PRESS RELEASE from Libertarian Party
August 22, 2012
Gov. Gary Johnson and Jim Gray on the ballot in West Virginia

Charleston, WV: After four long months of petitioning for Ballot Access in West Virginia, on August 1, 2012 David Moran (Gubernatorial Candidate) and Michael S. Wilson (State Chair) presented 10,246 signatures to the Secretary of State (SOS) for validation - the Libertarian Party of West Virginia (LPWV) needed 7,135 valid signatures to allow David and Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson on the General Election Ballot.

The final count by the SOS lowered the submitted number to 10,019, and the County Clerks throughout the state invalidated 3,318 signatures, leaving a 434 signature deficit with only approximately 130 signatures remaining for validation.

In an effort to preempt exclusion, Michael S. Wilson and Karl Swisher (State Treasurer) filed a Freedom of Information Act Request on Friday August 17, 2012 to open the Secretary of State’s Office, the Voters Registration Database and the county reviewed petition sheets up for personal verification.

On Tuesday, August 21, Michael and Karl personally reviewed the invalidated signatures and presented findings that thirty-four (34%) percent of the invalidated signatures were in fact signed by registered voters and were valid. Thus providing an additional 1,128 signatures - three times the amount needed for inclusion.

To the credit of the Secretary of State’s staff, they agreed on thirty-two (32%) percent of our findings and at 4:56 p.m. announced that the Libertarian Candidates had successfully completed the requirements for Ballot Access.

This initial victory in 2012 has ensured that Gary Johnson and David Moran will appear on the General Election Ballot in West Virginia.

Should David Moran receive at least one (1%) percent of the votes cast for Governor in this election, the Libertarian Party will obtain ‘Major Party’ status in West Virginia and will be exempt from petitioning for inclusion on the ballot statewide for four years and so long thereafter as they continue to receive one (1%) percent for their Gubernatorial Candidates in future General Elections.


PRESS RELEASE from Libertarian Party of West Virginia
Aug. 1, 2012
Signatures In! Ballot Access Wraps Up.

CHARLESTON, WV   -   Today, August 1, 2012, David Moran (2012 Libertarian Party Gubernatorial Candidate for West Virginia) and Michael S. Wilson, J.D. (State Chairman of the Libertarian Party of West Virginia) presented 10,246 signatures to the West Virginia Secretary of State to secure Libertarians a place on the 2012 General Election Ballot in 'The Mountain State'.

Under West Virginia State Code §3-5-23 and §3-5-24, anyone running for office as a Independent or Minor Party Candidate must obtain signatures from registered voters in the state totaling at least one percent (1%) of previous General Elections votes cast for the office in which the candidate is currently seeking. For example, in 2008 the votes cast for Office of Governor was 706,046, so David has to obtain 7,060 valid signatures to appear on the ballot this November (in turn the 2008 Presidential number was 713,451, and thus Gary Johnson must obtain 7,135 valid signatures for ballot inclusion).

The Libertarian Party of West Virginia (LPWV) has fought for nearly three (3) decades to obtain and promote a fair and unbiased political process in WV, and 2012 is no exception. Through the dedication of a few passionate Libertarians, the support of the Libertarian National Committee and the guidance of William Redpath (former LP Chair, Treasurer and current Ballot Access Coordinator), we have moved one step closer to Liberty in the Mountain State.

In the final moments of the petition deadline, outside the Secretary of State's Office, Michael Wilson (State Chair of the LPWV) commented, "We have sacrificed many hours, expended our limited resources and continued fighting to ensure that West Virginia has a choice at the polls this November." He expanded, "This process [Minor Party Ballot Access] creates an undue burden on the few - in West Virginia - who are willing to stand up for our state and speak for the people and their future. It is a frivolous expense of the tax revenue, only to silence those who speak against the established, yet ineffective, current political system here in our state!"

While the LPWV has completed the petitioning process, and submitted above the requisite amount of signatures to comply with state code, we still face the process of validating the signatures (a process which is ambiguous under current codified language). In order for Libertarian Candidates to appear on the WV General Election Ballot, held nationally on November 6th, the Clerks of the County Court must 'validate' 7,153 of the submitted 10,246 signatures (a 69.64% validity) for all candidates to appear at the polls.