Dr. PAUL Satisfies Ballot Requirements Nationwide, this is why it is expensive to go third party.

Some states have tried to force the parties to have a primary and make the party nominate the highest vote-total getter. Voters don't like it when they think their candidate won, and then the party doesn't nominate them.
The states thought it would be popular to make the votes of voters count by forcing the party to accept their selection.

The LP of California won a court case (Federal court, I think) in which the court agreed that this would violate the right of freedom of association. In other words, the parties, being private groups of individuals, can't be forced to nominate a candidate chosen for them by voters who are not members of their party. Even though our state law says the voters get to choose, the law is not enforcible due to the court decision.

As members of the party organization, the members make their own rules and bylaws. Some state parties do count what the voters say and bind their delegates, some just collect the information as if the government-run election were their private polling firm at taxpayer expense, some let party officials decide, and some do a combination.

Each party organization has a right (that is to say, the members have a right) to do what they want. If you don't like their rules, you can try to change them or you can leave the party.

Which gives me an idea: It's possible the members of a state or local GOP organization could vote to disenfranchise themselves from the GOP and apply to join the LP instead. That might get a few headlines, but I'm not recommending it.

IMissLiberty

state general election ballots?
What are those used for?

That's what I'm referring to--if they step aside for Paul in September. I don't think Dr. Paul can be persuaded now, and in any case he has some educating and other plans in mind for the convention.

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but remember when he was allowed to participate in the YouTube debate after everyone screamed that he had enough public interest? Was that because he was a Republican? Im wondering if he would be allowed into a general election debate based on his popularity %. Theyd likely decide that number as "3 % more than whatever he has"...but the arguments could certainly be made. Ross Perot topped out at what? 20% was it? If Ron Paul was suddenly ressurrected in time for the general election- having weathered the primary season unscathed scandal-wise- hed do a lot better than Perot ever did Id bet ya.

And we don't even know who our candidate is until next month.

Getting on the ballot isn't easy at all. The LP is working on it continuously. It's too late to start the process in September if the GOP delegates don't nominate Ron Paul.

Go read all the "third-party" threads. All this has been explained--over and over and over.

The LP invited Ron Paul to run on the LP ticket, but he's doing so much better where he is, now, that it wouldn't make sense. He's way ahead of where he would be if we nominated him next month as a Libertarian.

Hardly anyone's heard of the LP candidates. At least as a Republican he gets some coverage.

IMissLiberty

In many states Libertarians pound the pavement for thousands of hours for weeks on end to get enough signatures. It is not easy.