I am thankful to have had the opportunity to speak with many of you directly over the past few days. We are experiencing unique and unpredictable times as a party and as a nation. First and foremost I wish to extend my thoughts and prayers for each of you and for your families as we navigate our way through the challenges presented by the COVID-19 virus.
Your concerns about changing political petitioning and filing deadlines are shared not only by Libertarians but across political party lines. Please be assured that the LPNY Interim State Committee will respond to changes in the political deadlines in a thoughtful and timely manner that places the utmost importance on the health and safety of our membership.
As you may already know, Governor Cuomo has signed an Executive Order that reduces the minimum number of petition signatures required to 30% of the normal thresholds. The petitioning period will now end at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 — two weeks earlier than planned. We have not heard if the deadline for filing petitions will similarly be changed.
Fellow Libertarians have expressed important concerns about this abbreviated petitioning period and the impact that this will have on both candidates for public office and judicial district candidates for our 2020 state committee. Local leaders are being hit with “what if” queries that we and other political parties are simply unable to answer quickly at this time. I assure you that we will strive to keep you informed and manage these challenges.
As we move forward, I ask that we all prioritize health and safety over politics. In the big picture political parties and elections are concerns that pale in comparison to people and families. Lets not rush and act impulsively in an attempt to meet the governor’s new petitioning deadline. We will sort these issues out after we have collectively defeated the COVID-19 virus. That is our number one priority.