From: bam@bnlux1.bnl.gov (Bruce A. Martin)
Subject: Re: Libertarian electoral record.
Organization: (none)
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 22:38:35 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.022632.17458@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au> int475d@mdw027.cc.monash.edu.au (Mr T.J. Joy) writes:
>Would someone in the good ol' US of A send me info on how well the
>Libertarian party does at the polls.  There seem to be a lot of them
>on the net but how popular are they overall?
>


Here is some of the information you requested.
Perhaps others will add to it (and correct it).

First, some highlights:

	Party founded in 1971.

	One Electoral College vote in 1972 for Libertarian Pres. &
	V.P.  candidates John Hospers & Theodora Nathan.
	(McGovern & Shriver got 17.  Nixon & Agnew won with 520.)
	(Toni Nathan was the first woman in U.S. history to get an
	electoral vote.  12 years later, Geraldine Ferraro got 13.)

	More presidential votes than any other 3rd party in every
	election since then ('76, 80, '84, '88).

	Best total:  over 1% of popular vote for Ed Clark in 1980.

	Approximately 5 million Americans voted for at least one
	Libertarian in 1990 elections.

	Over 200 Libertarians have been elected to office.
	Approximately 100 in office today.  (Mostly local office: mayors,
	town boards, county legislatures, conservation districts, etc.)

	Two or three states have had Libertarians in state legislature
	(but only 1 or 2 or 3 at a time).  NH has two now.  Alaska had
	a few, including Andre Marrou and Dick Randolph, but none now.

	In several states, the LP has achieved permanent ballot status
	by receiving over 5% in statewide elections.  (State laws vary.)

The following Presidential vote totals are from memory, 
but I think they are reasonably accurate:


YEAR	Vote        Electors	President		Vice President

1972	~   5,000	1	John Hospers, CA	Theodora Nathan, OR

1976	~ 185,000	0	Roger MacBride, VA	?

1980	~ 925,000	0	Edward Clark, CA	David Koch, NY (KS?)

1984	~ 250,000?	0	David Bergland, CA	Jim Lewis, CT

1988	  432,179	0	Ron Paul, TX		Andre Marrou, AK

1992	???		?	Andre Marrou, NV	Nancy Lord, DC

For comparison, the winners got popular votes of around 40-45 million 
during those years, except for Reagan's 54 million vote landslide in 1984.

In 1980, the LP votes were high enough to make Jimmy Carter a "minority
president", i.e. he was elected by less than 50% of the total votes cast.

Libertarian Presidential candidates will be on the ballot in all 50 states
this year, as they were in 1980.  In 1988, we were on ballot in about 45
states, about 40 (38, I think) in 1984, and 32 (I think) in 1976.  
In 1972, we were only on ballot in a few states (perhaps 5).

In 1992, over 500 Libertarian candidates are running for office,
including many for U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

>Many thanks in advance.
>
>-- 
>Timothy John Edward Joy
>int475dccds.cc.monash.edu.au

You are quite welcome!

Bruce A. Martin,
Research Director for the Segal for Senate campaign.
  (BTW, Norma Segal, who is trying to unseat Al D'Amato in NY, 
  also happens to have been Rev. Al Sharpton's former schoolteacher.
  Sharpton and Ferraro (and others) are in Dem. primary.)

[My opinions are my property, belong to me only, and represent no one else!]
# include discaimers.h          /*** Repeal the Sixteenth Amendment now! ***/
# delete BUSHLIPS&&SlickWillie  /*** Marrou/Lord in '92.  (800) 682-1776 ***/
Newsgroups: alt.politics.elections,talk.politics.misc,alt.politics.bush,alt.politics.clinton