Libertarian Party of Kansas CANDIDATES HANDBOOK Running for Political Office in Kansas on the Libertarian Ticket Topeka, Kansas Autumn 2015 1
Table of Contents Introduction...3 Some Definitions...3 Procedures Common to All Campaigns...4 Paper Candidates...5 Active Candidates...5 Preparing to Run for Office...5 Libertarian Principles...5 Speaking Skills...5 Knowledge of Job You are Applying For...6 Whom You Know, and Who Knows You...6 Experience with Campaigns...6 Prepare Yourself and Your Family...6 Skeletons in Your Closet...7 The Libertarian Party of Kansas Candidate Nomination Process...7 The Nomination Process and Nominating Convention...7 LPKS Nomination Procedure Overview...7 Your LPKS Nomination Speech...8 After the Convention...8 Running the Best Possible Campaign...8 Good Ideas...8 Good Communication...9 Good Volunteers...10 Good Marketing...11 Adequate Funding...13 How the LPKS Can Support Your Campaign...14 How to Prepare Yourself for Future Campaigns...15 Flowchart of Procedures...16 Where to Get More Information...17 Appendix A -- The Essence of Liberty by David F. Nolan...18 Appendix B Information from the Libertarian National Campaign Committee...20 Appendix C Running for Office as A Libertarian in Kansas Flowchart...22 2
Introduction Thank you for considering running for public office on the Libertarian ticket. Win or lose, every Libertarian who runs for public office advances the cause of Liberty by introducing Libertarian principles to the public, and by helping the voters understand that there are alternatives to the two established parties. If you win, even better! The goal of this handbook is to help you be successful in advancing the cause of Liberty, no matter which office you run for or the outcome of the election. As you work your way through this handbook, do not hesitate to contact the current Chair of the LPKS by email at chair@lpks.org with questions or concerns. It must be understood that this Handbook is intended as an informal guide for Kansas Libertarians considering running for public office. It is not legal advice and cannot be used as a defense for violation of campaign laws -- local, state, and federal. It is entirely the responsibility of the candidate to learn and abide by all laws and regulations pertaining to political campaigns and political campaign financing. Some Definitions Here are some terms we use in this Handbook. They are terms that are used within the LPKS. You will hear them often at LP functions, meetings, and conventions, and that is why they are used in this Handbook. They are not official, and they do not appear in the Campaign Finance Act. Active Candidates are in it to win. They are serious about their campaigns and will do everything they can to win their elections and then to serve as a role-model of Liberty in their new position of elected official. Paper Candidates advance the cause of liberty by making sure there is a candidate on the ballot identified by the letter L. Partisan Races are races in which the political parties of the candidates are specified on the ballot. Generally these are races for statewide and federal offices. Some examples are Governor/Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, Attorney General, United States Senator, United States Representative, State Senator, and State Representative. Most elections of county-level offices are also partisan races. These can include County Clerk, County Commissioner, Register of Deeds, County Attorney, and Sheriff. LP candidates for partisan races are chosen at the State Convention. 3
Non-Partisan Races are races in which the political parties of the candidates are not specified on the ballot. Most city and school elections, such as City Council and School Board Representative are nonpartisan. A Libertarian may run for a non-partisan office without being chosen at the State Convention. However, candidates for non-partisan races are strongly encouraged to announce their candidacy at the convention and to gather support from the LPKS membership. Procedures Common to All Campaigns No matter what kind of candidate you choose to be Active or Paper and no matter whether yours is a partisan or a non-partisan race, there are a number of things you must do. The choice of running for office and serving in elected office is not a decision to be made lightly. To be successful both during and after the election, you need to prepare yourself. Libertarian Principles Please keep in mind that this Handbook is directed to liberty-minded individuals who embrace the principle of Liberty and the values of the Libertarian Party of Kansas. Before making the final decision to begin preparing for a campaign as a Libertarian, you need to review the LPKS Statement of Principle and the Party Platform (available at http://www.lpks.org/our_leadership_and_principles). In addition, read carefully The Essence of Liberty by David F. Nolan (Appendix A). Make sure you understand the principles outlined in these documents. While you may not agree with every word of the LPKS Party Platform, the five principles outlined in David Nolan s essay are fundamental to the Libertarian Party. These are the areas the nominating convention will be looking at in deciding whether you will represent the LPKS on the ballot. GEC You may publicly declare your candidacy at any time. Within ten days of that declaration, you must file with the Governmental Ethics Commission (GEC). All candidates must appoint a treasurer for their campaign, and must file an Appointment of Treasurer form. If you are running for a state office you must report the name and address of your treasurer of your campaign to the Secretary of State within 10 days of the appointment; if you are running for a local office, you must report the name and address of your treasurer to the county election officer within 10 days of the appointment. For additional information, go to http://ethics.ks.gov/statsandregs/25-4144.html. Filing these forms is entirely your responsibility, and will generally take place long before the State Convention when the LPKS candidates are chosen. As soon as these forms are filed, you may begin raising campaign money. 4
