The Electoral College people" (i.e., the "popular" vote) is intended to be represented by the Legislative Branch via the House of Representatives. by Darren Hamilton Unfortunately, our culture has - more and more - turned almost everything into a popularity contest with the race for President There have been a lot of being the penultimate challenge. But that's beside the point. complaints about the Electoral College over the past few What is also unfortunate is that the selection of electors - and decades. Those complaints how to apportion them - was left to the individual states to typically die down after each decide (this point will become important in a few moments). Presidential election cycle, but You probably remember that each state has the same count of always seem to be resurrected electors as they have members in Congress (both every four years. Those Representatives and Senators). The original idea of the complaints range from "it's Electoral College was that each congressional district would too complex" (it really isn't) to select an elector that represented the Presidential candidate "it doesn't represent the that won the vote IN THEIR DISTRICT, with two "at large" popular vote" (it did once, a electors casting their electoral votes for the candidate who won long time ago) and, my the state as a whole. The idea here is that the election of the personal favorite, "it doesn't president (as a federal administrator) would be a reflection of allow for the possibility of a third-party candidate to win" (it BOTH "the will of the people" and "the will of the state" (as would if we could make a few minor adjustments). an individual entity). This system worked pretty well for about 30 years.
However, around 1820-1830, political party bigwigs in some of the northern states realized that they could give an advantage to their party's candidate if they instituted a "winner-take-all" strategy of awarding their electoral votes, Electoral votes allocated to each state and to the i.e., whoever won the state would be granted District of Columbia for the 2012, 2016 and 2020 ALL of that state's presidential elections, based on populations from the electoral votes. And 2010 Census (Total: 538) since the awarding and apportionment of Some background: the SOLE purpose of the Electoral College electors was left to the is to select the heads of the Executive Branch, the president states to decide, the and vice-president. There is no other reason for its existence, only thing that these political bigwigs had to do was pass a and it has no other effect in ANY area of government. Within state law in a few of the more populated states to guarantee the Constitution, by design, the president is intended to be that their candidate would become president. The remaining simply an administrator of the federal government, and is states, realizing that one state awarding all of its electoral intended to be directly responsible to the collection of states votes to a candidate could swing the election away from (as individual entities), NOT to the people. The "will of the THEIR chosen candidate, followed suit to try to balance out Page 1 Libertarian Party of Dallas County, Texas September 2020 the electoral vote count from one of the more populous states campaign for the seat. This not only effectively eliminates any (like New York) with several less populous states (like possibility of a third-party candidate acceding to the seat, but Virginia and both Carolinas). also serves to perpetuate political power into the current two- party system. By eliminating the 270 vote threshold, the Let me cite an example using 2016 election information. candidate who accumulates the greatest number of votes after Currently, Virginia has 13 electoral votes, meaning that they all of the votes are tallied would be declared the winner. If have 11 congressional district votes plus 2 "at large" state there is a tie for the top vote-receiver, then the current rules votes. In 2016, Donald Trump won 6 of those 11 congressional could be applied: the tickets of the top three vote-receivers districts (almost a tie). If the electoral votes had been awarded would be sent to the House of Representatives who would by who won the district, Trump would have received 8 vote until one ticket came out as the clear winner. electoral votes (6 districts plus the 2 "at large" for winning the state), and Hillary Clinton would have received 5 electoral The Electoral College is actually a pretty well-designed votes. That may not seem like a lot, but those few districts that system, but it isn't perfect and a lot of people realize that. voted Clinton MIGHT have ended up swinging the total However, because of how it was set up and has been electoral college tally to the Democrats. This is the kind of implemented, the cost of trying to change it (or abolish it - an thinking that those political bigwigs had back in the 1820s. idea with which I DON'T agree) seems nearly insurmountable, And as a political party bigwig, you don't really care too much but it's not impossible, and a couple of simple reforms would about disenfranchising some of your state's voters as long as address most of the issues presented against it. you can guarantee that your candidate wins and "the will of the people" be damned!
