The Libertarian Party of Virginia (LPVA) is the Virginia affiliate of the Libertarian Party. The party was founded in 1974.
Ballot laws Ballot access laws Virginia has one of the most restrictive ballot access laws in the United States.
According to the Code of Virginia subsection 24.2-101, without "major party" status for automatic ballot access in Virginia, the LPVA has had to gather petition signatures to get on the ballot. The requirement for statewide elections, such as the U.S. Senate, is 10,000 signatures, including at least 400 from each of Virginia's 11 congressional districts. However, after the Virginia Republican presidential primary in 2012, Virginia lawmakers reduced the 10,000 signature requirement for presidential candidates by half. Now, according to Code of Virginia § 24.2-543, a petition to put a third-party or independent candidate on the ballot for U.S. President "shall be signed by at least 5,000 qualified voters and include signatures of at least 200 qualified voters from each congressional district." Thus, this revision makes it easier for presidential candidates to obtain ballot access; yet, the law still remains as a barrier to entry for minor party candidates.
For the party to gain automatic ballot access as a major party, one of its nominated candidates must receive 10% of the vote in a statewide race. To obtain the signatures necessary to receive statewide ballot access in Virginia, it has been quoted to cost between $45,000 to $90,000. Should the LPVA meet the ten percent threshold, career journalist James Bacon noted: "Sparing the Libertarian Party the expense of petitioning to get its candidates on the ballot would allow it to husband its resources to help candidates campaign... That would be huge."
Ballot access litigation The Libertarian Party of Virginia has, on multiple occasions, taken legal action over Virginia's ballot access laws.
Libertarian Party of Virginia v. Judd In 2013, the ACLU supported the Libertarian Party of Virginia and contended that the Libertarians would suffer "irreparable harm" given Virginia's ballot access laws.
In Libertarian Party of Virginia vs. Judd, the LPVA won the case regarding state residency requirements for petition circulators per the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on May 29, 2013. It was the first time a minor party had won a constitutional election law case in the Fourth Circuit since 1989 and 1988. In response to the Fourth Circuit's ruling, the State of Virginia via former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli as well as several other states, like Oklahoma, submitted petitions to the Supreme Court of the United States asking to reverse the Fourth Circuit's decision. On December 2, 2013, the petitions against the Fourth Circuit's ruling were denied by the Supreme Court, and so the Libertarian Party of Virginia won the case regarding state residency requirements for petition circulators.
Sarvis v. Judd In July 2014, The Rutherford Institute supported the Libertarian Party of Virginia and alleged Virginia ballot laws favored "the election chances of Democrat and Republican candidates at the expense of Libertarian Party and independent candidates."
In Sarvis vs. Judd a lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Libertarian Party of Virginia, several Libertarian Party candidates and an independent (non-party) candidate for public office in the November 2014 general election. The lawsuit challenged the Virginia State Board of Elections and the laws which require minor-party candidates to gather signatures on petitions to achieve ballot access as well as the laws which require minor-party and independent candidates' names to be placed below those of major-party candidates on the ballot.
Notable Virginia Libertarians Roger MacBride, the first presidential elector in U.S. history to cast a vote for a woman, and the presidential nominee for the Libertarian Party in the 1976 election Robert Sarvis, the LPVA's 2013 gubernatorial candidate whose performance was the best performance for a minor party gubernatorial candidate in the U.S. South in nearly 40 years
Office holders The LPVA has and has had members elected and appointed to varying positions of government. These have included positions for: town councils; soil and water conservation committees; budget advisory committees; community leadership institutes; buildings, roads and grounds committees; and school boards.
Elections 1999 state elections
In 1999, Timothy Belton ran in the 65th district and got 22.8 percent of the vote. John Girardeau ran in the 72nd district and got 17.1 percent.
2000 presidential election
In the 2000 presidential election, the Libertarian nominee was Harry Browne, who gathered the requisite signatures to appear on the ballot in the general election. Browne received 0.6% of the vote in Virginia. In the 8th Congressional district, Ron Crickenberger received 1.3% of the vote for Representative. In the 11th Congressional district, Robert K. McBride received 2.0% of the vote for Representative.
United States presidential election in Virginia, 2000PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican George W. Bush Dick Cheney 1,437,490 52.5% 13 Democratic Al Gore Joe Lieberman 1,217,290 44.4% 0 Green Ralph Nader Winona LaDuke 59,398 2.2% 0 Libertarian Harry Browne Art Olivier 15,198 0.6% 0 Reform Pat Buchanan Ezola Foster 5,455 0.2% 0 Constitution Howard Phillips Curtis Frazier 1,809 0.1% 0 Write-ins Write-ins - 2,807 0.1% 0 Totals 2,739,447 100% 13 Voter turnout —
2001 gubernatorial election
Bill Redpath ran for Governor against Mark Warner (D) and Mark Earley (R) receiving 0.8% of the vote. Gary Reams ran for Lieutenant Governor.
House of Delegates Bill Peabody ran in the 39th district and got 0.9% of the vote. Micah Gray ran in the 41st district and got 15.9% of the vote. Christine Austen ran in 47th district and got 2.8% of the vote. Jim Simpson ran in the 51st district and got 2.3% of the vote. John H. Girardeau III ran in the 65th district and got 2.0% of the vote. Robert Stermer ran in the 96th district and got 1.0% of the vote.
