MICHIGAN LIBERTARIAN
July 2021

Volume 50:07

In This Issue:

Comments from the editor on the July Michigan Libertarian.

I am pleased to have so much content to include in the this issue. We also had an excelent convention right at the end of June. If you are eager to read about convention highlights and the legendary Defender of Liberty Awards, fear not! stay tuned for additional articles posted to our official website in the days ahead, as well as our August 2021 issue.

Contributions welcome

We welcome new contributions with careful attention to our guidelines. Articles for the next issue of the Michigan Libertarian must be submitted to chair@michiganlp.org, and newsletter@michiganlp.org no later than the 20th of each month. This allows for publication on the first of each month. We routinely post articles to the website homepage ahead of our publication date.

Special thanks are in order to circulation editor Catherine Filus for her continued work, behind the scenes, to get these issues to our readers. Also to Jeff Pittel and James Weeks who have been exceptionally helpful with the transition from MailChimp to CiviCRM, which we will be using for distributions moving forward.

The Libertarian Party of Michigan depends on contributions to carry out it's mission Please Visit us at MichiganLP.org and scroll down to the bottom of our homepage to gain access to our contribution form.

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Door-to-Door Libertarian Campaigns: How and Why?

By Donna Gundle-Krieg, Mancelona Township Trustee

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This is the sixth in a series of articles about "How to Get Elected as a Libertarian." This article focuses on how to effectively campaign door-to-door.

In summary, while campaigning as a Libertarian, it is vital to get out and meet as many voters as possible. It takes a lot of courage, but it gets easier and you won't regret it!

It is also very important to organize your door-to-door campaign, which requires you to answer the basic questions: Who, What, When, Where and Why will you campaign door to door?

Who do you want to reach?

You want to knock on as many doors as possible, but you want to be sure that you are only targeting registered voters. If you are running for a local position in Michigan, your township or county clerk should be able to give you a list of voters. Usually, this list is on an Excel sheet, so you can easily manage the data to organize your door-to-door campaign.

Take the time to organize this list by street, neighborhood and even house. The more time you organize and plan your door-to-door campaign, the more effective you will be. If the list tells you who usually votes absentee, and/or who usually votes in primary elections, it is wise to prioritize these people. Figure out how many households you need to reach, and give yourself daily, weekly and monthly goals.

What do you tell them?

The most efficient way to reach as many people as possible is to spend about 30 seconds with each person who answers the door. Be sure to look them in the eye! Introduce yourself, tell them that you are running for x position on x date, and hand them some information about yourself.

Door hangers such as the one pictured here are the best, because you can leave them on the doors of those who are not home. I even put all the Michigan Libertarian candidates on the other side of my door hanger.

Of course, some people will want to talk longer, which is okay once in a while. It helps you to be in touch with the views of the voters. There are also some voters who are "influencers," and very active in the community. It is always worthwhile to talk longer to those who might be more likely to talk to others. However, try not to get dragged into political discussions, especially if they are not winnable discussions. Remember, your goal is to simply introduce yourself to as many voters as possible.

When is the best time to go door to door?

Again, absentee voters often vote early, so as soon as you can, you should try to visit those who vote absentee. You can visit the others all the way up until the day before the election! They say that evenings and weekends are the best time to find people home, but get out whenever you have the chance! Also, if you only go out on weekends and evenings, you will probably not meet your goals.

Where do I campaign?

Start with the most populated areas, and work your way to the more rural voters. Stay away from any no trespassing signs, and respect the "no solicitations" requests. You will run into a lot of dogs! Some campaigners bring dog treats, but I don't recommend it as many dogs are on special diets.

Why should you campaign door-to-door?

Meeting voters face-to-face is by far the most effective way to convince someone to vote for you. Libertarians face an uphill battle, especially with straight ticket voting. Going door-to-door convinces people to take a chance on you, and also gives you the opportunity to introduce them to the Libertarian philosophy.

In summary, door-to-door campaigns are crucial and necessary when running for office as a Libertarian. These personal visits can propel you to a victory, especially in local races!

