Freedom Lawyers of America

Wyoming Libertarians Achieve Major Party Status

The Wyoming Libertarian Party today claims major party status,
according to Dave Dawson, Wyoming Libertarian Party Spokesman. LP
candidate Marie Brossman, in the race for Secretary of State, received
29,000 votes, or 17% of the total.

Brossman ran in one of three state wide races that affect a political
party's ballot status under Wyoming law. A "Minor political party" is
one whose candidate achieves between two and ten percent of the vote
in one of the three contests. A "Major political party" is one whose
candidate achieves ten percent or more.

Brossman lives in Lander with her husband, Dennis. She achieved
state wide notice when several newspapers editorialized that she should
have debated her sole opponent, incumbent Joe Meyer. The criticism
shows growing acceptance of Libertarians in Wyoming, Brossman
maintains. "It's much better than being shut out of the debates, as
Libertarians are in many states."

As a statutory major party, the Libertarian Party will now nominate
candidates via primary, rather than by convention. Voting in primary
elections is open to voters registered as members of the
party. Wyoming does not have an open primary.

"These are unofficial results," Dawson cautioned. Libertarians expect
the Secretary of State to certify the results before Monday, November
18, making them official. Dawson does not expect the official results
to be very different.