By Greg Stempfle, Chair
Link to the December 2019 Michigan Libertarian
The 2020 election season will be especially hectic for Libertarians. With a pair of state conventions and a national presidential nominating convention, those wishing to take part in the process need to start making plans. This article explains how to become a delegate to our upcoming conventions and provides the latest on our convention plans.
Libertarian National Convention, May 21-25, 2020, Austin, Texas
Libertarians from across the country will meet in Austin, Texas over Memorial Day weekend to select the Libertarian Party candidate for President of the United States. In order to be a voting delegate or alternate to the national convention, you must be selected at our state convention on March 14, 2020 in Grand Rapids.
Delegates in attendance at the state convention will select the delegates to the national convention. Anyone wishing to be a national delegate can send their name to LPM Secretary Wendi Parker secretary@michiganlp.org to have your name placed into nomination. You do not need to be present at the convention to be nominated or selected.
LPM Spring / National Delegate Selection Convention, Eberhard Center, Grand Rapids, March 14, 2020
Libertarians from across Michigan will meet in Grand Rapids on March 14 to select our delegation to the national convention, among other items of business and festivities. Michigan is expected to be allocated 34 delegates and alternates. The LPM will issue a formal call to convention at the start of 2020 since our bylaws dictate that the number of delegates to a state convention is based on state party membership as of December 31.
In addition to selecting our delegates to the National Convention, the other business items on the agenda will be: Congressional district caucuses, endorsement of candidate(s) for Michigan Supreme Court, and open floor time for potential platform changes and resolutions. A morning session is planned to allow an opportunity for Presidential candidates to speak and later a presentation will be given by state party officials about running for public office in 2020. The business session will take place in the afternoon and in the evening, we will be holding our annual Defender of Liberty Awards Banquet.
Affiliate Conventions Select Delegates
In order to be a voting delegate to the state convention, you must be selected as a delegate or alternate by one of our affiliates or unaffiliated regions. The affiliate conventions will be held at various times between the start of the year and the first week in March. These will be scheduled by the affiliates themselves or in the case of the unaffiliated regions, overseen by the Libertarian Executive Committee (LEC).
Additionally, delegates must also be members of the LPM at least 30 days before the convention. If you are a lapsed LPM member or current national LP member, you can join the LPM on convention day. Affiliate and unaffiliated region convention information will be posted on our website and Facebook page as they get scheduled.
Anyone can register for and attend the state convention but only those selected as described can be voting delegates. The registration page will be available when we issue the formal call to convention. In the meantime, we have set up an event page on Facebook.
Candidate Nominations in July at a second State Convention
Libertarian candidates for public office in 2020 will be nominated at a second state convention to be held in mid to late July likely in Grayling. Offices on the ballot in 2020 that Libertarians may nominate candidates for include US Senate, Congress, State House (but not State Senate), Justice of the Supreme Court, the various statewide education boards, and many county and township races.
To summarize:
- You must be selected (in person or in absentia) at the March state convention to become a delegate to the May national convention.
- You must be selected (in person or in absentia) at your affiliate convention to become a delegate to the March state convention.
- Refer to our state website (MichiganLP.org) for information regarding affiliate convention dates, times and locations.
