Frequently Asked Questions - Campaigns
To make it easier for you to find what you are looking for, we've organized the questions into categories. These are the Campaigns, Voting, and Elections questions. There are lots more in the FAQ submenu above. Click a question to jump down to the answer.
Why should I vote for a Libertarian candidate?
Should I run for political office?
How does the Libertarian Party assist candidates?
Who is the Libertarian running in District X?
Why don't Libertarian candidates talk more about Issue Y?
Isn't it wasting my vote to vote for a Libertarian?
I’m a life-long Democrat/Republican. Why should I vote for a Libertarian candidate?
What accounts for the strength of the Democratic and Republican parties?
Do you receive federal or state money for your campaigns?
Answers
Why should I vote for a Libertarian candidate?
When you vote Libertarian, you vote to maximize freedom, education, health, prosperity, and tolerance for yourself, your family, and your community. The question really is "How can you not vote Libertarian?"
Should I run for political office?
The Libertarian Party of Illinois encourages every Libertarian to run for political office or help with others’ campaigns. Over 600 Libertarians ran for office last year. Hundreds of Libertarians have been elected to state and local offices across the country. You can be one of them.
Contact us if you are interested in running as a candidate for any political office.
How does the Libertarian Party assist candidates?
The LPl stands ready to assist Libertarian candidates with campaign advice, contacts, outreach material, and publicity for their campaigns. There are also educational and candidate tracking programs that can help you at the national level.
Who is the Libertarian running in District X?
Illinois Libertarians who have informed us that they are running current campaigns are listed on our Candidates page. If you know someone who should be added to this page or if you are considering running yourself, please contact us.
Why don't Libertarian candidates talk more about Issue Y?
Share your suggestion with our Campaigns chair or specific candidates.
Isn't it wasting my vote to vote for a Libertarian?
The purpose of casting your vote is to influence government policy. If you vote for a Democrat or a Republican, you are telling them, “You’re doing a great job—keep giving us more of the same.” Every vote for a Libertarian sends the opposite message:"A smaller, cheaper government is better for people than a large and costly one."
You should always vote for candidates that best represent your views, not just “less bad” ones. Voting for the “lesser of two evils” will ensure that evil wins!
I’m a life-long Democrat/Republican. Why should I vote for a Libertarian candidate?
Most Libertarians are former Democrats or Republicans that “converted” because they found that their party no longer represented their political beliefs. Most don’t like the way the country is headed or feel that recent administrations have abandoned the vision of individual rights and personal responsibility that our country was founded upon.
What accounts for the strength of the Democratic and Republican parties?
Since the Ds/Rs control the government, they make election rules that increase their chance of staying in power. Gerrymandering legislative districts is one example, another is creating restrictive ballot access laws. For example, just to appear on your ballot, a Libertarian candidate for governor must obtain 25,000 valid petition signatures within a 3-month time period, then fight and win a line-by-line petition challenge. The Ds/Rs only have to file 5,000 signatures and they automatically get on the ballot.
The Ds/Rs control televised debates at all levels. If Libertarian candidates could be heard, people would vote for us in large numbers. The Democrats and Republicans don't want this to happen, so they routinely deny us equal access to the free publicity they enjoy.
Finally "money is the mother's milk of politics." The Ds/Rs have many campaign contributors who expect to be repaid with favorable laws, government contracts, grants, and pork. Libertarians want to get government out of almost all areas where this happens, so the "pay-to-play" system breaks down. The real beneficiaries of elected Libertarians will be people like you. Will you donate to support us?
Do you receive federal or state money for your campaigns?
No, nor would most Libertarians accept taxpayer dollars if offered.
It is not the government's role to fund candidates and political parties. For example, Ds/Rs receive millions of our dollars to host their conventions, while Libertarians fund their conventions through donations and attendance fees. Your money belongs to you and if you want to help a candidate, you should do so directly, not have your money taken by the government and redistributed to the candidates or parties that government bureaucrats think deserve it.
Why should I think that a Libertarian elected to office would be less of a crook than the ones we have already?
Politicians get into trouble when special interests pay, directly or indirectly, for favorable legislation and policy decisions. By stripping government to its essential functions you eliminate even the opportunity to distribute pork and perks to the favored few.
What if I can't find my question?
Check our list of resources or contact us for further information.