Paper Candidates In addition to filing an Appointment of Treasurer from, Paper Candidates must file an affidavit stating that they do not plan to raise nor spend more than $500 during their campaign. This affidavit must be filed not less than 9 days before the primary election. Candidates for state office file the affidavit with the Secretary of State; Candidates for local office file with the county election officer. For more information, go to http://ethics.ks.gov/statsandregs/25-4173.html. After filing with the GEC, the next task for Paper Candidates is to attend the LPKS State Convention and be nominated to appear on the ballot. If chosen to be on the ballot, you will be required to pay the Reporting Fee for that office. The 2014 fee schedule shows Reporting Fees running from $20 to $500, depending on the office. Some Paper Candidates stop here. Others go on to participate in activities that require expending time and effort, but not money. For example, many Paper Candidates fill out questionnaires from the media, participate in forums, attend political events, work at LP booths, etc. A number of Paper Candidates have even campaigned door-to-door and printed fliers and yard signs. Just be sure, if you choose to do this, that if your expenses exceed the minimum allowed for your race, you file the proper forms and reports immediately with the GEC. Paper Candidates should understand that an Active Candidate is always preferable to someone who is not actually trying to win the election. If there is an Active Candidate who has declared for the same office for which you are running, the Active Candidate will almost certainly be preferred. Active Candidates For Active Candidates, filing with the GEC is just the beginning of the adventure. The rest of this Handbook is intended help Active LPKS Candidates get on the ballot and run the best campaigns possible. Preparing to Run for Office Speaking Skills Simply put, you must have experience speaking to groups to be a successful candidate and elected official. Being a good speaker takes practice. Find opportunities to hone your skills at work, in clubs, and in your local LPKS group. Also consider joining a speaking skills development group such as Toast Masters. Most areas in Kansas have such groups. 5
Knowledge of Job You Are Applying For Running for office is the public equivalent of applying for a job. Before you can run for office, you must fully understand the responsibilities and challenges of that office as well as have a detailed plan of what you would do in that office. Educate yourself. Physical Appearance Libertarians are not known for being ordinary, and you don t want your message to sound just like everyone else s. Your physical appearance is another matter. How you present yourself makes an impact long before you open your mouth to present your message. You don t have to be tall and handsome or thin and beautiful, but you do need to appear professional, trustworthy, and competent. A plurality of your constituents needs to like your looks enough to want you to represent them. You need to dress for the job you want. Whom You Know, and Who Knows You You are going to be asking for not only people s votes but for their donations to your campaign. The more people you know and the more people who know you, the easier the asking will be. Find ways to become better known in the area you re considering running in. Be active in your community; take the lead in issues affecting your community, join clubs, take on the leadership positions, write letters to the editor, become known as an expert on the Principle of Liberty in your community. Experience with Campaigns The best way to learn a skill is to practice and observe that skill. If you want to run for office in the future, volunteer for others candidates campaigns now. You can learn from those campaigns regardless of their success. Prepare Yourself and Your Family Before you make a final decisions to run for any office as a Libertarian, please carefully consider the magnitude of the commitment you are making both during the campaign and as an elected official. This is in no way intended to intimidate you or discourage you from running. But running for political office takes energy, determination, organization, careful attention to dozens of details, and money. We want to help you in every way possible to run a successful and energetic campaign, with few unpleasant surprises along the way. If you have any questions about the commitment you are considering, please do not hesitate to contact the Chair of the Libertarian Party of Kansas at chair@lpks.org. He or she stands ready to assist you in making the best decision for yourself, your family, and for Liberty. 6