As an elected Libertarian for a Township Trustee in a small rural northern Michigan town, I believe that the Libertarian Party of Michigan should recruit as many qualified, freedom loving candidates as possible to run for similar local roles across the state.

The topic next month will be about how to use mailings in your political campaign. l welcome ideas and questions at any time at dokrieg@gmail.com.

Series on How and Why to Get Local Libertarians Elected:

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Thoughts From the Outgoing Libertarian Party of Michigan Chair

By Greg Stempfle, former Chair

Gregory Stempfle (Left) setting up for one last convention as Chair. Andrew Chadderdon (Right). Photo by Breanna Arold.
Gregory Stempfle (Left) setting up for one last convention as Chair. Andrew Chadderdon (Right). Photo by Breanna Arold.

This article will highlight some thoughts I have on the topics I talked about, during my chair's report, at last month's Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) state convention I will also share thoughts on events of the day. I first started off by discussing some of the highlights of the past year.

  • The LPM ran 56 candidates for public office in Michigan in 2020. Our candidates faced unprecedented challenges trying to campaign during a lockdown with nearly all public events cancelled. Despite these challenges, four candidates were elected in November; two partisan Libertarians and two nonpartisan Congratulations to Donna Gundle-Kreig, who won a spot on the Mancelona Township Board of Trustees, for becoming only the second Libertarian in Michigan's history to be elected to public office by beating a major party opponent.
  • When the ballot proof went out in August, we discovered that the Libertarian Party and its candidates were listed in the 5th position on the ballot, rather than 3rd We were entitled to that spot based on the results of the previous race for Secretary of State. With the help of Bill Hall and the election law specialists at his law firm, we were able to convince the Bureau of Elections to change the ballot order without litigation.

Membership up Amidst Lockdowns and Blowback

  • We experienced a significant bump in membership and contacts following the events at the United States Capitol on January 6th. Many people who contacted me were finally fed up with the dysfunctional two party system and wanted to get involved in a different party. However a couple people, who reached out to me, were disappointed that we did not want to help their efforts to overturn the presidential election.
  • The lockdown orders persisted through early 2021. This made planning the 2021 State Convention difficult. This was actually our second attempt at planning a convention this year and it turned out to be our biggest in years. Thank you to Andrew Chadderdon, Dan Ziemba, and Connor Nepomuceno for organizing this three day event!

Thoughts on Things the LPM did well last year

  • State party membership is up and more organized thanks to Jeff Pittel and the membership committee. The team is utilizing the CiviCRM database set up by the national party to it's full potential and have created LPM membership cards.
  • We have seen a major increase in our Social Media outreach on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks to Connor Nepomuceno and the Social media team for their efforts.
  • We continue to publish the monthly newsletter "Michigan Libertarian" with content written by party members. Thanks to Editor Scotty Boman and to Catherine Filus and Jeff Pittel for distribution.

Thoughts on Things we need to do better in 2022

Delegates elected the new executive committee last month. They will have a lot of work ahead of them, and can use all the volunteer help you, the party membership, can offer. There are a couple of areas that need the most attention that I encourage people to get involved with.

  • Media outreach and press releases. We need to develop a better relationship with traditional media outlets.
  • Re engage in public outreach efforts. COVID made it difficult for doing public outreach last year and much of this year as well. With an election season right around the corner, we need to start planning for events in 2022 and later this year.

Lessons from the Libertarian National Committee / New Hampshire Dispute

After the events in June involving the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire and the Libertarian National Committee, I gave a lot of thought to how we can prevent a similar situation in Michigan. My thoughts, moving forward, are to encourage the next Libertarian Executive Committee (LEC) to take two steps.

  • Better understand the security and ownership of our membership data and other assets.
  • Develop a social media policy with safeguards so nobody can abuse the platform.

I would like to thank all of the officers I served with the past two years. I also thank the LPM membership for entrusting the leadership of the party with me. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as state party chair.