Also in 2001, ACLU lawyers represented four Libertarian candidates (Redpath, Reams, Belton, and Girardeau) seeking to be listed on the ballot as Libertarians rather than independents. Joining them as plaintiffs in their federal lawsuit were two Virginia voters, John Buckley and Shelley Tamres.
2002 midterm election
Libertarian Ron Crickenberger ran as an independent in the 8th Congressional district, although he was referred to by the media, by the LPVA website, and by his own campaign website as a Libertarian candidate. He received 2.7% of the vote.
2004 presidential election
In the 2004 presidential election, the Libertarian nominee was Michael Badnarik, who received 0.4% of the vote in Virginia.
United States presidential election in Virginia, 2004PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican George W. Bush (inc.) Dick Cheney 1,716,959 53.7% 13 Democratic John Kerry John Edwards 1,454,742 45.5% 0 Libertarian Michael Badnarik Richard Campagna 11,032 0.4% 0 Constitution Michael Peroutka Chuck Baldwin 10,161 0.3% 0 Independent (Write-in) Ralph Nader (Write-in) Peter Camejo 2,393 0.1% 0 Green (Write-in) David Cobb (Write-in) Pat LaMarche 104 0% 0 Write-ins - 24 0% 0 Totals 3,195,415 100% 13 Voter turnout (voting age population) 57.2% —
2005 state election House of Delegates Donald Ferguson ran in the 36th district and got 20.1% of the vote. Scott McPherson ran in the 37th district and got 1.5% of the vote. Charles Eby, Jr. ran in the 67th district and got 2.4% of the vote. Matthew Martin ran in the 73rd district and got 27.1% of the vote.
2006 midterm elections
Wilbur N. Wood III appeared on the ballot in Virginia's 10th congressional district, receiving 0.9% of the vote.
2007 state elections
Senate of Virginia Don Tabor ran in the 14th district and got 28.8% of the vote.
2008 elections
In the 2008 presidential election, the Libertarian nominee was Bob Barr, who gathered the requisite signatures to appear on the ballot in the general election. Barr received 0.3% of the vote in Virginia. Bill Redpath was the party nominee for U.S. Senate, and he appeared on the ballot receiving 0.6% of the vote. In the 1st congressional district, Libertarian nominee Nathan Larson appeared on the ballot and received 1.5% of the vote. He was expelled from the party in 2017.
United States presidential election in Virginia, 2008PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 1,959,532 52.6% 13 Republican John McCain Sarah Palin 1,725,005 46.3% 0 Independent Ralph Nader Matt Gonzalez 11,483 0.31 0 Libertarian Bob Barr Wayne Allyn Root 11,067 0.3% 0 Constitution Chuck Baldwin Darrell Castle 7,474 0.2% 0 Green Cynthia McKinney Rosa Clemente 2,344 0.1% 0 Write-ins Write-ins 6,355 0.2% 0 Totals 3,723,260 100% 13 Voter turnout (voting age population) 65.1%
2009 state elections
Matt Cholko ran in the 39th district and got 3.2% of the vote.
2010 midterm elections
Libertarian candidates appeared on the ballot in four U.S. House of Representatives elections in Virginia: James Quigley (3rd District), Stuart Bain (6th District), Bill Redpath (10th District), and David Dotson (11th District). Party candidates received a combined total of 23,681 votes (1.1%) statewide. (15,309 of those votes were from Bain, who received 9.2% in his district because there was no Democratic candidate running against Republican incumbent Bob Goodlatte.)
United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2010PartyVotesPercentageSeats beforeSeats after+/– Republican 1,186,098 54.1% 5 8 +3 Democratic 911,116 41.6% 6 3 -3 Independents 42,002 1.9% 0 0 0 Libertarian 23,681 1.1% 0 0 0 Independent Greens 21,374 1.0% 0 0 0 Write-In 5,570 0.3% 0 0 0 Totals 2,189,841 100% 11 11 —
2011 state elections
Senate of Virginia Don Tabor ran in the 14th district and got 28.8% of the vote.
House of Delegates Michael Kane ran in the 41st district and got 31.3% of the vote. Glenn McGuire ran in the 95th district and got 22.7% of the vote.
2012 presidential election
Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson received over 30,000 votes or approximately 0.8% of the vote in Virginia.
United States presidential election in Virginia, 2012 PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden 1,971,820 51.2% 13 Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 1,822,522 47.3% 0 Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 31,216 0.8% 0 Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 13,058 0.3% 0 Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 8,627 0.2% 0 Write-ins Write-ins 7,246 0.2% 0 Totals 3,854,489 100% 13
2013 state elections
House of Delegates Six candidates ran for various seats in the Virginia House of Delegates. Jonathan Parrish earned 22.3% in the 23rd district. Patrick Hagerty obtained 3.4% in the 33rd district. Laura Delhomme garnered 22.9% of the vote in the 47th district. Anthony Tellez had 4.2% for the 53rd district. Christopher Sullivan received 5.6% in the 55th district, and Dan Foster obtained 3.7% in the 78th district. In total, there were over 15,000 votes cast for Libertarian candidates running for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2013.
Gubernatorial