Skeletons in Your Closet Have you been convicted of a crime? Is your ex-husband or ex-wife likely to say dreadful things about you if asked by the newspaper? Don t kid yourself that no one will ever find out. Skeletons in your closet don t mean you can t run for office, but be well-prepared to handle the situation when it arises. It s best not to bring the issue up yourself (unless you know that your opponent is going to, in which case being pre-emptive might be a good idea), but when it is brought up, be ready to say something like, Yes, I did make a mistake when I was a lot younger. However, it has nothing to do with the issues in this campaign. Do not hesitate to own and apologize for past mistakes. Kansans are amazingly understanding and forgiving when offered the truth. Then go on with your message. The Libertarian Party of Kansas Candidate Nomination Process Once you have made the decision to run for office as a Libertarian and have filed with the GEC, you must earn the right to appear on the general election ballot as a Libertarian by participating in and winning the LPKS nomination for public office. The Nomination Process and Nominating Convention As a ballot-qualified Minor Political Party under Kansas Law, The Libertarian Party of Kansas nomination procedure does not involve a primary election. Instead, the LPKS nominates candidates at a Nominating Convention that takes place at the LPKS Annual Meeting in evennumbered years. These Annual Meetings are held in March or April each year. The location and date of that convention change, but to be considered a serious candidate for office you should plan to attend. Watch the LPKS.org news in the fall and winter of each year to learn details of the upcoming convention. LPKS Nomination Procedure Overview Below is an outline of the LPKS Nomination Procedures as they apply to all partisan races. Candidates should have already filed with the GEC, or be prepared to do so immediately after the convention. Candidate should make arrangements for another convention attendee to nominate the candidate to be the LPKS candidate on the ballot. Candidate should be prepared to make a SHORT speech explaining why he or she should represent the LPKS in the election. 7
After each candidate speaks, any party member in attendance will be allowed to speak in support or challenge of that candidate. After all candidates for any given office have spoken, the party membership will be allowed to ask the candidates questions. All party members in attendance will be allowed to vote for all candidates for all public offices. In each vote, membership will have the option of voting None of the Above. If None of the Above wins, then no candidate will win the Libertarian Nomination for that office, and no Libertarian candidate will appear in that race in the general election. Your LPKS Nomination Speech You should anticipate having about five minutes to speak to the LPKS membership. This is your chance to tell Libertarian nominating voters why they should vote for you. Consider using your five minutes to tell them why you are running for office, what your campaign plan is and why it will be successful, and what your three main issues will be when elected. You are not required to use your entire allotted time. After the Convention Nominated LPKS candidates will be certified to the Secretary of State and reported to the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission (GEC) by the Chair of the LPKS. Those candidates will appear on the Kansas General Election Ballot as Libertarian Party Candidates. LPKS candidates will visit the Kansas GEC website to file required reports during the campaign. LPKS candidates will work with the LPKS County, District, and State Chairs to recruit support from LPKS volunteers throughout their campaign. You are urged to have at least two volunteers recruited. One should be the Campaign Treasurer, and the second should be either the Campaign Manager or Campaign Marketing Director. These volunteers should consider attending the state convention to speak on your behalf. It is strongly recommended that you have a campaign website. You should have a video of yourself explaining why you are running for office available from your website. Your resume should also be available from your website. It is essential that you commit to raising money to support your campaign. You can begin raising money as soon as you file with the GEC, and you should raise enough money prior to the nominating convention to be able to present funds to the Chair of the Libertarian Party of Kansas to cover your campaign reporting fee if you become the Libertarian Candidate for the general election. Reporting fees range from as low as twenty dollars to several hundred dollars for state officers. Check the Kansas Secretary of State s website for the most current reporting fees, or contact the Chair of the Libertarian Party of Kansas at chair@lpks.org. If you are not planning to attend the LPKS State Convention, you can make arrangements to get those fees to the State Chair before the convention. In the case you are unsuccessful in gaining the LPKS nomination, those funds will be returned to you in a timely manner. 8
Running the Best Possible Campaign Successful campaigns are more than just the best ideas. They are a combination of good ideas, good communication, good volunteers, good marketing, and adequate funding. This section is designed to help you develop each of these areas. Good Ideas As much as we love to talk about all the aspects of Libertarianism, the shotgun approach of ideas doesn t make for an effective campaign. When speaking to the voters, if you try to cover every issue in the news, your message will be so diluted that it will not be memorable. Instead, pick 3 core issues that are most important to you and to your constituents, and that apply to the position you are running for, then develop a strong and detailed message about them. For example: If you are running for City Council, you might want to include a message about property taxes: Property taxes are too high, and you have three steps you will implement to lower them. If you are running for the state