Libertarians lose party status in Maine because of low vote count

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/12/17/libertarians-lose-party-status-in-maine/

Maine is back down to three political parties – Republican, Democratic and Green Independent – after the Libertarian Party failed to register enough members to retain an official status.

The Maine Secretary of State’s Office said that only 6,168 voters were enrolled in the Libertarian Party of Maine on Election Day last month. In order to maintain their status as an official party, at least 10,000 enrolled Libertarians would have had to cast ballots in last month’s elections.

As a result, all voters who registered as Libertarians will now be re-classified as “unenrolled,” which is often referred to as “independent” in Maine.

The Libertarian Party officially qualified for party status in July 2016 after enrolling more than 5,000 members. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap’s office said Monday that the party plans to seek official status again, which would require at least 5,000 enrollees by Jan. 2, 2020. If they do, at least 10,000 enrolled party members would have to vote in the following election.

<more>