The Libertarian Party of California will hold its 2026 annual convention next month in San Diego, where delegates will consider a slate of bylaws amendments, elect state leadership and national convention delegates, and hear a debate among candidates seeking to become the next national party chair.
According to details shared by the party, members will meet at the Handlery Hotel from February 13–15. This year’s convention theme is “Love and Liberty,” which the party said is in honor of Valentine’s Day weekend. Registration options vary by package, though members participating only in the party’s business session may attend at no cost.
The Libertarian Party of California states that delegates to its 2026 convention must be Central Committee members for a minimum of 90 days “at some point in the past.” Such members are defined as being current in their dues, having signed the party’s non-aggression pledge, being registered Libertarians if eligible to do so, and residing in California. Residents registered as having No Party Preference or with another political party will be unable to attend the convention as voting delegates.
A full agenda has yet to be released, but the business session will begin that Saturday and include amending the party bylaws, the election of the party’s Executive and Judicial Committees, the election of its Region Representative and Alternate to the Libertarian National Committee, and candidate endorsements for the 2026 election cycle.
The party will also select its delegation to the 2026 Libertarian National Convention, scheduled to take place in Michigan later this year. According to figures released by the Libertarian National Committee last December, California will be allocated 107 delegates, along with alternates. This makes the California delegation the largest to participate, accounting for more than 10% of the total available seats and representing an increase of four delegate positions from the 2024 convention.
Several reports have been made available in advance, including an official list of proposals from the Libertarian Party of California’s Bylaws Committee. Delegates will weigh several major structural changes, including restoring a state platform for the first time since 2022, reviving a county-based delegate selection system that would shift influence back to local affiliates, tightening executive-session rules to bar secret votes and require recorded discussions, and strengthening the Financial Standards Committee by expanding conflict-of-interest restrictions and writing its membership rules directly into the bylaws.
The party also published separate amendments submitted by individual party members, including a set of ten proposals compiled by longtime member Aaron Starr. Among the member-submitted proposals is a guarantee of due-process hearings before removing elected Executive Committee members, repeal of a 2024 rule that blocked closing debate until both sides had spoken, and changes intended to streamline the reinstatement process for former Central Committee members.
Meanwhile, Starr’s report asks delegates to consider significantly expanding the number of party officers by creating a slate of new coordinator positions covering candidates, coalitions, communications, events, fundraising, legislation, and membership. The proposal would also reduce the number of at-large seats on the Executive Committee to make room for the new positions.
The party has announced several featured speakers so far, with the keynote scheduled to be delivered by former Libertarian Party presidential candidate Lars Mapstead, who is expected to speak on ballot access, proportional representation, and ending the primaries.
Other speakers include Susan Shelley of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, Shaun Frederickson of First Liberty, and Free and Amity of Are You Smarter Than a Politician, who will also host a Libertarian National Committee chair debate as part of the convention. The party has not yet announced which chair candidates have confirmed their participation.
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