Libertarian Party of NY

Pace of Petitioning Needs to Pick Up!
By Bonnie Scott, LPNY contributing editor, 8/2/98

The deadline is approaching to get the NY State Petitions in, yet the Libertarian Party of New York still needs signatures! If you have not been in touch with your local chapter president or other petitioners in your area, it's not too late to collect a hundred or more signatures, and that's exactly what we need from you for the party to be on the ballot in '98.

NY metropolitan-area Libertarians are planning to blanket the subways, Metro North stops, and the LIRR on two consecutive Wednesdays, August 5rd and August 12th. If you're in the area, contact us for a station assignment, or print out your own forms and pick a busy station near you. We will focus on the 6AM to 9AM rush-hour crowd, and then come back for the 4PM to 7PM rush hour. If you can stay even longer, Grand Central and Penn Station should be prime locations for your effort.

Where to petition

Downstate: besides the train and subway stations, other good places to approach people for signatures are Jones Beach, outside of Yankee Stadium, and Central Park.

Upstate: try local parks and SUNY college campuses (make sure the signatures are from NY State voters).

Look for public places where there are a lot of people are hanging around. Malls and other private property may require permits before you can petition.

Six tips from Bruce Martin, an experienced NY State petitioner:

• Use a non-threatening opener like "Excuse me, are you registered to vote in New York?" (That also filters out unqualified people.)
• Sometimes, I just say "would you sign my petition", and they grab the pen. Only say enough to get them to sign the petition.
• Use the 20-second rule: if you can't get them to sign in 20 seconds, say "Thanks, have a nice day" and target the next person -- just go for the maximum number of signatures!
• If they seem reluctant, tell them that signing the petition doesn't mean you have to vote for the Libertarian Party -- it just gives them [us] a chance to run.
• If they do ask about the party, I whip out a postcard-sized quiz, and also write the new 800 number: 1-800-ELECT-US. I often mention Harry Browne's race, 2 years ago, to end the income tax and make the Federal government *much* smaller (and less intrusive). Then I say that Chris Garvey wants to do the same thing for NY.
• After signing, if they're sympathetic (or not, sometimes), I remind them to look for our emblem [pointing] and Chris Garvey on the ballot.

It's not too late...Yet

The Libertarian Party of NY's gubernatorial candidate, Chris Garvey, offers the following advice: "If you can get the board or pen into his hands, chances improve. When the crowd is responsive, you can get one per minute. Two clipboards -- no waiting, but watch both signers. You are after all, a witness.

"Don't let anyone 'sign for my boyfriend.' Such people are major party agents, looking to create an election fraud case against you, to invalidate all your signatures. Give her a blank sheet on which SHE can witness her boyfriend's signature and tell her to send it to Jeff Russell. He's listed on the petition on the committee on vacancies." Chris also offers a great line to try: "We need 15,000 signatures to get our candidate on the ballot, but we only need one from you."

Signatures collected should be submitted by August 15th to your local chapter president or directly to

      Jeff Russell
      55 Via DaVinci
      Clifton Park, NY 12065-290

bring these with you while petitioning!

1998 LPNY Gubernatorial Ballot Petition Print three now!
Instructions for Gathering Signatures from FreeNY 6/98
Position Statements from Chris Garvey, 1998 Gubernatorial candidate
1998 Libertarian NY State Candidates (you've got to know who's running!)
Voter Registration Forms if they are not registered to vote, give them this instead
also: pens, clipboards, the "World's Smallest Political Quiz," Libertarian Party cards, and a few of your friends!

Related Links:

Other 1998 state ballot petitions Suffolk County, etc.
Blank Ballot Petition if you're running, let us know
Ballot access in New York State (from early 1994) by William Kone
Bob Schulz's fight for more fair ballot access November 1994 LP Press Release
The 1994 Petition Drive by Blay Tarnoff

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