The Libertarian Party of Oregon has extended the voting period for its internal state leadership elections, giving eligible members until later this month to return their ballots. The organization is scheduled to meet in early June for its annual state convention.
In an announcement published Friday, the state party’s Board of Directors voted to extend the deadline for returning ballots to May 24, moving it back from the original cutoff of May 12. Ballot instructions have also been mailed to eligible party members. No specific reason was given for the extension, though updates to convention details on the party’s website suggest that changes to the event may have played a role. Per the party’s bylaws, election results are typically announced during the convention.
The party’s leadership candidate list, included with the statement, identifies nine individuals seeking nine seats on the board of directors. Only one person is currently listed as a candidate for the party’s public policy board, which has eleven positions. The party has not said whether the list is final or if additional candidates may be added.
The 2025 state convention is set for June 7 at the Lucky Labrador Public House in Portland. According to convention details, delegate credentialing will begin at noon local time. Participation as a voting delegate is limited to registered Libertarians recognized by the Oregon Secretary of State. While a full agenda has not yet been published, the party stated that a lunch buffet will be available for paying attendees. Comedian Robbie Bernstein is also scheduled to perform at the convention as part of his 2025 Porch Tour.
Richard Burke is running to be a director now after last year challenging the party’s ballot access. Only one candidate for the public policy board, which hasn’t published meeting minutes in over 2 years. The party raised less than $2,000 in 2024 and hasn’t posted any campaign finance transactions since last year. Voter registration down 3.6% in the last year, despite the presidential election which should have helped.
The LPO was in great shape before the Mises Caucus took over. Hmm, where else have we seen that?
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Considering the 89 Libertarian precinct, township, and Chicago ward committeepersons (of which the last two are Cook County-related positions only) in the state of Illinois, in-person county conventions are impossible, unless you’re among the bulk of the membership in Cook, DuPage, McHenry, and DeKalb counties. There are only five precinct committeepersons in my Congressional District alone (15th Congressional). Holding a meeting to elect state executive officers (Chair, VC, Secretary, Treasurer) and our Congressional representative in the State Central Committee when we’re scattered all over the district is impossible.
Illinois 15th Congressional District, for your reference: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Illinois's+15th+Congressional+District,+IL/@39.9941709,-89.5223656,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x88730562cacb2ab5:0x646429eefb816756!8m2!3d39.8166525!4d-90.1494988!16s%2Fm%2F02739tf?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUwNy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
We sure as hell ain’t meeting in person, when the party secretary emails us our ballots. It’s been a lot easier since we changed our bylaws in 2016 to allow county conventions to take place in-person and/or via digital ballot.
Both mail and electronic voting is highly prone to fraud. I don’t trust any election results that aren’t in person and on the record with video of the voting and counting. Anything else is a crapshoot.
I think that’s why I’m fortunate that our ballots are electronic in Illinois. Unless the mail is being processed in Champaign, Chicago or out of state in Bettendorf, Iowa or Indianapolis, the mail service becomes a complete nightmare if your mail is processed through the St. Louis/Maryland Heights facility or the Paducah, Kentucky facility. (If we had to do mailed ballots, no precinct committeeperson south of Interstate 72 would have never received their ballot due to sorting issues in STL and Paducah.) Sadly, I know too well, because it’s May and I’m still getting stuff that should have arrived in February and March.