I've been away for a while but got this today -- not from LPVA, but from LNC. I'm not really on the electoral side of the movement anymore but if any RPFers care, I can slap my name on a petition. Awaiting guidance, Sic Semper Tyrannis.
The TL;DR is that this business has to do with the shenanigans being pulled by the sore losers who are upset that the Mises Caucus was successful in taking over the national LP. They're just being spiteful and petty, and are childishly trying to break things on their way out the door.
You should definitely go ahead and sign the petition - and if you're inclined to do more, try to get in touch with someone via the new LPVA accounts (apparently, the old ones were "disappeared" by the outgoing vandals).
Here's their new website:
https://lpofva.com
Their new Twitter account (@LPofVA) is here:
https://twitter.com/LPofVA
Their new Facebook page is here:
https://www.facebook.com/LPofVA
(Someone from the Virginia Mises Caucus - Twitter:
@LPMisesCaucusVA - might also be able to help.)
Here's the situation according to the
new website (bold emphasis in original):
The Libertarian Party of Virginia is under some maintenance
Many people are confused as to recent events concerning the Libertarian Party of Virginia (LPVA). While a full accounting of events will have to wait, those members currently taking action want to communicate to the membership and the broader public.
On the evening of September 11, 2022, a small group, including several members of the LPVA State Central Committee (SCC), acted to damage the party. Without notification to the other members of the board or the general membership, they put forth a motion to dissolve the party. Seven members voted in favor of this action. Without going into detail as to why, those of us members still working within LPVA believe that this vote was null and void.
As such,
the Libertarian Party of Virginia remains intact and affiliated with the National Libertarian Party. The remainder of the leadership of the LPVA, along with Congressional District Committees, regional affiliates, and dedicated volunteers among the party membership, have resolved to continue operating and have received confirmation of our ongoing affiliate status from the Libertarian National Committee. We face some logistical challenges, as the conspirators took action immediately after their charade to destroy or deactivate party assets. Fortunately, our hard-working membership have already made great progress in recovering or replacing what was lost.
In the coming weeks, news will be released detailing a convention of the membership.
If you find yourself in doubt of this account, you are encouraged to review the publicly-available documentation regarding the matter. Unlike the conspirators, who have refused to release the recording of the meeting, we encourage you to seek the truth.
In due course, we will release a more in-depth description of what occurred, remedying actions, and future plans. We intend to hold those responsible to account, and we will need your help for that. In the meantime, rest assured that we will not treat you with disrespect, and will work to strengthen the Party and the Libertarian movement in the Commonwealth. Just remember that doing things right takes time, so please be patient with us.
Above all, remember that Libertarians seek to build, not burn.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your local affiliate or CD members or join in the fun on the new
LPofVA Facebook page.
For more context, here are some of the gory details, according to
Reason (from the OP of
this thread):
That same day, the Virginia Libertarian Party's state central committee (SCC) announced that it had dissolved itself after a 7–5 vote (with one abstention), complaining that "the national image of the party" was now "functionally indistinct from other alt-right parties and movements." The party's website and Facebook page disappeared; its email addresses stopped working.
The move was illegal, LNC Secretary Caryn Ann Harlos says, though the Virginia State Corporation Commission issued a letter Tuesday stating that the dissolution complies "with the requirements of law." A parliamentarian consulted by the LNC countered that the dissolution required a vote of full party membership, while now-former Virginia L.P. chair Holly Ward believes that the SCC itself is the only relevant "members" who needed to approve. McArdle also said in a post to the LNC's business listserv that "corporate dissolution papers do not make or break an affiliate and lots of affiliates don't have corporate status." Technically, in Virginia another legal step known as "termination" must also occur, after the Virginia party's assets have been properly distributed.
Ward charged in a phone interview that the LNC has become a "fraud," properly backing neither Libertarian candidates nor Libertarian messaging, in a state whose party achieved a remarkable 6.5 percent running Robert Sarvis for governor in 2013 (and another exceptional-for-Libertarians 2.4 percent running Sarvis for Senate in 2014). The national party has made the Libertarian banner toxic to potential candidates, Ward claimed, which she thinks helps explain why there are no L.P. candidates on Virginia ballots this year. In doing candidate outreach, Ward says, she found "interested parties declined to run based on the current image and narrative of the national party."
Several local and regional Libertarian organizations in Virginia objected to the SCC's abrupt self-destruction, and the conflict is ongoing: Disgruntled Virginia L.P. members are being asked to write letters of complaint to the state government (a move Ward considers a potential use of state force to achieve a political goal, and thus a Libertarian no-no), and the Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia has been decrying the move and vowing to "continue to work with affiliates across the Commonwealth to conduct the business of the party," state party dissolution or not. There are various means for members to call for a new special convention and elect new officers who don't want to dissolve, Harlos says, working on the presumption that the dissolution motion should be considered illegitimate.
"While the LNC has had to referee some internal party disputes recently," McArdle wrote in her email, "we're still focused on advancing the message of liberty, supporting candidates, and moving the needle in the direction of freedom. I appreciate how level-headed and calm the remaining LPVA officers have been and anticipate they will get their affiliate back in order quickly."
And if you really want to wade into the tall weeds, here's (LNC Secretary) Caryn Ann Harlos' rebuttal to the
Reason article (wherein she addresses shenanigans in New Mexico as well as the ones in Virginia):
Impromptu live stream by Caryn Ann Harlos (Libertarian Party National Secretary from 2018 to present):
@ 3:05 : start / prefatory remarks
@ 8:40 : disclaimers
@ 12:10 : technical analysis re: dissolution/disaffiliation
@ 1:17:15 : criticism of the Reason article
EVERYTHING THAT REASON GOT WRONG about the LPVA plus dishonest Luchini strikes again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmBUZYXant0