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Membership Committee - LP of Michigan Mid-Year Report

Jeff Pittel, Membership Committee Chair

Membership growth evident by Libby Fest attendance. Photo by Scotty Boman
Membership growth evident by Libby Fest attendance. Photo by Scotty Boman

After an outstanding State Convention thanks to the Convention Committee and numerous others, I am pleased to report at the end of June 2021, our Membership has increased to 373 Members. This is a new peak. It's a 25% increase since the start of 2021 and a 99% increase since we began actively tracking via CiviCRM data in December 2019.

Everyone speaking, posting, engaging, recruiting, lobbying or communicating on behalf of our Party is responsible for this success. So I thank you for your efforts.

Membership Growth 2020 to 2021.
Membership Growth 2020 to 2021.

New Card

This has obviously enhanced our budget. Which enables us to host events like the State Convention, and we can distribute more Membership Cards. The Executive Committee approved them early in 2021. The Cards were a new initiative and we have distributed 320 Annual Membership Cards and 97 Lifetime Member Cards since the start of this project in March!

I hope the Members appreciates their card as I'm very pleased with the card's quality ; my sincere thanks to Jay Gillotte and his company, Extend Your Reach, in Lansing, Michigan, for refining the graphics and printing the Annual Membership Card blanks, and Sandia Card Solutions in Pompano Beach, FL for the Lifetime Membership Cards. Please contact us at the email below if you haven't received your Card yet !

Membership card front. Membership card back.
Membership card.

I have high expectations that the LPMI will continue to grow as our National Membership stands at 717 which is a 29% increase from January 2020. Membership Committee's intent is to engage these folks and encourage them to join the LPM, as they're missing half the action. Paradoxically, the number of national Libertarian Party members in the State has declined recently, so I encourage State Party Members to join the National Party, if they haven't already. This is especially important as this determines our State Delegate allocation for the National Convention next year. Please join the National Party at:

https://my.lp.org/contribute/join/

LNC adopts CiviCRM

Thanks to the National Libertarian Party's adoption of the CiviCRM application, we now have access to contact information for 15,000+ individuals and the Michigan email mailing list through CiviCRM email application can reach 5400+ contacts via targeted communication. Through CiviCRM these contacts can be informed of events, volunteer opportunities, etc. specific to their geographic area or interest, and of course, recruit Candidates.

The Membership Committee has numerous responsibilities to support our Members and Leadership including:

  • Informing Affiliate Leaders of new contacts and Members in their area
  • Sending emails to new or renewing Members and Sign-ups (i.e., Contacts)
  • Sending out Membership Cards
  • Tabulating monthly Membership statistics for the LEC
  • Sending out communication to targeted groups per Affiliate / Candidate request
  • Tabulating event Participants (e.g., LPMI State Convention)

As the number of members grows, these efforts are more time consuming and require more people to assist in these duties. With that in mind, LPMI Membership Committee is encouraging Members to join the Committee and become active and adept CiviCRM Users to assist in the above tasks. If you wish to join the Membership Committee, please send an email to:

membership@michiganlp.org

Recruitment through affiliates

We are also encourage our Affiliate Leaders to become active CiviCRM Users to communicate with and develop their local Membership. LP National has requested and needs active Users at the Affiliate level. Affiliate Leaders can request CiviCRM User access via the following link:

https://my.lp.org/user-request/

CiviCRM has numerous capabilities and data to grow the Libertarian Party of Michigan and engage our Members. This includes:

  • Contact filtering and targeted communication
  • Event planning & tracking
  • Phone bank logging
  • Candidate Information
  • Media Contacts

CiviCRM is the foundational tool to grow the Party and I appreciate the Leaders and Members willingness to learn and use this system ! SO STEP UP AND HELP US GROW THIS PARTY !!

Thank you

In closing I would like to thank my fellow Membership Committee members Larry Johnson, Norm Peterson, Greg Stempfle, Lisa Lane Gioia, and Jerry Bloom, for their efforts on behalf of this Committee.