legislature, you can include school choice in your campaign: Parents should be able to choose the right school for their children, and you support KELA, the piece of legislation drafted by the LPKS that will allow them to do that. If you are running for County Commission, you can talk about property rights: Eminent domain abuse has occurred in your county several times recently, and you have an outline for a county ordinance to stop it. Be sure to pick issues that fall within the authority of the office you are seeking. Of course, you must be prepared to answer questions on other topics, but let the voters know that you have specific plans for your core issues. Good Communication If you can t tell people what you believe and what you will do in a manner that they can understand, you have failed to communicate. You will need to create a concise message. We Libertarians can be a little long-winded and overly intellectual. To communicate with voters, you need to be able to make your ideas accessible to all. We encourage you to practice the following exercise regarding each of your core issues: Step 1: While looking into a mirror, explain in 5 minutes why this is an issue and what you will do solve this problem when in office. Step 2: Do the same thing in 3 minutes. Step 3: Now in 1 minute. Step 4: Now in just 30 seconds. While every Libertarian knows that 30 seconds isn t enough time to explain the detailed intricacies of important issues facing our communities, they also need to know that if they can t explain the general issues in that amount of time they will not get the majority of votes. To do so, you must practice. 9
Dress Up or Down? How we dress says a lot about how important we feel an event is. Believe it or not, campaigning for political office is one of the few times when it s better to be a little overdressed than a little underdressed. The emphasis here is a little. A good rule of thumb is to dress the same as you expect the most dressed-up voter at the event to be. If you are speaking at a forum, most of your audience will be dressed casually, but some of them will have come straight from work. You should wear business attire. If you re invited to a picnic and most attendees will be dressed in ragged shorts and torn tank tops, wear nice shorts and a good t-shirt. Gimmicks Be very, very cautious here. There probably isn t a campaign gimmick that some candidate, Libertarian or otherwise, hasn t tried. But walking around on stilts to show your message is bigger than your opponent s, or showing up dragging a ball and chain to emphasize our lack of liberty, can often make you look more silly than clever. And people don t vote for silly candidates. Good Volunteers Successful campaigns are either driven by volunteers or spending. Since Libertarians will not be sold to the largest donors, their campaigns must be driven by volunteers who share the vision of the candidate and believe that your preparation gives you a good chance of success. If you ve done your work making connections within your community this shouldn t be an issue. If you can t find two good volunteers, you probably are not ready to run for office. Listed below are a number of roles that your two (or more) core volunteers could undertake. If you win the LPKS nomination, and are selected as the LPKS Candidate in the general election, the state party will assist in giving you access to more volunteers who might choose to fill other roles in your campaign. Campaign Treasurer There are several financial reports to be filed during the campaign cycle, and there are some pretty strict regulations governing campaign record-keeping. If you enjoy that sort of thing, you can be your own treasurer. If not, try to find someone who is number-oriented to be your treasurer. It is by no means a full-time job, but it does require meticulous record keeping and timely reporting. When you first file to run for office you will be required to state who your campaign treasurer is, and all campaign advertising must carry a message such as Paid for by Jane Liberty for Senate, Tom Freeman, Treasurer. The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission (GEC) is charged with administering, interpreting, and enforcing the Campaign Finance Act. Most campaign reporting is to the GEC. They are very friendly and helpful, so be sure to contact them with questions before misunderstandings become an issue. They will become your campaign treasurer s new best friend. You can find their web site at http://www.kansas.gov/ethics/. 10
Campaign Manager You must have a campaign manager to run a successful campaign. Your campaign manager will help you develop and follow your campaign strategy, help create and follow a campaign budget, be your sounding board for your message, coordinate your volunteers, order campaign supplies, plan and execute your fund-raising efforts, schedule your appearances, act as your personal assistant during the campaign, keep you going when you re discouraged, and can provide a fresh perspective when you re tempted to go off the deep end. Your campaign manager is your most important volunteer. He or she should be someone who not only believes in you, your message, and your campaign, but someone you totally believe in as well. Your Manager will often be the voice and face of you and your campaign. Media Manager Your Media Manager will be responsible for finding every opportunity to get your name in front of the public. He or she will create and manage your social media accounts, be responsible for writing and sending press releases and letters to the editor. Yard signs, leaflets, radio and TV spots, newspaper ads, and billboards are just some of the