This article was originally published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle on April 20, 2026, and is republished here under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Any views expressed are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect those of Independent Political Report or the Outsider Media Foundation. Title amended for style. Header image added by IPR.
In 1994, Steve Dillon crossed the 2% threshold in the Indiana Secretary of State race, earning the Libertarian Party of Indiana ballot access statewide for the next four years.
While that number might seem small, it was monumental for the party. In every election since, we have maintained our ballot access — often comfortably — and we have been able to run candidates for every office in every local, state and federal election contested in Indiana.
For the last 32 years, the Libertarian Party is the only minor party to hold ballot access throughout the state, and our candidate for Secretary of State, Lauri Shillings, is an outstanding person to help us maintain that going forward.
It is not easy to gain electoral victories outside of the two “major” parties. In terms of fundraising, media attention and voters worried about the “wasted vote phenomenon,” the hill for those who don’t have an R or a D next to their name is massive, even with a popular candidate with a lot of name recognition.
A good candidate with a good message can gain traction. Donald Rainwater ran the most successful and visible statewide Libertarian campaign in the country in 2020, and gained 11.44% of the vote, despite running on a shoestring budget compared to the Republican and Democratic candidates. That was the highest vote total for a Libertarian statewide candidate in a three-way race nationwide.
The ballot access we have secured for more than three decades has given Libertarians legitimacy in their communities, where our members are frequently involved in local matters and helping influence policy.
Libertarian candidates have served on city councils, as town judges, and on township advisory boards. There are currently nine Libertarians serving in elected office in Indiana, and eight more serving in appointed office.
We have proven that Libertarian candidates can be viable — especially in local races where retail politics and having the ability to meet voters one-on-one, address local concerns and fight entrenched one-party strangleholds on government works. But that didn’t happen overnight. It has been the result of a long process. It took two decades for the LPIN to earn ballot access, and some time after that to become a respected name in Indiana politics.
Ballard entry
With former Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard attempting to enter the Indiana Secretary of State race to run against Shillings and both the Republican and Democratic nominees, he will find a similar challenge.
Petitioning for ballot access is time-consuming and expensive. Reaching the threshold of about 37,000 signatures is challenging and costly — and is an even bigger hurdle given independent candidates often are not able to fundraise as easily as those from established parties. Donors are often wary of funding an insurgent campaign.
And while Ballard has positive name recognition in and near Marion County, he left the mayor’s office 11 years ago, which is an eternity when it comes to name recognition. Outside of Central Indiana, his name recognition is very limited, and he has an uphill battle throughout the state.
Ballard is essentially running as an Independent with Republican ties, to be a protest candidate against current Republican Secretary of State Diego Morales.
If Ballard is able to earn ballot access, we welcome the challenge. We believe Hoosier voters should have as many options on the ballot as possible, to give each a choice that would best fit their values and vision for how the state should be run.
But one advantage we have over an independent run is that the Libertarian Party is a political party with a coherent set of principles to present to voters — principles of limited government, individual freedom, low taxes, and letting you live your life without interference from the state. We are not Republican-lite or Democrat-lite.
Our Secretary of State candidates have run on restoring competency and independence in the duties of the office – whether it be running elections or overseeing businesses. That vision has been received by voters. In 2022, Jeff Maurer gained 5.66% of the vote — more than halfway to the 10% threshold to earn major party status for the LPIN – in this race. While we welcome another voice in what is our most important race, we believe our message and candidate will matter to Hoosiers at the ballot box.
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