At least four Libertarian Party state affiliates have adopted resolutions supporting state affiliate speech autonomy and calling for clearer and more consistent procedures before the Libertarian National Committee takes disciplinary action against an affiliate.
The resolutions were adopted in June by the Libertarian parties of Oregon, Maine, Hawaii, and Delaware, with copies of each shared to the LNC’s public Business List by their respective regional representatives. Each resolution addresses the relationship between state affiliates and the national party, specifically whether the LNC has authority under party bylaws to police affiliate communications. The resolutions also clarify that the adopting organizations take no position on the merits of any other affiliate’s specific messaging.
Oregon was the first of the four to adopt such a resolution, approving it without objection in a June 6 vote. Maine followed on June 10, adopting its version in a 7–0 vote, with one abstention. Hawaii adopted its resolution by unanimous Executive Committee vote on June 24, while Delaware adopted its version through a unanimous vote of its State Board on June 25.
The Oregon, Hawaii, and Delaware resolutions use mostly similar language, with each arguing that state affiliates have autonomy under Article 5, Section 5 of party bylaws, which states that the autonomy of affiliate and sub-affiliate parties “shall not be abridged” by the National Committee or any other party committee except as otherwise allowed by the bylaws. The resolutions also argue that the bylaws do not expressly give the LNC authority to police social media or other affiliate speech beyond conduct specifically prohibited under Article 5, Section 4.
The resolutions call on the LNC to state clearly and in writing the bylaws basis for any claim of authority over state affiliate communications. They also call for procedural protections in matters of affiliate discipline, including advance written notice, a specific statement detailing alleged misconduct, identification of the specific bylaws provision being violated, and a meaningful opportunity for the affiliate to respond before any vote is taken. The resolutions further call on the LNC to form an investigatory committee when allegations are material or otherwise contested.
The Libertarian Party of Maine’s resolution is the only one of the four to include language directly referencing more recent events. It specifically names the LNC’s disaffiliation of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire following the end of the Libertarian National Convention and echoes some of the arguments made by the New Hampshire affiliate in its defense, including that the current LPNH leadership is not the same group that endorsed Republican Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 general election.
The Maine affiliate also raises concerns about the Judicial Committee’s appeal process, arguing that the current system can allow a disaffiliation to be automatically affirmed without a ruling on its merits due to language that upholds LNC revocations if they’re not heard by the Judicial Committee within 30 days. It further calls for clarity on what constitutes an “official endorsement” sufficient for determining whether a state affiliate should face disaffiliation.
Notably, Austin Martin, chair of the Libertarian Party of Hawaii and the LNC’s Region 1 Representative, in sharing the Hawaii resolution, said the state affiliate joins the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin “in condemning LNC abuses violating Process and LNC overreaches against state affiliate autonomy.” However, no formal resolution approved by the Wisconsin affiliate was shared to the list alongside the four others.
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