LET'S LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUED GROWTH OF OUR MEMBERSHIP TO NEXT YEAR'S CONVENTION !!

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Recruitment for the Remainder of 2021 and Beyond

Timothy Yow, Chair

Recruitment could bring us the next Jamie VanAlstine, Larry Sharpe, Spike Cohan, Mike Saliba, or Justin Amash. Photo by Scotty Boman
Recruitment could bring us the next Jamie VanAlstine, Larry Sharpe, Spike Cohan, Mike Saliba, or Justin Amash. Photo by Scotty Boman

A big part of our future as a party is going to depend on our successes in recruitment. Lets face it, we need more people in the trenches with us if we hope to regain the liberties we lost over the past year and a half (and beyond).

I ask each one of you, the Michigan Libertarian party members, to become more of an "evangelist" for liberty than ever before.

Recruitment via Social Media

Be keenly aware of your associations on the socials. Watch for that Instagram connection who posts a selfie with a cap about 1776 or taxation or George Orwell or anything that tells you they are recognizing the problems with our political scene and take that person to lunch. Or it might be one you follow on Twitter who keeps bantering with people about gun rights. It might just be that Facebook friend who keeps liking your posts about how taxation is theft. If you can't arrange a lunch, find some way to open up dialog with these people, listen, mention the hat, get to know what has them questioning and then invite them to learn more. No hard sell, no heavy pressure, just a conversation among friends that may or may not lead to them signing up before the conversation is over.

Recruit Activists from Past Events

Think back to individuals who were once coming to meetings, or volunteering for the party and who you haven't seen or heard from in a while. Reach out to them and find out if they dropped off because of family concerns or because of a bad experience with someone at their local affiliate. If it is the latter, let them know that the state party has taken a turn towards becoming a kinder, more civil organization and the newly elected board is making this goal a priority. The shift towards unity and productivity is well underway and they need to know that they are welcome back.

These are just a few ideas but you are creative people. I know you could come up with a dozen other ways to find those libertarians who just don't know they are libertarian. I know its almost a worn out cliche' but if each one could reach one (or 5), this party will look completely different by our next major election. Lets do this together. Lets grow together.

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Timothy Yow's Message to the Delegates

By Timothy Yow, Chair

Timothy Yow, Caryn Ann Harlos, Mike Saleba, Connor Jared Nepomuceno, Bob Broda, Paul Vainer, Daniel Ziemba and Lisa Lane Gioia, Photo by Jessica Leigh Sentman.
Timothy Yow, Caryn Ann Harlos, Mike Saleba, Connor Jared Nepomuceno, Bob Broda, Paul Vainer, Daniel Ziemba and Lisa Lane Gioia, Photo by Jessica Leigh Sentman

I wanted to take a moment to speak to the delegates, share a couple quick thoughts about the convention this weekend, and give a few shout-outs.

Timothy Yow Says "Thank You!"

Let me start by saying "thank you" to all the delegates who voted to make Timothy Yow your next state party chair. It means a lot to know that so many are putting their confidence in me to lead this party for the next 2 years. I also want to thank those who voted "none of the above". Furthermore I thank you because it reminds me that I have opportunity to be a better person and a better leader. I would hope that any who did vote NOTA would feel the liberty to come to me with their concerns and doubts so we can move forward together in unity. I hope I can restore your faith in me as I serve this party and its members in this current role.

The convention was absolutely amazing. Thank you to Andrew and the convention committee for pulling out all the stops to create a hugely successful event that other states should and will model their future conventions after. You all deserve the accolades that I and many members have bestowed upon you.

Also, thank you to the outgoing chair, Greg Stempfle, for conducting yet another practically flawless business meeting on Saturday. I fear I will never quite run a meeting like you have run so many since you were elected. All I can do is promise to try.

Editor's note: Check back for additional photographs and links to videos. We uploaded this Zoom business session video to our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LibertarianPartyofMI/videos/535354150843228

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Officers & Staff

General Contact: Libertarian Party of Michigan: PO Box 27065, Lansing, MI 48909; Phone: 888.FREE.NOW.