That's kind of where we are now. Because of the "winner-take- LPDC Membership Program! all" system of awarding electoral votes, conservative voters in states like California and liberal voters in states like Texas, as Want to help out the LPDC and at the same time get some well as independent and third-party voters all over the country cool libertarian swag? Check out our contributor have become disenfranchised. Believing that their votes don't membership program! matter, many of them are likely to stay home on election day and not vote at all. From Suffrage to Sublime by Amber Jewell
In 1814, the first convention for women’s rights was held in Seneca Falls, New York. 68 women and 32 men signed a “Declaration of Sentiments” which demanded that women receive the right to vote. This year marks 100 As a candidate, I have two relatively simple ideas about years since the first reforming the Electoral College that I believe would address women were legally most of the issues presented against it. First, return the able to vote in the distribution of electoral votes back to the congressional district United States, though model. Two states have already done that (Maine and the removal of Nebraska). Returning the electoral vote distribution to a discrimination for voting based on “race, color, or national representative vote based on congressional districts would go origin” did not come until 1965. a long way to address the disenfranchisement felt by a large majority of voters all over the country. Because of this centennial occasion, it thrills me that our own Libertarian presidential candidate, Jo Jorgensen, is female. And second, eliminate the 270 electoral votes to win This country has come a long way since 1814 with women threshold. Requiring 270 electoral votes (50.4%) to win the becoming more involved in political matters and even running presidency presumes, on its face, that only two candidates can for positions both big and small. The backing received by Page 2 Libertarian Party of Dallas County, Texas September 2020
Jorgensen has been just as encouraging. Some people don’t see a difference in her being a woman and are standing by her side. Others clearly see and acknowledge her gender and support her anyway. Social Media Committee!
Are you a social media guru? Do you enjoy being on the computer and/or smartphone constantly, checking in on what people are saying, and making tons of posts of all types? Want to help promote libertarianism and our county party events? Help us with a Social Media Committee!
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Yet we still live in a time of discrimination, sexual harassment, and judgement. Particularly for women in politics, our voices Where Are All the Libertarian Women? are often silenced. We are told that we’re not enough – not Right Where They’ve Always Been! smart enough, not involved enough, not loud enough, not quiet enough, not good enough. Our ideas are shushed and by Garry Reed leadership roles are denied. Some even still lay claim that a A question that has been woman will never be fit as president because she will lose all hanging around on social control during “that time of the month” – an asinine thought, media for several years has to say the least. been “Where are all the libertarian women?” with no real meaningful answers.
A scan of Google searches shows that this was a big question in 2013 or so all the way up to 2017 and then practically disappears from the social media menu.
Other than reporting that Jo Jorgensen is the first woman nominated to run for president on the Libertarian Party ticket in 2020 the question of “Where are all the libertarian Jo Jorgensen, 2020 LP Presidential Candidate women?” seems no longer to be an important question. So does that mean there is now parity or near-parity of male and female libertarians? This November, keep in mind that women in power do not have to be a threat. Women bring something different to the table – neither better nor worse, simply different. We are Not likely, but who knows? passionate, nurturing creatures that serve well whether we are behind the scenes or in the forefront of the battle grounds. Society still has a long way to go but this is the time to make a change.
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different libertarian organizations.
Yet, undaunted, the Cato Institute in 2017 attempted to answer the question, not limited to women but to all libertarians, in an article, “How Many Libertarians Are There? The Answer Depends on the Method You Use” by Emily Ekins
Ekins wades through many of the problems, not only what methods are used and what questions are asked and what statistical algorithms are employed but also noting the many different ways libertarianism is defined and the fact that there Furthermore, non-libertarians who attempt to answer this is no “ideological litmus test” that libertarians can agree on. question invariably fall back on old cliché-ridden reasons like Ekins herself is clearly a free market advocate but never women are loving, sharing, caring, giving, nurturing and explicitly identifies as “libertarian.” See the problem? security oriented while libertarianism is based on male values of independence, self-reliance, rationality, personal This, ultimately, is the reason we can only speculate about the achievement, business and economic theories. true state of the libertarian population and why in this case women libertarians should just speak for themselves. Those But other than being sweeping generalizations is any of that who do in this Opinionizer article were tracked down and really true? Aren’t all individuals pursuing what they choose quoted the old-fashioned way, by Googling “libertarian rather than pursuing some prefab gender stereotype? women” until a few sites popped into plain sight.
