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Diebold Deviousness or
is LPHQ Up to Something?

Results keep trickling in for this month’s special election in California’s 50^th Congressional District, and Libertarian Paul King’s vote totals continue to climb. 

LP candidate Paul King has just crossed the 2,500 vote threshold.  This marks a tripling – and then some - of the roughly 800 votes he received in the April primary, and it more than doubles his previous vote percentage.

California’s early vote option and liberal absentee law has slowed down the tallying, but over at the Huffington Post, blogger Bob Cesca thinks he smells a rat.  Like many other activist bloggers on the Left – and the Right – he is quick to impute dishonesty and “dirty tricks” on the part of his partisan foes. 

For instance, Cesca muses, how could it be that “Libertarian candidate Paul King (received) roughly 500 more votes (2201 votes so far) than any other Libertarian running (around 1700 each).”   Why, it must be those “the highly dubious Diebold machines used in the election!” 

In his rush to score points in his ideological grudge match, Cesca got sloppy with his numbers.  But he is right about one thing.  Paul King did boost his performance in the special election on June 6^th, and the 50^th Congressional District saw the highest turnout of registered Libertarian voters than any other in Southern California in the statewide primary held that same day.

Technology’s hand was at work, but it wasn’t Diebold deviousness.  Rather, it was a successful trial run of a new LP GOTV (Get Out the Vote) project and the hard work of a handful of dedicated Libertarians who volunteered their time.

Developed by committed LPHQ and one great consultant, this new tool allows Libertarian volunteers to help boost LP vote totals, including gaining and maintaining ballot status.

Stay tuned for more.  This project is set to be officially unveiled at this year’s Libertarian Party National Convention over July Fourth Weekend.