Two Libertarian Party candidates will not appear on upcoming Massachusetts election ballots. This includes a candidate for a hotly-contested special election to fill a State Senate vacancy and a candidate formerly vying for the US Senate seat currently held by Elizabeth Warren.
In Massachusetts, there exist two active Libertarian organizations due to a 2022 leadership split: the Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts (ULMA) and the Libertarian Association of Massachusetts (LAMA). Among these two parties, the Libertarian National Committee formally acknowledges ULMA as the legitimate LNC affiliate. LAMA is an affiliate of the Association of Liberty State Parties and recognized by the Massachusetts State Government.
According to a recent email from ULMA leadership, Janel Holmes, the organization’s candidate for the Worcester & Hampshire State Senate special election scheduled for this year, did not meet petitioning requirements. Holmes submitted 331 signatures initially, which surpassed the required number of 300 valid signatures. However, her efforts fell short as town officials invalidated enough signatures to put her back under the minimum.
ULMA leadership drew attention to several communities they believed had an adverse effect on Holmes’ ability to petition. In particular, they looked at the Towns of Spencer and Gardner, with the latter community allegedly making it “extremely difficult” to access lists Holmes was “entitled to by law.”
“Of the 60 signatures that she submitted, only 19 were validated,” the correspondence claims of the Town of Gardner.
Holmes has no recourse for the situation because it is a special election. With her removal, no emerging party or independent candidate is expected to appear on the special election ballot later this year.
In addition, Massachusetts Libertarians have also faced the loss of a potential candidate for the US Senate seat currently held by Elizabeth Warren. Tragically, Louis Marino of Athol, unexpectedly passed away last Monday afternoon.
Louis Marino was a business owner of 17-years and an active member of his local community. He had served as an elected Town Meeting Representative in both the Towns of West Springfield and Chelmsford, MA. Furthermore, he actively participated in various municipal boards, including the Zoning Board of Appeals and Finance Committee. Earlier this year, Marino formally departed from the Republican Party and declared his candidacy for the US Senate at the recent ULMA State Convention in Worcester.
At just 48 years old, he leaves behind a wife and three children.
Unified Libertarians of Massachusetts included a request for donations to assist with covering funeral expenses for Louis Marino in their correspondence. Readers interested in contributing can support funeral costs by making direct donations to Witty’s funeral home, specifying “For Lou Marino Funeral Expenses” in the Comments/Notes section.
It’s common practice to seek anywhere from 50-100% more signatures than is required. Any “running for office 101” book or video would tell you that. Entire sheets of signatures are invalidated if someone puts a stray mark in the margin of a page, for instance. People absent-mindedly test their pens out sometimes – it happens. Or signatures don’t match, people move and forget to sort out the paperwork, etc. Hard lesson to learn. Hope to see more competition in future elections.
There is a Libertarian who was elected Chairman of the Selectboard (sort of like Mayor or Town Council Chairman) of one town by beating the incumbent. I think he is a ULM supporter. However, so far as I know no one here is counting elected libertarians.
Does LAMA have folks in public office?
I believe she finally got up to 369, which is cutting things very close. Of course, Libertarian being a major party is a crippler for getting a candidate on the ballot.
331 signatures for 300 required? Is a 90%+ validity rate normal in Massachusetts?