Allison Maguire Needs Your Help!

Speaking of School Board contests, my friend Allison Maguire is running for School Board in Pike Township, in northwest Marion County.

Allison is a fantastic Libertarian. She organized and ran what was arguably the most successful- certainly most profitable- LPIN State Convention last weekend. She is the District 7 representative to the LPIN Central Committee, so we know she can manage money in an environment best described as herding cats. She brings a solid plan of fiscal responsibility to the table, and will ably represent all of the taxpayers of her District.

If you are available to work the polls for Allison on Tuesday, May 4, contact her by email or phone:

email: maguire_ar@hotmail.com
phone: 317-410-1988

Your boost at a polling place could be the difference between this good Libertarian being elected and falling just a whisker short.

It's an open field- the top 3 vote getters are elected, field of 13. Allison has differentiated herself by opposing the $21 million referendum on the basis that the buildings have been intentionally neglected so that the big money infusion could be passed. When trees grow out of the buildings' gutters, you know the management is just asleep at the switch.

Primary Voting For Libertarians

I've been asked about voting at Indiana's Primary Elections May 4 as a Libertarian, so I thought to post some pointers.

Most Libertarians will want to ask for a 'School Board Ballot'. This ballot will not have any partisan 'R' or 'D' voting attached to it, only the non-partisan school board candidates, and any local issues. This is what I will do.

Some Libertarians may be tempted to vote on the Republican or Democratic ballot, for a variety of reasons. Be advised of this: If you pull a partisan ballot, you are making a legal statement. Pulling a partisan ballot legally commits you to vote for a majority of that same party's candidates in the General Election in November.

So, if you take a Republican Primary Ballot in May, and you vote straight ticket Libertarian in November, you will be guilty of perjury, by law.

Also, if someone at the polling place recognizes you as a Libertarian, and you are asking for a partisan 'R' or 'D' ballot, and they challenge your affiliation, you may be barred from taking that partisan ballot, or reduced to casting a provisional vote. Only a member of that party can challenge you, but they can in the interest of protecting their party's private business.

See: Indiana Code 3-10-1-9.

Why is the challenge possible? Why can't people just vote however they like? Some think it is merely rhetorical when Libertarians declare the Primaries to be largely private, partisan political party business. This law is the proof that it is not mere rhetoric. Republicans and Democrats see fit to foist the cost of their business onto all of the taxpayers. They wrote it into the law as a bi-partisan effort.

There is no Libertarian ballot. We conducted our business at our county convention, at our expense. The law also dictates that, but as a matter of principle, that's the way we think it should be done.

So, look into your school board candidates. See if there are local issues. Please vote in the May 4 Primary Election.