Chair: Tim Yow. chair@michiganlp.org
First Vice Chair: Ben Boren. vcaffiliates@michiganlp.org
Second Vice Chair: Andrew Chadderdon vcpoliticaldirector@michiganlp.org
Secretary: Daniel Ziemba. secretary@michiganlp.org
Treasurer: Norman Peterson. treasurer@michiganlp.org
District 1 Rep: Ryan Roberts. dist1rep@michiganlp.org
District 2 Rep: Steven Fox. dist2rep@michiganlp.org
District 3 Rep: Jordan Martin. dist3rep@michiganlp.org
District 4 Rep: Rich Theelon. dist4rep@michiganlp.org
District 5 Rep: Dave Canny dist5rep@michiganlp.org
District 6 Rep: Brandon Warzbyok. dist6rep@michiganlp.org
District 7 Rep: Brian Ellison. dist7rep@michiganlp.org
District 8 Rep: Joe Hartman. dist8rep@michiganlp.org
District 9 Rep: Mike Saliba. dist9rep@michiganlp.org
District 10 Rep: Joe. dist10rep@michiganlp.org
District 11 Rep: Bruce Jacquays. dist11rep@michiganlp.org
District 12 Rep: Daniel Muehl-Miller. dist12rep@michiganlp.org
District 13 Rep: Breona Arold. dist13rep@michiganlp.org
District 14 Rep: Paul Vainer. dist14rep@michiganlp.org

Judicial Committee Members

Connor Nepomuceno. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org
Robert Roddis. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org
Joshua Smith. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org

Volunteers

Webmaster: James Weeks III. Webmaster@MichiganLP.org
Newsletter Editor: Scotty Boman. newsletter@michiganlp.org
Ciculation Director: Catherine Filus. catherine@catherinefilus.com
Social Media Director: Connor Nepomuceno cjnepo1@gmail.com
Historical Committee Chair: Emily Salvette esalvette@gmail.com

Affiliate Contacts

Capital Area: Luke Sciberras, Chair. 248-302-1064, capitalarealp@gmail.com
https://capitalarealp.wordpress.com
Genesee County: Chair David Canny, cannyds@gmail.com.
https://www.facebook.com/LPGCMI
Huron-Raisin: James Hudler, (734) 475-9792, james.hudler@gmail.com or contact Larry Johnson at: michlibertarian@gmail.com
https://lpwc.wordpress.com
Jackson-Hillsdale: Norman Peterson, (269) 330-2980 norman.peterson@comcast.net
https://www.jhlp.org
Livingston County: James Weeks II, (810) 422-8769, j.weeks@riseup.net
http://livingstonlibertarians.org
Macomb County: Mike Saliba, chair@macomblp.org
https://macomblp.org
Northern Michigan: Philip Lindsay. philiplindsay25@gmail.com
Oakland County: Paul Vainer, paul.vainer@gmail.com or Vice Chair Ben Carr at 248-919-8152
http://lpocmi.org
Southwest Michigan: Jason Brandenburg. swmi4liberty@be-innovative.net
https://swmlp.com
Straits Area: Chair Andy Evans, (231) 625-8403, . amevans_1968@yahoo.com
straitslp.com or facebook.com/StraitsAreaLP
Upper Peninsula Libertarian Party: Chair Ryan Roberts, (906) 420-2995, . ryan_r03@hotmail.com
Wayne County: Jami Van Alstine, jamiracquel2004@yahoo.com
https://michiganlpwayne.wixsite.com/index
West Michigan: Bob VanNoller . (616) 406-7784, Email Bob VanNoller at bob@rollaway.biz
http://lpwm.org

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Upcoming Events

Please contact local affiliate officers to learn how to get involved in their meetings.

Some events are also posted by their hosts at the Meetup.com site. The Michigan Libertarian recommends contacting an affiliate officer or check the Website (or Facebook page) associated with the meeting host (if they have one) before arriving at a meeting. Some meetings can get canceled, or locations can change with short notice. Contact information connected to most events can be found by expanding the item on the "Agenda view" of the Events page of our website.

