The New Mexico Libertarian Party has never had a government-provided primary. The only minor party that has ever had its own primary in New Mexico is the Green Party, which had one in 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2004. The state requires a party to meet two tests to have a primary: (1) a vote of 5% for a statewide office; (2) registration of three-tenths of 1%.
New voter registration data shows that the Libertarian Party now meets the registration test, which it had not met earlier this year. If the party polls 5% for president on November 8, then it will be entitled to its own primary in 2018, assuming that its registration is still above three-tenths of 1% in January 2018. The Green Party also meets the voter registration test, and has met it for over twenty years.
The new registration data totals for all parties is: Democratic 599,813; Republican 399,930; Libertarian 5,714; Independent American 4,661; Green 3,891; Constitution 359; Better for America 121; Party for Socialism & Liberation 64; American Delta 12; independent 242,106; miscellaneous 32,813. These figures are not on the state’s web page, except that the state web page does have the Democratic and Republican totals.
The new percentages are: Democratic 46.52%; Republican 31.02%; Libertarian .44%; Independent American .36%; Green .302%; Constitution .03%; Better for America .01%; Party for Socialism & Liberation and American Delta under .01%; independent and miscellaneous 21.32%.
The February 2016 percentages were: Democratic 46.28%; Republican 31.13%; Green .31%; Libertarian .26%; Independent American .18%; Constitution .02%; independent and miscellaneous 21.82%.
Although the Independent American Party also meets the voter registration test, it has no candidates for statewide office this year, so it can’t possibly meet the vote test.
We should hope that Libertarian Parties in various states become large enough to have primaries.
I know there is the fear that someone who is not a “libertarian” will win a primary. True enough. But we can have conventions make the nomination and still get candidates like Wayne Root.
In California we had Libertarian primaries from 1980 til the adoption of top two, and there were only a few times that more than one candidate ran in the primary. In 2004, Gail Lightfoot challenged Judge Jim Gray in the primary for U.S. Senate, losing a close race. Other than that instance, the primaries have nominated the people who went to the trouble of filing.
Even if only one candidate runs in a primary, the newspapers publish the primary vote totals, so the Libertarian candidates get their name in the paper.
That depends on the state. Some states have “closed primaries” while others have “open primaries” where voters can cross party lines for primaries.
@ Anthony Dlugos
Do we turn down the primary for the same reason we turn down the federal campaign funds?
I’m still not sure turning down federal campaign funds should be done; even if you don’t take it, I believe the money still gets distributed to someone, so might as well have that someone be you. Taking it with some requirement that it only go to ballot access seems like it would be an acceptable compromise to me.
But in regards to the primary… honestly, I like it. Primaries get a huge amount of attention, and they’re part of the reason the Republican and Democratic candidates end up being so known. Even before they officially get the candidacy, the general public knows them. How many of the general public knew any of the Libertarian Party candidates before the nomination was decided? I suppose McAfee and Johnson were known to some degree, but look at the exposure even a small player like Carly Firiona or Mike O’Malley got in the Republican/Democratic primaries. Granted, gaining a primary in one more state isn’t going to turn things around by itself, but it’s a step towards being treated like a major party.
Probably yes if it requires letting people from other parties vote in our primary.
Depends on what you mean. If you mean people who aren’t official members of the Libertarian Party, then yes, I believe they can vote. If you mean people who are registered voters of another party, then no, they can’t; you declare your party on the voter registration and then can only vote in that primary, so you have to register as a Libertarian voter.
Great news! Let’s keep increasing voter registration.
Anthony Dlugos wrote:
Maybe. Probably yes if it requires letting people from other parties vote in our primary.
Do we turn down the primary for the same reason we turn down the federal campaign funds?