrew Davis is the Media Director for the national Libertarian Party. He's currently in West Virginia to assist with the petition drive to put Bob Barr on the ballot.

CHARLESTOWN, WV -- It's been more than 36 hours since my plane landed in West Virginia and I began volunteering with the Barr campaign's ballot access drive. Though coming to the end of my second day, it's already been an interesting experience in a state traditionally dominated by Democrats and with a history that makes its residents wary of the capitalism of mine bosses and exploitive coal companies.

Before leaving, I was talking with two former professors and told them about my upcoming trip. They noted how poorly West Virginia had developed in recent decades, citing the residents' collective resistance to capitalism, a plethora of business regulations, and a death grip by trial lawyers looking to make West Virginia a venue for class action lawsuits.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Austin Petersen, the new Volunteer Coordinator, has a ton of ideas to revitalize volunteer efforts with the Libertarian Party nationwide.

In an open letter to LP supporters, Petersen writes about his plans. In addition to creating enthusiasm with the Beltway in D.C. through expanded Meetups, Petersen is going to concentrate on ballot access events and volunteerism to ensure the LP appears on the 50 state ballots this year.