Female libertarians have long been involved in and advocating Analects of Leading Libertarian Ladies for libertarianism. So maybe the problem has always been that Wendy McElroy edited Freedom, Feminism and the State, a they just haven’t been counted in all those surveys that report collection of articles that allows several libertarian women to them as missing in action. speak for themselves. Together these articles debunk the modern progressivist socialist collectivist notion that Maybe it’s time to let them speak for themselves. government is the natural supporter of the women's movement. Article 5 in the anthology is about as explicit as it gets: “Government Is Women’s Enemy” by Sharon Presley and Lynn Kinsky.
Presley, in fact, kicked off her own 2014 article “Libertarian Feminism: An Honorable Tradition” on libertarianism.org by reclaiming feminism from the clutches of the left by explicitly stating, “Contrary to what some may think, the first feminist activists were not socialists, they were individualists and libertarians.”
She went on to stress in a 2015 article, “There are many different branches of feminism. Libertarian feminism is distinguished most importantly by its suspicion of the state.”
But these are just a few of the current leading ladies of the Modern American Libertarian Movement. What about Libertarian Women Speak For Themselves “everyday women” who are “woke” to libertarianism in one form or another but don’t necessarily identify as feminist, It’s important to understand that there is no single, ifeminist, individualist feminist or libertarian feminist? comprehensive, all-inclusive source for identifying libertarian women any more than there is such a source for identifying all libertarians of any demographic. Libertarians, being an Are they included in surveys counting how many libertarian independent, individualist, self-motivated lot, tend not to run women there are? All people are, after all, individuals in hordes or herds or flocks even though they do voluntarily pursuing what they choose rather than pursuing prefab gender move in and out of and support various and numerous stereotypes.
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The Dawn of a Libertarian Lifestyle Dawn, another one-name-only blogger, is the kind of libertarian few talk, write, think or even know about, and is Rebekah of Funnybook Farm? likely completely missed in “Are you a libertarian” surveys. She’s not into politics or philosophy or economics. As she Yes, libertarians have a sense of humor. This first-name-only self-identifies in her blog My Libertarian Lifestyle she’s “a libertarian Rebekah describes herself on her website as “Mom, work-from-home executive and stay-at-home mom, blogger, Wife, Writer, Chronic Illness Warrior, All Around Badass, urban gardener, and a libertarian.” Mental Health Advocate, Bullshit Identifier, and Awkward as Hell.” She also simply states, “I am a libertarian, an individualist, a voluntaryist.” So how did Awkward as Hell Rebekah become a libertarian? “Honestly, I think most Americans are Libertarian and don’t She explains on her blog how her libertarian lifestyle is all even realize it,” she writes. As for herself, “I have known about the effective, practical application of libertarian since high school where I stood politically, but tended to vote principles to daily life that includes self-reliance and Republican so that my vote ‘counted’.” sustainability at home, “gentle parenting methods, ethical shopping, using food as medicine, and holistic, evidence- But then 2016 happened. Donald Trump captured the based wellness solutions for ourselves, our homes, and our Republican Party and Rebekah “couldn’t do it anymore.” She communities.” realized that the two-party system was so totally broken that “there was no way I could choose the ‘lesser of two evils’ “This,” she concludes, “is liberty, in theory and in practice.” anymore.” The goal of her blogging is to inspire other like-minded Since then she has voted Libertarian. But her understanding of individuals with hands-on ways to live free today—and every libertarianism, likely from being a “Bullshit Identifier,” goes day—by applying her libertarian lifestyle principles to beyond the LP’s longstanding mantra of “More Freedom, Less activities in their daily lives. Government.” She personally prefers “no income tax, no welfare, and no universal healthcare (coming from a person That is, at bottom, the whole reason why libertarians want a with chronic illness y’all. I’ve thought about this. A lot.)” free, voluntaryist, individualist, laissez-faire society—to live their lives as they choose, not as others dictate. Rebekah acknowledges that activities like adult drug use, prostitution, gay marriage, and abortion are personal choices “For me,” says she, “libertarianism is not just a political that should be completely decriminalized, reflecting her motto philosophy—it's a peaceful and prosperous way of life.” Dawn “Just because I would or wouldn’t choose it, doesn’t give me sums up her libertarian lifestyle choice on her website header the right to choose for someone else.” this way: Not so Funnybook after all. “Peaceful ∙ Connected ∙ Holistic ∙ Ecological ∙ Compassionate” Does she get counted as “libertarian” in surveys? Doesn’t every libertarian wish they woke up to that kind of Dawn?
