In some ways, we in Virginia are lucky. We have a petition system that, while it isn't easy, at least submitting a petition isn't treated as a crime.
In Pennsylvania, the system is the opposite. And now they need our help. The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPA) submitted almost 50,000 signatures to meet a 20,601-signature requirement to get Gary Johnson on the Pennsylvania ballot. The PA election code allows the major political parties to challenge minor party petitions -- without any basis whatsoever. In most states, the challenging person must look over the petition, compare each signature with the state voter records, and if they find any problems, show it to the elections board official. There must be a reason for their challenge to that signature -- like, "hey, this guy right here isn't registered at the address he wrote down on the petition!" But in Pennsylvania, no such research is required. Furthermore, the Democrats and Republicans not have to submit any petition whatsoever and are thus entirely exempt from the challenge process. So the challengers are claiming that 20,601 signatures on the LPPA petition are invalid -- just enough to remove the party from the ballot, if the Libertarians don't contest the challenge. If the LPPA *does* contest the challenge, and *fails* to find enough valid signatures among the challenged ones to meet the threshhold, they are forced by law to pay the lawyer's fees **of the challenging party**. Without relief from a federal court (the LPPA filed for injunctive relief within hours of the challenge filing), the Libertarian and Constitution Parties are placed in the dilemma of either withdrawing their petitions, or risking a judgment that court costs of perhaps $100,000 or more are owed to the challengers. One of the attorneys who filed the challenge to the Libertarian and Constitution Parties is the same attorney who challenged the minor party statewide petitions in 2010, and who warned the parties that court costs might be as high as $110,000. In 2010 all the statewide minor party petitions were then withdrawn and no one ever determined whether they had enough valid signatures or not. So this gets us to where we in Virginia can help. If you can spare a day -- or five -- the LPPA has been ordered to supply 20 people to help validate signatures, at the elections board in Philadelphia. Please join them if you can help. See the volunteer call, as well as links to further information on this story, here: http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/08/37037/ Volunteers do not have to be PA residents, or even registered voters. Just people who can look up voter records. As an added incentive, the LPPA is now offering $100 per day to help people with travel & lodging expenses. If you can help, please call LPPA chairman Tom Stevens at 718-357-7075 right away, and schedule your time in Philadelphia. Please remember if they don't have at least 20 people every day for 5 days, they will get thrown out and they will be off the ballot. *And* they will be ordered to pay the challenging lawyer $100k. Let's hope for a favorable court decision soon, but in the meantime, LPPA has to plan for the worst -- so help them if you are able. Please contact them (Tom Stevens at 718-357-7075) right away if you can spare a few days in Philadelphia. Best wishes! Sincerely Yours, Marc Montoni, Secretary Libertarian Party of Virginia 804-592-6066 (h) or 703-715-6230 (LPVA Voicemail) http://www.LPVA.com <[email protected]> P.S. Somewhat ironic that the city where free speech will be tested is the home of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and so many other things that are part of our nation's... 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