[LPIL - Board of Directors] Good news out of Maine

[Jake Leonard]

Good morning all,

Passing the following along from the LP public list, courtesy of Pat Ford:

With the passage of SP 328, An Act To Reduce The Enrollment Requirement 
For Minor Political Parties That Seek Official Party Status, the Voter 
Registration requirement for ballot status in Maine has been permanently 
lowered to 5000!


This passage of this legislation is the result of countless hours of 
“boots on the ground” efforts: Lobbying … Coalition Building … Earned 
Media. Real work in real time, under the leadership of LPME State Chair 
Harrison Kemp, with the support of an outstanding Executive Committee, 
as well as a team of dedicated volunteers


A special Thank You! to Maine State Senator (and proud member of The 
Libertarian Party of Maine) Eric Brakey, R-Auburn & Maine State 
Representative Laura Supica D-Bangor for their Sponsorship! Earlier this 
year I had the opportunity to testify before the Maine Legislature. 
These Representatives set the stage for an engaged, lively Committee 
hearing where Mr. Kemp and myself were able to engage in a deep dive of 
the challenges facing the Libertarian Party in taking their rightful 
place on the Maine political stage.


The work continues. The Libertarian Party of Maine continues their 
efforts to reach the 5K registrant level, having raised significant 
contributions, and employing an individual to steer the efforts. The 
stakes are high: the unique combination of Ranked Choice Voting, a split 
Electoral College Vote, and the independent nature of Maine voters, 
makes Maine an excellent base to promote the Libertarian philosophy, as 
well as Libertarian Candidates. Our POTUS nominee would do well to use 
Maine as a springboard for a run at national office.

/If only our politicians in Springfield were so inclined to support 
reforms to our Election Code to significantly reduce the restrictions 
that are placed on "new party" and independent candidates.
/

/It's bad enough that they couldn't even push through the omnibus 
elections bill that would have pushed through RCV for statewide and 
federal elections./

/*Makes me wonder - where are the people who used to support these reforms?*
Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R) - living in Arizona.
Sen. Kyle McCarter (R) - enjoying private life after serving a term as 
U.S. Ambassador.
Sen. Andy Manar (D) - working in the Pritzker administration as one of 
several Deputy Governors.
Sen. Jason Barickman (R) - no longer in office, working in private sector
Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D) - still in office, supported RCV bill
Rep. Carol Ammons (D) - still in office, supported RCV bill/

/Just another call to reach our members of the General Assembly to call 
for significant reforms. Not just RCV, but permanently reduced 
thresholds to get on the ballot.
/

-- 
*Jake Leonard*
*Interim Chairman and Executive Director | ChrisMont Libertarian Central 
Committee* (/Christian County, Montgomery County/)
/*Congress*: 15/ | /*Montgomery County*: Illinois Senate 54/55, Illinois 
House 107/108/110/ | /*Christian County*: Illinois Senate 48/54, 
Illinois House 95/96/107/108/

*Political Director | Libertarian Party of Illinois*
800 Capps Ave. | Nokomis, IL 62075-1415
*Mobile*: (217) 565-9709 <tel:2175659709> | (217) 565-9273 
<tel:2175659273> || *Work*: (217) 569-4230 ext. 700 <tel:2175694230,700> 
| (217) 718-5281 <tel:2177185281> || *Fax*: (217) 717-8079 <tel:2177178079>



-- 
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lpmail.lp.org/pipermail/lpil-bod/attachments/20230728/90402389/attachment.htm>