effective ways of letting voters know about you. Feet on the Ground To win a campaign you must have volunteers ready to help in countless ways. You need volunteers to walk in parades, go door to door, call voters, write letters to the editor, find speaking opportunities for you, take and post photos, share your message online, donate financially, and be an advocate for you and your campaign to their family, friends, and co-workers. The more volunteers you have, and the more organized your volunteers are, the greater your chance of success. Other Volunteer Positions to Consider Some campaigns will choose to have volunteers with specific roles. We ve listed some of the most common ones. Volunteer Coordinator Coordinates volunteer activity to assure that other volunteers know how and when they can help the most. Social Media Coordinator Runs the Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. social media pages for the campaign and keeps them active with good content while working to grow the number of people following each social media channel. Advertising Director Creates advertising material for use in the campaign. These might include: palm cards, yard signs, social media images, videos, radio spots, TV commercials, YouTube videos, t-shirts, hats, buttons, etc. Good Marketing A good message isn t enough; you must be able to share that message in a way that potential voters can understand. This isn t just about your speaking skills. You need to find affordable methods to share that message. Website One of the recommended preparations for your campaign was a website with issues, video, and resume. If you have these things done, you are well on your way to having this portion of your marketing done. 11
Facebook The Liberty movement is very popular on Facebook, and to be successful you need to be popular there as well. Create a page focused on your campaign, invite your family and friends to become fans of that page, and then share your message from your website there. Palm Cards & Yard Signs You need professionally printed material to empower your supporters to spread the word about you and your campaign. You need at least palm cards and yard signs. Also consider a few banners and stickers or buttons to use at booths and parades. YouTube To be a successful candidate, you must be a skilled communicator. Since you won t be able to communicate with most potential voters one-on-one, you need a way to do so by proxy; YouTube is that way. You need to post videos of you speaking, answering questions, and just being you on your YouTube page. Those same videos need to be shared on your website and Facebook page. Press Releases Getting coverage from the media is challenging, but that shouldn t stop you from trying. Your challenge is to write press-releases that are print ready for overworked reporters in your campaign area. The LPKS can help you by providing not only sample press releases, but a list of media email addresses. You should consider getting a free emailing service such as mailchimp.com to send your press releases. Show Up Everywhere Take every opportunity to speak with the public. Ask your Campaign Manager to book you at every forum, debate, or other candidate gathering in your voting area. Ask your other volunteers to find speaking opportunities and forward them to your campaign manager. Show up on time. Know who your audience is. Was the event organized by a Tea Party Group? The League of Women Voters? A Second Amendment advocacy group? The questions are likely to be very different for each one. Be prepared. Responding to Voters When constituents contact you by mail, email, or phone answer them. If they ask questions for which you have no answer, say so, but answer the email or return the phone call. Nothing will lose you votes faster than ignoring the voters. Door-to-Door Campaigning There are few campaigning activities more effective than walking door-to-door, handing out literature, and asking your constituents directly for their votes. Be careful, especially if you re a man, not to intimidate the voter. There are many women living alone, and they will be reluctant to open the door to a man they don t know who is standing close enough to the door to force his way in or grab them. When campaigning door-to-door, ring the doorbell, then step several feet away from the door. Make sure your face is visible to anyone looking out the peephole. When the resident opens the door, stay where you are, introduce yourself, and hold out the literature you re carrying. Only if the resident motions you forward should you step toward the door. 12
Adequate Funding Like it or not, no campaign can be successful without some money. You don t have to have a lot of cash indeed, several LP campaign have made a good showing on a shoestring. But there s no doubt that it s easier to get your message out there if you have some money to spend. Prepare to begin taking donations as soon as you file with the GEC. You will become an official LPKS candidate when you are nominated at the state convention. Make fundraising an ongoing part of your campaign. You will need a dedicated campaign checking account. You will likely also want a dedicated online money account (such as Paypal or Amazon Payment) to be able to take donations online. You don t need as much campaign funding as establishment candidates, but you do need funding. To get that funding you must have the courage to ask for donations from your contacts: family, friends, and acquaintances. If you are not ready to ask these supporters for financial support, then you are not ready to run for office. Ask in Person Most of your donations will be gained because you asked for them in person. These asks will happen at meet-and-greets, at local LPKS meetings, and at candidate appearances. Ask On-Line Ask on your website and your Facebook page if you can t ask in person. Have a plan and a budget Libertarians won t give you blank check. Tell them what you will spend the money on before you ask for campaign contributions, then get their email address and tell them what you spent their donations on. Transparency is powerful and inspires support in the form of additional donations. 13
