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November 2004
Texas Libertarians Quanah Parker and Tom Oxford each earn well over the 5% minimum needed under Texas law to trigger automatic ballot access for the LibertarianParty of Texas in the 2006 election. Parker, candidate for Place 2 on the Criminal Court of Appeals, garners 16.07% of the popular vote; Oxford, in his bid for Criminal Court of Appeals Place 6, receives 14.23% of the vote.
May 2004
Texas Libertarians submit 82,458 petition signatures to the Secretary of State. 45,540 must be valid to regain ballot access. In July, the Secretary of State finds that the requirement was met, and certifies the Libertarian Party for ballot access.
November 2002
With a high vote total of 4.1% earned by Barbara Hernandez in her run for Land Commissioner the Libertarian Party fails to retain ballot status for the next election cycle. Four-way races with candidates from both major parties depress Libertarian vote totals.
from Gulf Coast Liberty
August 2002
Polk County Libertarians protest the forced closure of the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Entertainment Center, a casino in Livingston. Libertarians argued that the casino had brought 300 jobs to an area that had suffered from chronic unemployment. Tom Rogers, attorney for the Native Americans as reported in the Daily Texan said "The Libertarian Party has been a big supporter of the tribe in an effort to support their own economic rights."
from Gulf Coast Liberty
November 2001
In Lubbock, the Vote for Freedom Coalition, a Libertarian-backed group, successfully petitions to bring a smoking ban ordinance back for a repeal referendum. The ordinance outlawed smoking in restaurants, stores, offices, and most public places.
from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
November 2000
Lance Smith, Libertarian candidate for Supreme Court Justice, gets a record 859,729 votes or 18.7% in a two-way race earning ballot access for the Party. Overall, six Libertarians earned more than the required 5% in a statewide office in three-way races with Republican incumbents and Green Party opposition.
from Lone Star Liberty
March 1998
Libertarian Party of Texas wins ballot access lawsuit when U.S. District Judge james Nowlin orders March 9, 1998 that the State of Texas is enjoined from requiring voter registration numbers with ballot access petition signatures. The judge ruled that "the cumbersome number requirement now has no constitutionally legitmate purpose and only serves to administratively delay and burden those citizens seeking eligible third-party access to the ballot and thus restricts for all citizens important rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution." The case was Pilcher vs. Rains.
from the Texas Libertarian
November 1992
Wendell Weatherford becomes first Texas Libertarian to be re-elected to office. Weatherford was first elected in 1988 to the office of Travis County Public Weigher. New records were also set by Rick Draheim who earned 7% of the vote in a three-way statewide race for Railroad Commissioner. In State House District 107 Karen Tegtmeyer earned 9% in a three-way race.
from Lone Star Liberty
November 1990
With Jeff Daiell of Houston winning 3.34% of the vote for Governor the Libertarian Party of Texas became the first non-taxpayer subsidized party in modern Texas history to be eligible to hold primary elections. The vote total also ensured ballot access for the party through 1994. Comptroller candidate Gill Grisham of San Antonio with 5.8% of the vote became our first candidate to earn more than 5% in a three-way race. Other high vote getters were Carol Caul of Houston who took 15.1% of the vote or 441,945 votes leading the nation in Libertarian votes.
from Lone Star Liberty
August 1989
Tarrant County Libertarians support Reverend Otwell, a Christian preacher harassed by the City of Fort Worth for giving food away to the homeless each Sunday. The city workers argued that Otwell's food was not prepared in a government certified kitchen. The Libertarians were the only other organized supporters for Otwell outside of his own congregation.
from The Texas Libertarian
November 1986
After a successful ballot access petition drive requiring 32,000 petition signatures three Libertarian statewide candidates in two-way races earn more than 5% of the vote securing ballot access for 1988.
from the Texas Libertarian
January 1986
Campaigning on the issue of freedom of choice San Antonio Libertarians helped to defeat an effort to introduce fluoridation into their local water system. Activists collected petition signatures to force a vote on the issue. Libertarians pointed out that fluoride was available at little or no extra cost in toothpastes and mouthwashes for those that wanted it, if it were added to the water supply there would be no choice for anyone.
from Free Texas
August 1984
U.S. District Judge Robert O'Conner rules against the Libertarian Party in an effort to place our candidates on the November ballot. A petition drive earlier in 1984 had failed as volunteers were required to spend more time digging up voter registration numbers than seeking signatures. from the Houston Post
June 1983
Harris County Libertarians help defeat a $2.35 billion bond issue June 11 which would have financed an 18.5-mile heavy-rail transit system.
from Free Texas Reports
September 1, 1982
Secretary of State certifies that the Libertarian Party submitted the required 41,000 petition signatures to earn ballot status. 122 candidates appear on the November ballot.
November 1980
David Hutzelman earns 86,654 or 2.2% of the vote for Railroad Commissioner.
February 7, 1980
Charles Fuller of Houston becomes the first Texas Libertarian to appear on the ballot as a Libertarian. (Previous candidates were write-in votes or as independents.) Fuller ran in a Special Election for State Representative District 80.
from Free Texas
January 1976
A dozen individuals met in San Antonio to found the Bexar County affiliate of the Libertarian Party of Texas. County Parties already existed in Austin, Houston, and Dallas.
1971
Texas is one of the 13 original founding state parties at the first LP convention in Denver, Colorado.
Pol. adv. authorized by the Libertarian Party of Texas, P.O. Box 41059, Austin, TX 78704, 1-800-422-1776
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History of the Libertarian Party
November 2008
A record 173 Texas Libertarians appear on the ballot. William B. Strange, candidate for Court of Criminal Appeals Place 9, receives more than one million votes in a two-way race and retains ballot access for the LPT in 2010. Yvonne Schick, candidate for U.S. Senator, receives over 184,000 votes (2.34 percent), breaking the previous record for that office. Libertarians play "kingmaker" by holding the winners below 50 percent in four state house races and two county races.
November 2006
A record 168 Texas Libertarians appear on the ballot. Several statewide nominees receive over 20% of the vote, retaining ballot access for the LPT in 2008. Around the state, 29 Libertarians receive over 20% of the vote. Linda Wilbert receives 18.5% in a three-way race for Brazos County Justice of the Peace, and Matt Finkel receives 34.5% in a two-way race for Travis County Justice of the Peace.
Libertarian Party of Texas
Fiscally Conservative, Socially Tolerant
