When Utah voters trek to the polls on Tuesday, October 4, 2005, they know that it won't be the end of this election season.

After October 4, candidates, citizens and local elections officials around the state will be asked to do it all again before November 8. That means printing new ballots, staffing polling places, campaigning for votes, studying the remaining candidates, voting and counting the votes.

Conducting both primary and general municipal elections throughout Utah costs candidates, voters, and taxpayers millions of dollars.

Political consultants and those who print campaign materials may appreciate the additional work primary elections generate. But in this era of shrinking budgets, it makes less sense to conduct two elections when one election will do.

SALT LAKE CITY – The Libertarian Party of Utah’s chairman, Rob Latham, announced the “Fair Representation Challenge” to the leaders of Utah’s Democratic and Republican parties, and student leaders at Utah’s colleges and universities.

For Democrats and Republicans, the challenge will measure which party does the most to make Utah’s elections more competitive and representative by the end of the state legislature’s 2006 general session. Latham and other Libertarians will encourage their candidates in swing districts to “spoil” the candidates of the party that does the least to open up the two-party system.

SALT LAKE CITY – Libertarian Party of Utah Chairman Rob Latham has put out a call across America for a challenger to run on his party’s ticket against five-term incumbent U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch.

“The candidate who can run the strongest campaign should be our nominee,” says Latham, “regardless of where in the country that candidate hails from.”

Although eligible citizens from across America may run for any open federal congressional seat, candidates must be residents of the state they intended to represent in Congress “when elected.”

October 26, 2004

Dear Editor,

Liberty-minded people tend to say things like "there is no major difference between the Democrats and Republicans." There is a reason for that.

Sure, there are differences between the two parties, but from the outside looking in, with a freedom-oriented, liberty-minded perspective, the differences are minute.

I see the two parties arguing over what is better to spend our earned money on and which liberties are most appropriate to take away in the name of "security." I see very little beneficial, liberty-enhancing results coming from either side.

The Libertarian Party of Utah today announced that it, along with the national Libertarian Party and the Advocates for Self-Government, has had record-breaking numbers of people taking their famous "World's Smallest Political Quiz."

The Quiz, available on the Libertarian Party of Utah's website (LPUtah.org) via the Advocates for Self-Government, gauges where in the political spectrum a person lies by asking key questions about that person's political beliefs.

Usually, during an election year, there is a "bump" in the number of Quiz takers both locally and nationally. "But this year," says Advocates for Self-Government President Sharon Harris, "the bump is an earthquake!"

SALT LAKE CITY -- Today state district court Judge Robert K. Hilder ordered the State Elections Office to put Michael Stoddard, Libertarian candidate for State Auditor, back on Utah's general election ballot.

Mr. Stoddard, a Certified Public Accountant running on a platform of requiring independent audits for state agencies, was removed from the ballot after the State Elections Office cited a technical error when his September 15 financial report was filed online.

Mr. Stoddard was represented in court by Andrew McCullough, Libertarian candidate for Attorney General of Utah.