How the LPKS can support your campaign As you prepare for the Nominating Convention, we will answer your questions and help you develop your platform. Feel free to contact the Chair at chair@lpks.org with any questions. Once you have been chosen at the LPKS State Convention to represent the party in the general election, the LPKS can support your campaign in the following ways: Certify your nomination with the Kansas Secretary of State to make you an official Libertarian Candidate for office. Send links to your campaign website to our hundreds of volunteers and ask those volunteers to carefully review your campaign and consider supporting you and your campaign with their time and financial resources. Post links to your campaign website to our social media channels leading more liberty-minded Kansans to your message. Provide to you a list of Kansas media email address to be used during your campaign. 14
How to prepare yourself for future campaigns After reading this handbook, many potential candidates will decide that they are not yet ready to run for public office. That is an understandable decision, because campaigning and public service are not easy tasks. Yet that does not mean that you cannot be ready for the challenge within a year or two. If you want to prepare yourself for a future campaign, the time to start is today. Begin by being brutally honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses. Are you too verbose? Do you appear healthy and energetic? Do you have good conversation skills? Are you able to discuss Libertarian principles with people who disagree with you without raising your voice? Do you fully understand the responsibilities of the job that you are considering running for? Do you know enough people who believe in you and your message and who will donate time and money to your campaign? Are you willing and able to ask people for donations to your campaign? After you answer these questions, you should find someone else who knows you well enough to answer the same questions about you and add their own thoughts about your strengths and weaknesses. When you find the one person who has the courage and insight to give you honest answers, you may have found your campaign manager. Here are some other things you should consider doing to prepare yourself for your eventual campaign. Join a public speaking skills group such as Toastmasters International. Become more healthy and fit and develop your personal appearance style. Attend some form of campaign training, such as that offered by American Majority. Be a volunteer for other LPKS campaigns and gain real experience in campaigning. Volunteer to be a Campaign Manager for a LPKS campaign to gain invaluable behind-the-scene experience with a real campaign. Attend public meetings where the current elected official that you are someday hoping to replace is conducting the business of his or her office. Learn first-hand what their job is, and learn how to do it better. Begin to develop a group of core friends who will someday become your campaign s group of core volunteers. Put yourself in a position to gain positive name recognition in the area you will eventually seek office in. Write letters to the editor, volunteer, speak at public meetings, offer real Libertarian solutions to real problems. Keep in mind that you are building a foundation for your future campaign and always present yourself in the same manner you will as a candidate. 15
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Where to Get More Information American Majority, http://americanmajority.org/, offers excellent training for political candidates, and it is usually free. If you attend one of their sessions, plan to take your campaign manager along. Libertarian Party of Kansas: www.lpks.org National Libertarian Party: www.lp.org Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission: www.kansas.gov/ethics/ 17
Appendix A The Essence of Liberty by David F. Nolan As a founder of the Libertarian Party and editor-in-chief of California Liberty, I am often asked how to tell if someone is "really" a libertarian. There are probably as many different definitions of the word "libertarian" as there are people who claim the label. These range from overly broad ("anyone who calls himself a libertarian is one") to impossibly doctrinaire ("only those who agree with every word in the party platform are truly annointed"). My own definition is that in order to be considered a libertarian, at least in the political context, an individual must adhere without compromise to five key points. Ideally, of course, we'd all be in agreement on everything. But we're not, and probably never will be. Debate is likely to continue indefinitely on such matters as abortion, foreign policy, and whether, when, and how various government programs can be discontinued or privatized. But as far as I'm concerned, if someone is sound on these five points, he/she is de facto a libertarian; if he fails on even one of the five, he isn't. What then, are the "indispensible five" -- the points of no compromise? YOU OWN YOURSELF First and foremost, libertarians believe in the principle of self-ownership. You own your own body