Libertarian Party of Washington State to Consider Dissolution, Purpose Change at Convention

Delegates to the Libertarian Party of Washington State’s annual convention will consider two proposals this month that could significantly reshape the affiliate, including one to dissolve the party entirely and another to shift its purpose away from electoral politics.

The party will host its convention in Ruston beginning March 27 and running through the weekend. An agenda released in advance shows that delegates will elect new state leadership, consider bylaws amendments, and select a slate of representatives to the Libertarian National Convention later this spring. The state affiliate is expected to have 30 national delegate seats in Grand Rapids, a decline of five from the previous convention cycle.

Notable among the agenda items is a standalone motion that would dissolve the state affiliate at the close of convention business. According to a report by Third Party Watch, the motion is sponsored by former Libertarian National Committee Region 1 Rep. Miguel Duque and former state party chair Anna Duque. The item is scheduled to be considered Saturday morning following officer reports.

The report states that proponents of the dissolution feel the Libertarian Party has failed to achieve meaningful political change despite more than five decades of electoral activity and that its activists would be better served directing their time and resources toward efforts beyond electoral politics. Critics contend the party still serves a purpose as it currently is.

The proposal also comes at a time of declining membership within the state affiliate, with Third Party Watch reporting that the number of state dues-paying members peaked at more than 400 individuals during 2020 and 2021 but has since fallen to fewer than 100.

“This is not an effort to disaffiliate from the LP,” Duque said in comments reshared by the publication. “The entire party is plainly unfit to exist. While the national party could also be dissolved by a simple majority vote of the delegates, being that that is unlikely, state and local members should take a stand and break the cycle of waste, fraud, abuse, and disappointment by dissolving their affiliate and diverting its resources toward voluntaryist direct action and mutual aid.”

Although Duque suggested the motion could pass with a simple majority, the state party’s bylaws require that any effort to either disaffiliate from the Libertarian National Committee or dissolve the organization receive the support of seven-eighths of all delegates at an annual convention where advance notice of such a vote has been provided.

Delegates will also consider a proposed bylaws amendment that would significantly revise the party’s stated purpose. Discussion on that will take place immediately following the dissolution vote.

The amendment would replace current language prioritizing the nomination of candidates and participation in elections with a focus on building “a parallel community of Libertarians and other freedom-adjacent individuals and groups.” The revised purpose would instead direct the party to become a “social community network” through focusing on the development of interpersonal networks, promoting self-reliance and voluntary exchange, and encouraging nonpolitical activism among members.

It would further discourage the organization, as a body, from engaging in endorsements, campaigns, or other direct participation in electoral politics during periods of low membership engagement. However, it would retain provisions allowing the party to organize regional affiliates and send delegates to national party conventions.

Unlike the dissolution proposal, which requires a seven-eighths supermajority, amending the bylaws themselves requires the support of two-thirds of delegates in attendance at the convention.