Voters leave Republican and Democratic Parties
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPa)
3915 Union Deposit Road #223
Harrisburg, PA 17109
www.lppa.org
For Immediate Release: December 10, 2009
Contact: Doug Leard (Media Relations) at Media-Relations@lppa.org or
Michael Robertson (Chair) at 1-800-R-RIGHTS / chair@lppa.org
Harrisburg –
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS), the Libertarian Party increased their number of registered voters by 2.3% over the past six months. Meanwhile, the total number of registered voters in Pennsylvania declined 0.8%.
Voters registering without a party affiliation rose 2.2% while the two old parties lost over 65,000 voters, a 1.1% decline for Republicans and a 0.7% decline for Democrats.
Michael Robertson, LPPa Chair stated “The shift in voter affiliation shows the voters are realizing the two old parties do not represent them anymore. The fact that the number of Libertarian voter registrations is growing faster than even independents indicates voters are also realizing the ideals of the Libertarian Party represent the best hope for the return of small government to our Commonwealth.”
Two recent Rasmussen polls support the trend toward libertarian principles. A poll a few months ago revealed that 62% of Americans prefer a smaller government with fewer services and lower taxes. A poll released on Dec. 8 reported that 76% of those polled believed that a free market economy was better than one managed by the government.
The increase in Libertarian Party registration is more impressive given the challenges imposed by the DOS. Instead of distributing current
registration forms with Libertarian Party as an option, Pedro Cortés,
Secretary of the Commonwealth, authorized the DOS to distribute from a stock of 300,000 obsolete voter registration forms that do not include the Libertarian Party as a listed option for party registration.
The DOS refused the Libertarian Party’s request for the obsolete forms to be removed from inventory. S. Douglas Leard, LPPa Media Relations Chair commented “Due to the current distribution policy by the DOS, many voters are unaware of the option to register as a Libertarian in Pennsylvania. I encourage anyone registering for the first time or changing their registration to download their form from www.dos.state.pa.us so they get a current form.”
Michael Robertson summarized “People are realizing the Libertarian Party best represents the ideals that inspired the founding of our nation. The ideas that all people are born with equal inherent rights and people can generally make decisions for themselves better than others can make decisions for them are as sound today as they were in 1776.”
The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in Pennsylvania
and the United States. More than 200,000 people across the country are registered Libertarians, and Libertarians serve in hundreds of elected offices. For more information, please visit www.LP.org or www.lppa.org.