The Libertarian Party of Tennessee is working on ballot access for 2018 and beyond. Allowing Libertarian candidates to be labeled as “Libertarians” instead of “independents” will give voters more information on Election Day.
Ballot Access Requirements
The law requires an alternative political party to submit petitions bearing the number of signatures equal to 2.5% of the votes cast in the last election for governor. Based on the 2014 election for governor, the number of signatures required for the Libertarian Party to be recognized in Tennessee is 33,844 VALID signatures of registered voters in Tennessee.
Generally, petition drives collect twice the number of required signatures to ensure they have the required number of signatures after invalid signatures are excluded. We want to collect 67,688 total signatures.
Voters do not have to vote for our candidate in March, we are just merely seeking equal access to the ballot.
Rules For Gathering Signatures
You should download and use this petition. They were authorized by attorneys in the Secretary of State’s office.
- You should only collect signatures from ONE county on each page
- Must be a registered voter in their county
- Fill in all the spaces on a petition page
- While we appreciate every signature collected, we really need fully completed forms to reach our goal
- To be valid, all the information on the petition must match the information in the voter’s voter registration record
If possible, consider using the GoVoteTN Webpage or App to confirm that petition info and voter registration match.
Please mail completed petitions to:
LPTN
PO Box 1174
Mt Juliet, TN 37122-1174
Tips for Gathering Signatures
Ask “Excuse me, are you a registered voter in [x] county?”
If yes, “Would you like to see more options next time you vote?” (Developing the voter to respond yes multiple times will likely get them to say “yes” when you ask them to sign)
If yes, “Then, will you please sign my petition for equal ballot access?”
- Here is a resource for tips on collect signatures
- Gather a friend (or few) when going out, especially until you are comfortable by yourself
- Going out with more people allows you to cover more ground and look more official
- Dress nicely and wear a LP pin/shirt/hat
- Leave a folder with petition forms and this sheet in your vehicle at all times and ask people at gas stations/etc
FAQ Answers
- Signing the petition form does not sign you up on any type of mailing list
- This information is provided directly to TN Election Commission, which already has this public information and is only verifying you are a registered voter
- Since 1961, over 90% of independent Presidential candidates appearing on the ballot in TN have actually been the nominees of an alternative political party
Please call 888-980-1776 if you have any questions