Does she get counted as “libertarian” in surveys?
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Mom and Daughter Libertarians Some people become libertarian by proxy.
Sydney Allard, a Dartmouth College student, had her political world turned inside out when, as her recent article in The From Poverty to Libertarianism Dartmouth student newspaper was titled, “The Summer My Mom Turned Libertarian.” Gina Luttrell claims she didn’t become a libertarian through rational reflection from reading books but through her own life Sydney was a Democrat for the simple reason that her Mother experiences. “I’ve been a libertarian for as long as I can was. As Mom explained it to her, “Republicans are motivated remember” She says in her Thoughts on Liberty article, “Why by self-interest, and Democrats are concerned about what’s I’m a Libertarian,” and further admits that she “always had a good for others.” problem with authority.”
But Mom was shocked when Trump was elected President. She grew up poor, living in mobile homes and having to do Still, rather than assuming voters didn’t know what was best without. “The girls across the street from me were prostitutes for others she began questioning herself. In Sydney’s own —and they were minors. Several people I knew dealt drugs.” words, “After the election, my mom began reading Camille Paglia in addition to Gloria Steinem. Articles by Thomas “I am a libertarian,” she insists, “because of these things, not Sowell and Milton Friedman littered our kitchen island. That in spite of them. There is a stereotype that libertarians are all summer, my mom turned Libertarian.” rich white men, and I stand as an example against this.” Her goal is to show why one can believe that less government is in She hadn’t changed her liberal values, just her political the best interest of the poor. affiliation. As a libertarian Gina wants people to rise out of the conditions Following in her Mother’s intellectual footsteps Sydney that she grew up in. She understands that the struggles and expanded her own horizons and began considering Libertarian problems she went through were either governmentally as well as Democratic and Republican political positions. Like created or that government otherwise stood in the way of real her mother her own goals didn’t change, she just found new solutions to those problems. and better ways in libertarianism to achieve them. Gina is a libertarian because she wants to see an end to “As my Libertarian mother would put it,” she concludes, “a systemic poverty, to see people free to choose how to live their freer marketplace for ideas can’t be a bad thing. We still get to lives, because she believes “those policies are what will yield choose the best ones and dismiss the bad ones, but we ought to the best society for everyone.” consider all, or at least more, of them.” She first became aware of the word “libertarian” when her Do both mom and daughter get counted as “libertarian” in older brother read Ayn Rand and decided to form a libertarian surveys? club at their school. When he explained what a libertarian was to her Gina simply said “that makes sense” and adopted it.
“But I was a libertarian before that moment, else I wouldn’t
Page 6 Libertarian Party of Dallas County, Texas September 2020 have accepted it in the first place. I chose it because it made contributions to the Modern American Libertarian Movement. sense, because of who I was, where I had come from, and where I hoped to go. Just like everyone else.” Libertarians are people committed to the non-aggression principle against coercion, intimidation and fraud while Does she and her brother get counted as “libertarian” in championing free markets in a free individualist voluntary surveys? post-statist society. No matter how each personally identifies.