July 8, 2021 - Huron-Raisin Affiliate Meeting, 7:00 PM
Aubree's Pizzeria & Grill. 39 E Cross St, Ypsilanti, MI 48198
For more information, contact Larry Johnson at 734-475-9792 or email michlibertarian@gmail.com or call (734) 320-7237

July 14, 2021 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County Business Meeting, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Deluca's Restaurant. 27424 Warren Rd, Westland, MI 48185-2622, United States.
Please visit the Libertarian Party of Wayne County's new Website for updates.
For more information, contact Jami Van Alstine, jamiracquel2004@yahoo.com

July 13, 2021 - Southwest Michigan Libertarian Party Affiliate Meeting, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Traveler's Cafe and Pub. 5225 Portage Rd. Portage, MI 49002
For more information, contact Jason Brandenburg email at swmi4liberty@be-innovative.net

July 14, 2021 - Libertarians of Macomb County Affiliate Meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Ike's Restaurant. 38550 Van Dyke Ave, Sterling Heights, MI 48312.
For more information, contact Mike Saliba at macomblp@gmail.com

July 18, 2021 - Capital Area Affiliate Meeting 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
CALP will select state convention delegates at this business meeting, to be held in person at Renos North - 460 S. US Highway 27. Lansing, MI
If Renos is unable to open CALP will meet over Discord teleconfelerence app.
Contact Luke Sciberras at 248-302-1064 or email capitalarealp@gmail.com for event details and instructions to join.

July 18, 2021 - Straits Area Libertarian Party Affiliate Meeting, 2:00 PM
The 211 Bar and Grill family restaurant. 5 Miles North of Onaway. 3444 M-211, Onaway, MI 49765
For more information, contact Andy Evans at (231) 625-8403 or email amevans_1968@yahoo.com.

July 18, 2021 - Northern Michigna Libertarian Party Affiliate Meeting, 5:00 PM
The home of Corey Dean. Grawn, MI 49765
For more information, contact Corey Dean at (231) 590-8290 or email cory0269@yahoo.com.

July 21, 2021 - Libertarian Party of Oakland County Affiliate Meeting, 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM.
Farmhouse Coffee and Ice Cream. 29936 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334-3900..
Business starts at 7:00 PM. To confirm the meeting email Paul Vainer at: paul.vainer@gmail.com https://lpocmi.org/

August 3, 2021 - Detroit Primary Election. Volunteer to get Scotty Boman on the Board of Police Commissioners, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Scotty Boman's campaign page here
Detroit polling locations.
For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 [Voice only] or email ScottyEducation@yahoo.com.

August 5, 2021 - Livingston County Monthly Meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Due to covid-19 this event may have been moved to an online platform, please contact that affiliate chair for more information. Some virtual meeting information is posted here
Live meetings are at Cleary's Pub. 117 East Grand River Ave. HOWELL, MI.
For more information, contact James Weeks II at 810.422.8769 or email jamestweeks@outlook.com.

August 7, 2021 - Celebrate the life of Marvin Surowitz. "Earth Community World Party Day", 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Ralston Festival Site (Behind WJZZ). 19730 Ralston St. Detroit, MI.
For more information email ScottyEducation@yahoo.com.


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If you are new to the Michigan Libertarian, you can link to 2016 issues here, http://michiganlp.org/category/newsletters . Other issues are preserved in our historical archives here: http://old.michiganlp.org/resources-2/newsletter.

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Copyright 2019 Libertarian Party of Michigan, All rights reserved.

The Michigan Libertarian is a publication of the Libertarian Party of Michigan Libertarian Party of Michigan: PO Box 27065, Lansing, MI 48909; Phone: 888.FREE.NOW. The Libertarian Party of Michigan website is paid for with regulated funds by the Libertarian Party of Michigan Executive Committee, Inc. d/b/a the Libertarian Party of Michigan. Not authorized by any candidate.