Libertarian Party Scores Major Ballot Access Wins Ahead of 2018

image
Published: 10 Jul, 2017
Updated: 17 Oct, 2022
1 min read

There is big news for the Libertarian Party: It can add one more state where it has official party status and ballot access for the 2018 midterms.

Ballot Access News reported Monday that the LP's petition for party status was validated by the Arkansas secretary of state on July 7. This means the Libertarian Party has ballot access in 39 states, plus the District of Columbia for some or all races in the midterm elections.

RELATED ARTICLE: Libertarian Takeover: More Lawmakers Are Ditching The Major Parties

The 11 states where the LP does not have ballot access: Alabama, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.

The state made significant gains following the 2016 presidential election thanks in large part to the record-high voter turnout for its presidential candidate, Gary Johnson, and his running mate, Bill Weld. Over 4 million voters cast a libertarian vote in 2016. According to a previous report on IVN, that quadrupled the party's previous turnout high.

Latest articles

homelessness in California
Clearing Homeless Encampments Is a Band-Aid, Not A Solution
Last July, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order “to address (homeless) encampments” and allocated funding to local governments to clear encampments and connect “those living in them to housing and supportive services.” ...
20 Jun, 2025
-
3 min read
Thomas Massie
Thomas Massie and AOC: The Political Alliance No One Saw Coming in 2025
All eyes are on President Donald Trump to see if the US will further insert itself into the escalating military conflict between Israel and Iran. As the two nations continue to attack each other, the debate over US involvement is creating a rift between defense hawks and non-interventionists in the Republican Party....
20 Jun, 2025
-
5 min read
Bottle with a cannabis plant on it.
Is Texas About to Be More Chill on Hemp Than California?
California has just proposed a sweeping new rule to permanently ban intoxicating hemp products — and Texas may soon follow, as Governor Greg Abbott (R) faces a June 22 deadline to sign or veto a similar bill....
19 Jun, 2025
-
4 min read