The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

November 10, 2012

Libertarian Party back on ballot in West Virginia

By Lawrence Messina Associated Press

CHARLESTON — Libertarian candidates will again appear automatically on the West Virginia ballot following an absence of more than a decade, after the party’s gubernatorial hopeful attracted enough votes in Tuesday’s general election.

David Moran received more than 8,700 votes, or 1.3 percent of the total. State law recognizes a party for ballot access when its gubernatorial candidate gets at least 1 percent of the vote.

Clearing that threshold means a party’s candidate doesn’t have to collect petition signatures to get his or her name on the ballot. The Libertarian Party now can also choose nominees through a primary or a party convention, said Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, who is West Virginia’s elections chief.

Tuesday’s ballot also featured Gary Johnson, a former governor of New Mexico and the Libertarian candidate for president. Johnson received 6,204 votes from West Virginians, or just less than 1 percent of the total cast for president.

“I vote for who I think is going to do the right job. I can see him doing a good cleanup plan,” said Barbara Bolyard, 50, of Newburg, who chose Johnson. She added, “I would like to see us get on the right foot, but I don’t think either a Republican or a Democrat would do that.”

Tennant’s office said 1,448 of the state’s voters are registered Libertarian. The party promotes individual rights and limited government.

The Libertarian Party had cleared the 1 percent threshold in 1996. But it then lost ballot status in the following election for governor, in 2000, when its candidate missed the mark.

That 2000 election saw another alternative party, West Virginia’s Mountain Party, win ballot access. That status will continue after its candidate for governor this year, Jesse Johnson, got 16,476 votes, or 2.5 percent. It also fielded candidates for president and U.S. senator as well as for five House of Delegates seats. None prevailed. Around 1,380 people are registered with that party, according to figures from Tennant’s office.

Text Only
Today's Front Page
  • Health care professional no stranger to southern W.Va.

    The new director of West Virginia’s Department of Health and Human Resources is certainly no stranger to southern West Virginia. In fact, she has grown up and served the region for a number of years in various capacities across the broad spectrum of the health care industry.

    May 22, 2013

  • There are some bright spots in ongoing Fayette County school facility projects

    When an architect calls for $136 million in repairs to get school facilities back into shape — as one recently did in Fayette County — it’s easy to get discouraged. But it’s important to remember that progress is still happening, says the county’s director of operations.

    May 22, 2013

  • Mulch for United Way Thank you very mulch

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo

  • Juvenile sexting soon to be illegal

    It soon will be illegal for minors to sext in West Virginia.
    Legislation signed May 6 by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin makes it a crime for youths to make, possess or distribute photos, videos or other media that show themselves or another minor in an inappropriate sexual manner.

    May 22, 2013

  • Kessler says stormwater runoff fee is a hardship

    A former West Virginia legislator Tuesday decried the stormwater runoff fee imposed on some residents as unfair and uneven, warning that it is hurting businesses and individuals alike.

    May 22, 2013

  • Search for Okla. tornado survivors nearly complete

    Helmeted rescue workers raced Tuesday to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of nine children.

    May 22, 2013

  • An eye toward the future An Eye Toward the Future

    The community of Clifftop may be small, but it has meant big things to one of its most recent high school graduates.

    May 22, 2013 1 Photo

  • Power of Moore tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb

    Everything had to come together just perfectly to create the killer tornado in Moore, Okla.: wind speed, moisture in the air, temperature and timing. And when they did, the awesome energy released over that city dwarfed the power of the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima.

    May 21, 2013

  • Fire chief says search almost complete in Oklahoma

    The search for survivors and the dead is nearly complete in the Oklahoma City suburb that was smashed by a mammoth tornado, the fire chief said Tuesday.

    May 21, 2013

  • Sexting will be illegal for minors in W.Va. starting July 12

    It soon will be illegal for minors to sext in West Virginia.

    May 21, 2013