Dear LP national folks,
According to a recent email, you are interested in focusing on local activism. Not an original idea, but still a good one.
Recruit visitors to LP.org http://lp.org/ to sign up on lists of people who support specific pieces of Libertarian legislation in each congressional district. This will be to lobby their congressional representatives to pass those specific bills. When there are a certain number of signups (e.g. 300), people will start coordinating times to meet and go to their congressperson’s office to lobby them.
Libertarian nonprofit group DownsizeDC is doing this for several bills (see You can set the agenda for all of America with this simple trick called Option Activism - Downsize DC), but their effort seems stalled, and they’ve ignored suggestions to put the people who’ve already signed up in touch with each other at the local level, or let me know who else here locally has signed up. Nevertheless it’s a good idea (not necessarily original either, but inspired by the Free State Project and other successful act-once-we-meet-a-goal efforts).
The LP could take this model and make it more effective, by facilitating those local connections instead of trying to hoard information. Make it clear to signers that they aren’t expected to lobby unless/until the threshold is reached, but that there will be an email list where they can talk with each other in the meantime, that they can choose to join, and share their info with the local LP affiliates in their districts. So local parties will be able to reach out to them about other potential activism.
If national were to officially approach DownsizeDC and offer to cross-share these lists, perhaps the group would be more receptive. The LP and other libertarian movement organizations should be working together and supporting each other. [Speaking of which, the Liberty Links page on the LP.org http://lp.org/ website, with links to other movement organizations (https://lp.org/liberty-links/) has vanished. And even worse, LP.org http://lp.org/ appears to be missing what is perhaps the single most important feature of any website with lots of content – a search tool on the home page! So I couldn’t look for the page in the site and find its current link, if there is one. I hope someone will get these features restored ASAP.]
Many people at non-party nonprofits fear risking their status by having anything to do with political parties, but these fears are often exaggerated – there are areas of cooperation that are allowed (see AI response on this below), and we need close ties with the larger movement to keep the LP sustainably libertarian. [This is, however, one reason to discourage libertarian activists from forming official non-profits, as it could limit their ability, or perceived ability, to work with the Libertarian Party. The other, perhaps bigger reason, is that creating any kind of official, State-recognized group tends to come with various paperwork and other requirements that pose a high risk to eat up lots of time, money and energy.]
If the LNC runs with this idea, please be sure to include at least as many bills with issues that will tend to appeal to folks on the left, as to folks on the right. It is essential that the Libertarian Party be able to appeal to people on both sides of the conventional political spectrum, and not become marginalized as right-wing (which has long been a danger, but is one that has grown even greater in the past few years).
Being seen as neither left-wing nor right-wing, but a genuine alternative to the 2-party duopoly, is a big part of the reason we are the leading alternative party in the United States, while others like the Green Party and Constitution Party that are clearly left-wing or right-wing see their energy and supporters easily siphoned off by the Democrats or Republicans.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))
Chair, Libertarian Party of San Francisco*
(415) 625-3733
*Views expressed here are my own and may or may not reflect those of the LPSF.
Are non-profit groups in the United States prohibited from having any cooperation with political parties?
The answer depends on the type of non-profit and the nature of the cooperation:
- 501(c)(3) Organizations (Charities, Religious Groups, Educational Institutions)
Strictly prohibited from any cooperation with political parties or campaigns that could be seen as supporting or opposing candidates.
Examples of prohibited activities:
Endorsing or opposing candidates
Donating money or resources to campaigns or parties
Allowing candidates to use their facilities or resources unless made equally available to all candidates
Allowed:
Nonpartisan voter education and registration
Hosting candidate forums (if all legally qualified candidates are invited)
2. Other Non-Profits (501(c)(4), (c)(5), (c)(6))
Can engage in some political activity, but it cannot be their primary purpose.
Examples of allowed activities:
Lobbying for legislation
Limited political campaign activity (for 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations)
Still restricted:
Direct coordination with political parties or campaigns is risky and can trigger IRS scrutiny.
Key Point
501(c)(3) groups cannot cooperate with political parties in any way that supports or opposes candidates. Other non-profits have more leeway, but must still avoid making political activity their main focus.
– Le Chat