So How Do We Count Libertarians? So viva la libertarian femme, no matter how few or how many they may be. All libertarians of all kinds and types and It’s very difficult to get a meaningful count on libertarians in categories and descriptions are on the same journey of general, not just female libertarians. There appear to be far personal emancipation. They may walk different paths at more non-LP libertarians than LP members for example. How different speeds but their destination is ultimately the same. are these non-party members counted in surveys? Many libertarians don’t directly identify as “libertarian” because References and Links they disagree on various policies or approaches and call themselves voluntaryists, individualists, agorists, ancaps, Where are all the libertarian women? They’re here, just anarchists, minarchists, Objectivists, post-statists and the like. for starters… How are these “other name” libertarians counted in surveys? Association of Libertarian Feminists (ALF) They advocate What is “ifeminism?” According to their website FAQ page “It for freedom and equality but “we do not think using the is sometimes called libertarian feminism.” How are they coercive power of government is the way to do it.” Founded in counted in surveys? Ever more college libertarians, many 1975 the ALF Facebook page boasts nearly 8,000 followers at young women included, are active in their campus “Liberty this writing. Movement” groups. How are the libertarians in those groups who are neither conservative nor liberal counted in surveys? Feminists for Liberty is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization promoting equality, anti-sexism, anti-statism, pro-markets and pro-choice—in everything. At this writing they have close to 3,700 Facebook followers.
Thoughts on Liberty Some 2,400 people follow this FB page of “Women Writing for a Free World.” They know libertarian men outnumber women. They want to change that. How? They are a team of ladies writing about freedom. “Are you ready?”
LOLA: The Ladies of Liberty Alliance is a network of independent libertarian women leaders who spread the ideas of individual liberty and free markets in “21 countries with over 55 Chapters reaching over 1500 women.”
Women Voters for Jo Jorgensen In May Ms. Jorgensen was nominated as the LP’s Presidential candidate. The request-to- join this Facebook public group was created in June and already has 1500+ members at this writing.
Too many people make too much out of the demographic makeup of libertarians. Too many white rich upper middle class men? Not enough poor people, or lower class people, or non-white people, or female people, or poor lower class non- white female people? So what? It sounds more like a desperate attempt at misdirection—“Pay no attention to that libertarian woman behind the curtain”—than to actually acknowledge and give serious consideration to libertarian women’s
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Woke Black Female Libertarian • Websites ◦ The Libertarian Party of Dallas County ◦ The Libertarian Party of Texas ◦ The National Libertarian Party ◦ Students for Liberty ◦ Free Talk Live ◦ The Cato Institute ◦ Molinari Institute ◦ Objectivism In-Brief
LPDC Officer List Chair – Curry B. Taylor Vice-Chair – Eugene J. Flynn Secretary – Andrew Jewell Editor's note: Re-published from the Libertarian Opinionizer Treasurer – Amber Jewell with permission from the author. Editor's comment: This LPDC At-Large Directors article was among the half-dozen very good choices from Eddie Allen Garry's regular assortment of blog submissions. Check out his Marshall Beerwinkle blog; you'll become a fan! Gary Doan Kevin Frederickson Kevin Hale Upcoming Events D arren Hamilton Tom Misteli Kyle Russell • Mini-Auction & Monthly Meeting! Barry Smith ◦ September 8th, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ◦ Zoom Meeting Working Committee Leaders Block Walking – Kevin Hale • LPDC Quarterly Executive Committee Meeting Candidate Recruitment – Barry Smith ◦ September 13th, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM External Events –
• Videos ◦ Neitzsche and the Nazis , Stephen Hicks ◦ Bullsh*t! , Penn & Teller ◦ Free to Choose , Milton Friedman Hey you! ◦ America: Freedom to Fascism , Aaron Russo Are you done reading this newsletter? Get one of your friends or family members to read it!
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