Helping 3rd Party Candidates

[djdellisanti4]

Should liberty minded Republicans that get elected make it a priority to reform laws that keep third parties from being competitive? Should they be helping their Libertarian brothers reach the playing field?

I would like to see them try to do something to create more competitive elections. I obviously don't believe it should be priority number 1, but also I'm curious about what could be done.

[Minuteman2012]

Hell, I am the President of my university Libertarians chapter, and I am a registered republican. I am all for helping Libertarians, but I think our first concern should be to take back the republican party and support liberty oriented republicans. I will always support a viable liberty oriented republican before a third party candidate.

[erowe1]

Should liberty minded Republicans that get elected make it a priority to reform laws that keep third parties from being competitive?

Absolutely.

But I would look at it differently. They shouldn't be looking for ways to positively help this or that third party. They should be looking for ways that our current election laws create special relationships between the state and the private organizations which are the Republican and Democrat parties and repeal those laws.

For example. States shouldn't involve themselves one bit in those parties' selection of candidates. There should be no state-recognized party registrations. No taxpayer money should be spent on party primary elections. And no state collection of data of who votes in what primaries to provide the parties for things like Voter Vault. It should be up to the parties as private organizations to work out for themselves how to pick their candidates and how to pay for the process of doing so.

And the Repubicans and Democrats shouldn't automatically get on the general election ballots while other candidates have to jump through hoops to do so. Whatever criteria there are to getting on the ballot have to be applied to all candidates equally. For that matter, I don't think the ballots should even identify candidates according to party.

[djdellisanti4]

Hell, I am the President of my university Libertarians chapter, and I am a registered republican. I am all for helping Libertarians, but I think our first concern should be to take back the republican party and support liberty oriented republicans. I will always support a viable liberty oriented republican before a third party candidate.

Well I'm talking about after we get those guys elected, should they help reform election laws to help even out the playing field for third party candidates.

[Minuteman2012]

Well I'm talking about after we get those guys elected, should they help reform election laws to help even out the playing field for third party candidates.

Yes.

[Imperial]

Definitely. Randy Brogdon is one guy who did this in Oklahoma, and if he had been elected Governor may have been able to finally fix that state's horrible situation.

One day I want to run for office, and this will definitely be one of my priorities.