From Ballot Access News, May 11th:
Kevin Halverson, who was elected Sheriff of Minidoka County, Idaho, as a Republican in 2004, and re-elected as a Republican in 2008 and 2012, has changed his voter registration to Libertarian. See this story. Minidoka County has a population of 20,069 and is primarily an agricultural county in the Snake River Valley.
Minidoka County has not traditionally been a center of strength for the Idaho Libertarian Party. In 2012 Gary Johnson polled 1.45% of the vote in Idaho, but only .79% in Minidoka County. In the ten presidential elections in which the party has been on the Idaho ballot, the county gave a smaller share of the vote to the Libertarian nominee than that nominee did in the state as a whole, except in 1976 and 2008.
Halverson’s term will be up in 2016.
From an article on MagicValley.com by Laurie Welch
RUPERT • Minidoka County Sheriff Kevin Halverson has changed his political affiliation from the Republican Party to the Libertarian Party.
“I felt like it would serve both my job and my beliefs best if I switched to Libertarian,” said Halverson.
Halverson said despite recent rumors, he has “no intentions” of resigning from office.
Halverson said the tenets of Libertarianism, which embraces maximum freedom and minimal government intervention, appeals to him.
He officially changed his political affiliation earlier this week.
Nearly 70 percent of Minidoka County voters re-elected Halverson to a third term on the GOP ticket in November.
Halverson said after a statewide redistricting effort designed to even out populations in legislative and congressional districts, he found himself no longer within the boundaries of his Minidoka County Republican Central Committee district, where he served on the committee.
“I have no ill feelings toward the Republican Party. I just felt Libertarianism fits my style better. I feel like I’ll serve my constituents best by being a Libertarian,” Halverson said.
“Kevin Halverson, the former Sheriff of Minidoka County, pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of misuse of public moneys by a public officer, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said.”
http://idahostatejournal.com/news/local/article_8d591638-f94c-11e2-a916-0019bb2963f4.html
As a member of the Libertarian Party I say this sounds like good news. It will be interesting to see what transpires between now and the next election day for Sheriff Kevin Halverson. I believe there has been one or two Libertarian sheriffs in Colorado…
Interview with Sheriff Bill Masters of San Miguel County (county seat: Telluride).
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/220/billmasters.shtml (dated January 18th, 2002)
I thought we had a sheriff of Pitkin county, CO as well but I can’t find a confirming reference at hand.