Liberty-minded people across the state can now look forward to two people worthy of their vote! Libertarian presidential and vice presidential candidates Gary Johnson and Jim Gray will be appearing on the Minnesota ballot in November. It’s the culmination of a summer-long effort, although many may not be aware of the significant work needed to make this happen.

LPMN Chair Bob Odden carries an armful of

petitions at the Capitol.

On August 21, the final day of the three-month petitioning period, 3218 signatures were submitted to the Secretary of State’s office at the State Capitol. Well in excess of the minimum 2000 signatures needed, it’s an amount that’s all but challenge-proof.

Over 50 individuals contributed their personal time to actively gathering signatures. LPMN members, volunteers, and other statewide supporters were key, contributing a significant number of signers, often in small quantities from their neighbors and acquaintances. Petitioning was also done at the LPMN’s numerous outreach events this summer. Other activists took it upon themselves to gather as many as they could from the public. The LPMN salutes all who assisted with this petition drive! It’s a real triumph for Libertarians, showing what can be accomplished when many people work together for the goal of greater liberty.

Secretary of State staff log in the petitions as LPMN

volunteer Mike Holman oversees.

But gathering signatures proved to be far from easy. Petitioners found it to be hard work and sometimes grueling, enduring numerous rejections from people who were unwilling to sign for a candidate they weren’t familiar with or who were already set on another candidate. Stories have also filtered in of completed petition forms mistakenly thrown out by a cleaning lady after a house party, forms shredded by a volunteer’s lonely dog, and even one volunteer whose clipboard of filled-out forms was snatched and destroyed by a DFL official encountered during door-to-door petitioning who had wanted to stop any competition to Barack Obama. With a deficit of required signatures in the final weeks, volunteers stepped up their efforts and three paid petitioners were sent to Minnesota by the National LP to ensure that the drive was completed successfully.

There can be no doubt that Gary Johnson has earned his spot on the ballot.

As if petitioning wasn’t difficult enough, hard-won ballot access by Libertarians is also under attack by the GOP in other states, who are using any means necessary to goad the public into voting for Mitt Romney. Fortunately, with a signature tally greatly exceeding the minimum, LPMN officials expect that such no such petition challenges will be mounted in Minnesota. (Of course, the Democrats and Republicans have exempted themselves from any petitioning requirements.)

So far, the Johnson/Gray ticket will now be appearing on the ballot in 38 states. In those states, the Libertarian Party had already held major-party status or successfully completed petition drives. Efforts in the remainder are ongoing, with the goal of appearing on the ballot in all 50 states.

Governor Gary Johnson and Judge Jim Gray, the

Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of

the Libertarian Party.

Gary Johnson served as Governor of New Mexico and was elected to two terms in office. Best known for vetoing more freedom-infringing bills than all other 49 state governors combined, he was labeled “Governor Veto” after casting 200 vetoes in his first six months in office. He cut taxes several times while never raising them, and left office with a state budget surplus. As governor, he defended personal freedom as well, resisting calls to target Hispanics amid increasing anti-immigrant fervor, standing behind the liberty of gays, and supporting decriminalization of marijuana despite heavy criticism received from the political establishment for that stance. Stopped out by term limits, he remains popular in that Democratic-leaning state.

Johnson is an entrepreneur, founding Big J Enterprises as a one-man firm which grew to become one of New Mexico’s largest construction companies. He’s also proud of his personal accomplishments as an athlete, participating in several Ironman Triathlons and successfully climbing Mount Everest in 2003. He most recently visited Minnesota and Wisconsin for the LPMN state convention in April 2012.

Jim Gray served as Superior Court Judge in Orange County, California, and prior as Santa Ana Municipal Court Judge. During his years of handling cases, he saw the increasing influence that drug illegality gave to organized crime and the damage that punitive drug laws were inflicting upon individuals and families, and he became known as an outspoken critic of the War on Drugs. Most recently, he ran as a Libertarian for US Senate against longtime California incumbent Barbara Boxer.

Johnson and Gray were each nominated by a vote of delegates at the Libertarian National Convention, held in Las Vegas in May. Their campaign website is Gary Johnson 2012.

Concerned about the expansion of government control and the erosion of individual liberty? Please consider joining and becoming active with the Libertarian Party of Minnesota. Libertarians support liberty on all issues, all the time. Libertarianism is a philosophical and political movement to promote personal freedom, voluntary consent, a genuinely free marketplace, and peace.