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Posted on October 30th, 2010 by DukeH

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

AUGUSTA — While their peers prepare to head to the polls November 2, one group of Mainers already is looking ahead, with sights set firmly on 2012.

On Thursday, October 28, the Libertarian Party of Maine (LPME) submitted paperwork with the Maine Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions (CEC) announcing its intent to organize as an official political party in the State of Maine. As such, Libertarians become the first group to seek state recognition under current laws governing ballot access.

In 2008, Maine lawmakers amended the statues which dictate how a new political group may gain, and retain, equal footing in the ballot booth alongside Maine’s three sanctioned parties: Democrats, Greens and Republicans.

The process chosen by the LPME starts with filing a “Declaration of Intent to Form a Party by Petition,” signed by 10 registered voters not already enrolled in a political party. That document, submitted Thursday, was signed by: Michael Berube, of Denmark; Jeffrey Cash, of Ellsworth; Eric Grant, of Portland; Duke and Sheila Harrington, of Sumner; Shawn Levasseur, of Rockland; Jorge Maderal, of Brunswick; Christopher Miller, of Poland; and James and Susan Poulin, of Casco.

Next comes a year-long petitioning process in which Libertarians must gather signatures equal to 5 percent of the number who voted in the most recent gubernatorial election. That figure, to be set following the upcoming election, is expected to top 30,000.

“The CEC said they hope to be able to provide us with the needed petitioning forms within a couple of weeks,” said LPME Secretary Duke Harrington, who delivered the declaration form.

“We expect to begin distributing petitions to our members at our next executive committee meeting, November 13,” said Harrington. “Soon after that, you’ll see Libertarians out across the state, collecting signatures on sidewalks, street corners and at shopping malls.”

In order to gain official party status, the Libertarians must submit their validated and notarized petitions six months prior to the next statewide primary election, or December 5, 2011.

Of course, the Libertarian Party is not new to Maine. It has existed here for several decades and even held official party status in the early 1990s. Ballot access was lost in 1992 under previous state law, which tied state party status to vote totals in national elections.

LPME Chairman Shawn Levasseur, who has held a variety of executive committee posts over the past 15 years, points out some important considerations Mainers should keep in mind if approached by a Libertarian petitioner: “Signing this petition does not enroll a person into the Libertarian Party,” he stressed, “nor does it obligate one to do so.

“Signing our petition also does not prevent one from being able to sign any candidate petition,” said Levasseur. “By signing our petition, a voter simply grants his or her permission for the Libertarian Party to exist in Maine, governed by the same election rules as other parties. That’s all, nothing more.”

However, in tandem with the circulation of petitions, the Libertarian Party may also offer themselves as an option for Mainers when they register to vote. Those already registered may change their party enrollment with their municipal registrar by submitting a new registration card.

“It is unlikely the format of the card will be changed to list the Libertarian Party option right away,” says Levasseur, “but the card does have a write-in line where voters can declare their intent to register as a Libertarian.

“This is an important part of the process,” said Levasseur, “because, if the petition effort succeeds, 10,000 registered Libertarians must vote in the 2012 general election in order for us to keep ballot status. This is a requirement of all established parties to maintain their status every two years.”

Although the LPME is small, it has shown exponential growth over the last few months. After several years of almost no activity, the party reorganized under a new executive committee in April. Since then, the process has begun to re-establish LPME county chapters, with party leaders meeting more times in the last four months than in the last four years, combined.

In June, LPME vice-chair James Oaksun, of Saco, was elected treasurer of the national Libertarian Party. He also heads Outright Libertarians, a countrywide caucus of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members.

Also, over the summer, LPME treasurer Jorge Maderal, of Brunswick, introduced a campus outreach program to be conducted in concert with the Green Party. Although styled as a series of debates, the plan, says Maderal, is not to parry with Greens but to introduce colleges to political philosophies outside those offered by existing student groups.

Among Libertarians, that means a focus on limited, fiscally-responsible government, along with absolute respect for the individual.

“The Libertarian stance is consistent,” says Maderal. “We’re for personal freedom and personal responsibility, on all issues, at all times.

“Beyond introducing students to the views of both Libertarians and Greens, we also hope our joint ‘debates’ will help to elevate the level of political discourse in Maine above the usual fare we’ve seen practiced by the two major parties,” says Maderal.

Still, despite its recent surge in activity, Libertarians face an uphill battle, a fact acknowledged by Levasseur.

“There are potential benefits beyond just ballot access,” he said. “Even if we fail in the petition process, the effort will serve as a good training ground for our activists, leaders, and future candidates in reaching out to voters and registering them, and in our get-out-the-vote efforts. It also gives us a focus to keep members active and enthusiastic during the off year of 2011.”

Anyone interested in learning more about the Libertarian Party of Maine should call 370-LPME, join the Maine Libertarians group page on Facebook, follow @LP_Maine on Twitter, or visit the party website at www.lpme.org.

Executive Committee meetings also are open to the public. The next session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 13, in the Morrill Meeting Room at Brunswick’s Curtis Memorial Library.

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