The Libertarian Party claims to be the third largest American political party. According to the party’s Web site, “In terms of political activity (number of candidates, access to the ballot, and elected office holders), the Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in America. We’re active in all 50 states and have more than 200,000 registered voters.”

History of the Libertarian Party
On December 11, 1971, the Libertarian Party was founded at John Nolan’s residence in Colorado, and the party held its first national convention the following June 1972 in Denver. For president, they nominated John Hospers, who was a professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, and for vice-president, they nominated Tonie Nathan, who became the first woman in American history to earn an electoral vote.

In 1975, at its national convention held in New York City, they party nominated Roger MacBride for president and David Bergland as vice-president. In 1976, MacBride was listed on the ballot in 32 states, receiving 170,000 votes.

In 1979, the Libertarian Party in California achieved the status of being permanently on the ballot, because California has over 80,000 registered Libertarians. The 1980s saw several milestones reached for the party, as Ed Clark, Libertarian candidate for president, was on the ballot in all fifty states, Washington D.C., and Guam; almost a million voters cast their votes for this Libertarian candidate.

By 1990, nearly two million voters were choosing Libertarian candidate. The party continued to attract attention, and in 1996, it became the only independent party to gain ballot status in all states for two consecutive presidential elections. By 2002, the party had the largest slate of independent candidates of any third party since the Second World War

In the 2004 election, the Libertarian Party appeared on ballots in 48 states, beating out Ralph Nader, who was on 39 ballots, the Constitution Party, which was on 35, and the Green Party, which was on 27 ballots.

Political Philosophy
The Libertarian Party has the simplest political philosophy: they believe the only function of government is to insure that all citizens are allowed freedom to pursue their own life’s goals. Therefore, they do not favor any government regulation that obstructs individual in their family lives and business pursuits. But they also insist that along with such freedom come much individual responsibilities; thus, “we believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another.”

They advocate small government, low taxes, and more freedom for everyone who takes responsibility for such freedom. They call it a “live and let live” mentality.

The Libertarian Party is growing, but it is still quite small compared to the two major parties. Libertarians are strong-willed, however, and can be found in many places, including Democrat dominated Hollywood. Clint Eastwood, Kirk Russell, and Jason Alexander are three of the big names who count themselves Libertarians.

Bob Barr
Recently, Bob Barr accepted the nomination from the Libertarian Party to seek the presidency in November. It is thought that he will siphon votes from Republican John McCain, the way Ralph Nader does from Democrats.

While many citizens believe that a viable third party would be good for American politics, the actual practice seems to continue to elude the political landscape.

Reference:
Official Web Site of the Libertarian Party