and mind; no external power has the right to force you into the service of "society" or "mankind" or any other individual or group for any purpose, however noble. Slavery is wrong, period. Because you own yourself, you are responsible for your own well-being. Others are not obligated to feed you, clothe you, or provide you with health care. Most of us choose to help one another voluntarily, for a variety of reasons -- and that's as it should be -- but "forced compassion" is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE Self-ownership implies the right to self-defense. Libertarians yield to no one in their support for our right as individuals to keep and bear arms. We only wish that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution said "The right to self-defense being inalienable..." instead of that stuff about a "well-regulated militia". Anyone who thinks that government -- any government -- has the right to disarm its citizens is NOT a libertarian! NO "CRIMINAL POSSESSION" LAWS In fact, libertarians believe that individuals have the right to own and use anything- gold, guns, marijuana, sexually explicit material- so long as they do not harm others through force or the 18
threat of force. Laws criminalizing the simple possession of anything are tailor-made for police states; it is all too easy to plant a forbidden substance in someone's home, car or pocket. Libertarians are as tough on crime- real crime- as anyone. But criminal possession laws are an affront to liberty, whatever the rhetoric used to defend them. NO TAXES ON PRODUCTIVITY In an ideal world, there would be no taxation. All services would be paid for on an as-used basis. But in a less-than-ideal world, some services will be force-financed for the foreseeable future. However, not all taxes are equally deleterious, and the worst form of taxation is a tax on productivity -- i.e., an income tax -- and no libertarian supports this type of taxation. What kind of taxation is least harmful? This is a topic still open for debate. My own preference is for a single tax on land. Is this "the" libertarian position on taxes? No. But all libertarians oppose any form of income tax. A SOUND MONEY SYSTEM The fifth and final key test of anyone's claim to being a libertarian is their support for an honest money system; i.e. one where the currency is backed by something of true value (usually gold or silver). Fiat money -- money with no backing, whose acceptance is mandated by the State -- is simply legalized counterfeiting and is one of the keys to expanding government power. The five points enumerated here are not a complete, comprehensive prescription for freedom... but they would take us most of the way. A government which cannot conscript, confiscate, or counterfeit, and which imposes no criminal penalties for the mere possession and peaceful use of anything, is one that almost all libertarians would be comfortable with. 19
Appendix B From the Libertarian National Campaign Committee YOU WON. NOW WHAT? As an elected official you have a duty to serve and communicate with your neighbors. How do you do it? * Make constituent service the TOP PRIORITY. If someone calls your office with problems such as potholes, broken streetlights or problems with a city agency, they should be served immediately and to the best you can. Make sure to collect information from both sides of the argument before making a decision or forwarding to the appropriate authority. Allow the constituent to give you feedback on how he or she was served. You can't make everyone happy, and often constituents make unreasonable requests, but they should always be treated with prompt and full attention and the utmost respect. * Institute a print and email newsletter distributed to constituents on a set periodic basis. Include a feedback or survey forms in each so people can speak with you. * Contact the Public Information offices of each military branch. Ask to be placed on the media list to be notified when a resident of your district receives a promotion or commendation. * Contact the schools in your district to get their honor roll each term. Enter them into a spreadsheet and print for each student a congratulatory letter. The school will often agree to deliver them to students in school. YOU LOST. NOW WHAT? Not every candidate wins. But that doesn't mean your race was a loss for the Party. What do you do now? * Write up a post-race report fully laying out everything your campaign did, what worked, what didn't work and what suggestions you would make to future candidates. Share this with your state and local party. 20
* Also share with your state and local party a list of your donors and supporters so they may contact them for future LP events and races. Check with your state regarding laws on soliciting from candidate lists. * Please consider running again. Many candidates have to run several times before they win, no matter what party they run in. * Be open to sharing and speaking with future candidates. YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT RUNNING. NOW WHAT? Running for office as a Libertarian can be rewarding and fun. So what do you do? * Talk to your state and local party about the office you're thinking of running for. * Talk to past Libertarian candidates. Get feedback and suggestions from them. * Talk to your state or local election board about the legal and reporting requirements. Be ready to begin collecting ballot access signatures (if necessary) as soon as legally possible. * Put together your fundraising list. The first people you call are your friends and family, often your "Christmas card list." 21
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