Postponed. Check Here for details.
Link to the February 2020 Michigan Libertarian
Libertarians from across Michigan will assemble for their 2020 National Delegate Selection Convention on Saturday, March 14 starting at 9:00 A.M. We will be gathering at the Eberhard Center on the campus of Grand Valley State University, 301 Fulton St W, Grand Rapids, MI 49504. Everyone is welcome to attend! You may register for the convention here.
Convention Business Session – Free to LPM Members
The 2020 convention business session for electing delegates and alternates will feature several Libertarian presidential candidates giving their final appeals before we select our delegates to the National Libertarian convention! We will also pre-nominate candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court, hear reports from current state party officers, and hold caucuses to select Congressional district representatives to fill vacancies on the state executive committee. Candidates for public office will not be nominated at this convention but will be nominated at a second state convention in July. Date and location to be determined.
How to Become a Voting Delegate or Alternate to this 2020 Convention
You must be selected as a state convention delegate or alternate by a local affiliate or unaffiliated regional caucus and be a Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) member in order to vote at the convention. Note that if you have never been a member of the LPM, you must join at least 30 days prior to the convention (by February 14) to serve as a state convention delegate or alternate. Past LPM members whose memberships have lapsed or current national members, may pay $25 to renew their LPM membership as late as convention day. You may join or renew membership at michiganlp.org/donate.
Affiliates set their own caucus dates, which must take place before March 7, so check with your local affiliate for date, time and place of the caucus. Here is a current list of LPM affiliate caucus dates and locations
Members living in counties without an affiliate may take part in regional video-conference caucuses which will be February 22. Credentials Committee Chair Larry Johnson, 734-320-7237, michlibertarian@gmail.com will be sending a separate email to all current and lapsed members in unaffiliated counties with details of these video caucuses.
Delegates must also register for the 2020 convention, in addition to being selected by an affiliate, even if only attending the free business session.
2020 Michigan Presidential Straw Poll
The Michigan Straw Poll has been a historic bell-weather of support for candidates. Unlike many state Libertarian Party events which gauge some level of support based on activist attendance, Michigan tells activist to put their money where they’re support is.
Michigan invites candidates for President to come speak directly to activists. Several of the actual nominees and other strong candidates for the Presidential nomination have recognized this unique event. Gary Johnson, Michael Badnarik, Gary Nolan, Austin Peterson, Marc Feldman, and many others are past participants.
What makes Michigan different? “Votes” are cast by donors to the presidential campaign fund of their choice. One dollar equals one vote. Supporters may give up to the $2,800 campaign finance limit for any candidate. In 2016, candidates raised over $11 thousand dollars for their campaigns.
There are only two basic rules:
- Any candidate declared for office must file their Schedule 1 with the FEC as a candidate for President and their letter of intent with the Libertarian Party of the USA.
- Only the candidate may address our convention. Representatives of candidates can distribute literature and speak individually with delegates. But no time is given to anyone except the candidate to address the group. Not only does this help candidates with the financial needs of their campaign, it provides a more accurate sense of the willingness of activists to provide the funding needed to run a serious campaign for President.
LibertyFest Banquet
The LPM’s annual LibertyFest banquet will follow the convention business session. This year’s guest speaker is Shikha Dalmia, senior analyst at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets.
At the 2020 banquet, we will present Defender of Liberty awards to our 2019 Spokesperson for Liberty, Promoter of Liberty and Producer of Liberty.
Reservations
To register for the convention, visit the convention registration page. Convention pricing is as follows:
- Convention Package (includes lunch, banquet, hard copy of convention packet) $100.00
- Banquet only $70.00
- Lunch only: $25.00
- Hard copy of convention packet $10.00
- Vendor table $25.00; $10 for Candidates
- Registration for business session: FREE
Even if you are attending only the free business sessions, please sign up so we can have your credentials printed and ready.
Also, PLEASE make sure your membership is up to date before arriving at the convention! You may experience delays if you register at the convention. You can renew you membership at michiganlp.org/donate/
Our deadline for meal reservations is 3/6/20, so click here to sign up online today, or mail your registration check to Libertarian Party of Michigan, P.O. Box 3685, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501-3685.
Hotels
While the Eberhard Center does not have a hotel, several are less than 5 minutes away:
Holiday Inn- Grand Rapids- Downtown
310 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/grand-rapids/grrpe/hoteldetail
Amway Grand Plaza
187 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
JW Marriott- Grand Rapids
235 Louis St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/grrjw-jw-marriott-grand-rapids/
Courtyard by Marriott
11 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/grrdt-courtyard-grand-rapids-downtown/
Questions?
Contact 2020 LPM Convention Chair Jamie Lewis at jkl620@yahoo.com
Keynote Speaker: Shikha Dalmia
Senior Analyst, Reason Foundation
Shikha Dalmia is a senior analyst at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets. The archive of her latest work can be found here at Reason.
Dalmia is a columnist at The Week and writes regularly for Reason magazine. Her work also appears in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and numerous other publications such as The Times of London, Time, USA Today and The Daily Beast. She previously served as a columnist for Forbes and the Washington Examiner.
Dalmia’s feature on sanctuary churches won the first prize in immigration reporting at the 2019 Southern California Journalism Awards. She was co-winner of the first 2009 Bastiat Prize for Online Journalism for her columns in Forbes and Reason.
From 1996 to 2004, Dalmia was an award-winning editorial writer at the Detroit News, covering a variety of policy issues, including the environment, immigration, Social Security, health care and foreign policy. She also worked as a reporter for the Patriot, a national daily newspaper based in New Delhi, India, where she grew up and earned her B.S. degree in chemistry and biology from the University of Delhi.
Dalmia frequently appears on Fox Business Network, BBC Business Matters, MSNBC and other television and radio outlets.
Dalmia, who taught news writing courses at Michigan State University, earned a Master’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University. She also holds a post-graduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communications.
She lives in the Detroit area with her husband and son.
