For Immediate Release

October 11th, 2007

Contact: Jimmy Cook 918-232-5013

vchair@OkVoterChoice.org

Join Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform to hear former Congressman, Bob Barr, and National Libertarian Chairman, William Redpath, in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Oct. 23rd. This OBAR fundraiser will help put the ballot access initiative petition to a vote of the people. The fundraising dinner will take place at the north Oklahoma City Holiday Inn (NW 63rd & Robinson, west of I-235). The minimum required donation of $30 includes dinner. Seats with Bob Barr or William Redpath are $200, while available. Please fill out this reply form (pdf) to reserve your seats, or reply to this email to RSVP.

Tuesday, Oct. 23rd schedule of events:

· 6:00 PM - Meet and Greet

· 7:00 PM - Dinner, Bob Barr and William Redpath speak

· 8:30 PM - Meet with event attendees

Bob Barr currently serves on the Libertarian National Committee. He served in Congress as a Republican from 1995 to 2003, and also on the board of directors of the NRA. He is currently a vocal opponent of the Patriot Act.

Mr. Barr commented on ballot access, saying, "Liberty includes the freedom to choose a candidate of your choice without that freedom being arbitrarily limited by the status quo parties. All candidates' names should appear on voters' ballots regardless of that candidate's political party. Today's political parties are changing, 10-20 percent of Americans hold libertarian ideas, and those voters deserve every right to vote for a Libertarian candidate just like Republicans and Democrats do." William Redpath, National Libertarian Party Chairman, said, “Ballot access is a fundamental component of democracy in the United States. Without fair access to the ballot, the electoral process is spoiled and true representation is impossible to achieve. Oklahoma ballot access laws are some of the worst in the union, and Oklahoma voters are the ones who suffer. Reforming ballot access laws is about returning democracy to Oklahoma and about making the government more representative of the people they serve.”

Mr. Redpath explained, “We feel that if we can educate voters on the importance of ballot access, people will understand how they have been disenfranchised by leaders who benefit from limiting competition in elections.” In September’s issue of Ballot Access News, Richard Winger wrote: “The Libertarian Party has probably spent $500,000, in its 35 years of existence, coping with Oklahoma ballot access. The national party is now resolved to fix the Oklahoma problem once and for all.” Oklahoma was the ONLY state limited to just two choices for president in 2004. Voter choice suffered again in 2006, when HALF of state legislative races went unopposed. OBAR is a coalition of Oklahoma third parties and Independents circulating an initiative petition to open Oklahoma’s ballot access laws, considered the most restrictive in the country. The OBAR petition would return the number of signatures for recognition of political party back to 5,000; the number required in Oklahoma from 1924 until 1974.

OBAR plans to re-file its initiative petition on Monday, October 15th. The re-filed petition will seek essentially the same reforms, but will extend the time available for petitioning through January.

Ballot access reform has a wide base of support. The 2007 Oklahoma Republican Platform states: "We support less restrictive ballot access for all political parties and candidates.” Also, similar ballot access questions have passed in Florida and Massachusetts.

OBAR is a coalition of the Libertarian, Green, and Constitution Parties and the Oklahoma Coalition of Independents, unified with the simple goal of making laws fair for new political parties. For more information on the Libertarian Party visit www.LP.org or www.OKLP.org and for more information on Bob Barr, visit www.BobBarr.org

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www.OkVoterChoice.org

Labels: Ballot Access, Bob Barr