LPSF being told our group's name can't appear on ballot arguments!

Thanks for your reply, Mark. I’m aware this has been common practice with other LP entities as well. It turns out I misunderstood the initial communication from the Elections Department, and they meant something different – if still rather ridiculous and unfair in my opinion. Please review the follow-up messages for more details.

Love & Liberty,

((( starchild )))

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On Aug 16, 2024, at 4:47 PM, Mark Hinkle via LPSF Forum noreply@forum.lpsf.org wrote:

Mark_Hinkle https://forum.lpsf.org/u/mark_hinkle
August 16
Starchild,

We’ve had the LP name on hundreds of ballot measures in San Mateo, Santa
Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties for decades.

And when Mimi was LPC Chair she had signed some 50+ measures around the
state.

FYI…Mark

“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless
minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” -
Samuel Adams

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In Reply To

Starchild https://forum.lpsf.org/u/starchild
August 16
The San Francisco Department of Elections is apparently claiming we can’t list the “Libertarian Party of San Francisco” as a ballot argument signatory (see letter below). We’ve been doing it this way for years and it has never been a problem in the past. I’m not sure if this “challenge” originated w…
Previous Replies

Starchild https://forum.lpsf.org/u/starchild
August 16
Okay, I just spoke with Matt Selby at the Elections Department and got some clarification about his letter. He says the LPSF’s name can appear on our arguments in the Voter Handbook, just not on the actual ballots themselves. In response to my question, he said this is a new rule, which the state of California has been following for a couple cycles, but which they’ve now implemented at the local level.

According to him, the actual ballots can only list my name as the individual who filed the argument, not the name of the party, and without any affiliation. I’m still a little unclear about where on the actual ballots the language to which this rule would apply appears, but he promised to email me a screenshot.

Love & Liberty,

((( starchild )))
(415) 573-7997

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Starchild https://forum.lpsf.org/u/starchild
August 16
The San Francisco Department of Elections is apparently claiming we can’t list the “Libertarian Party of San Francisco” as a ballot argument signatory (see letter below). We’ve been doing it this way for years and it has never been a problem in the past. I’m not sure if this “challenge” originated with the department, or someone else raised the issue with them. I’m going to call them to seek clarification. But if the LPSF is “a political party” or “representing a political party”, it seems to me that this would also apply to the city’s various Democratic clubs, many of whose names often appear on ballot arguments. Either way it seems like a dumb and unnecessary rule.

Any legal advice or informed opinions on this would be welcome. Please be aware our rebuttal arguments on these three measures (a $790 million school bond, and two measures seeking to increase government employee pension payouts) are due this Monday (August 19) at noon, and I’m not sure how much if any time beyond that there may be to make changes related to a challenge like this, so the window in which to act is fairly narrow. Feel free to call me directly.

Love & Liberty,

((( starchild )))
Chair, Libertarian Party of San Francisco
(415) 573-7997

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