| Libertarians field full slate despite
funding disadvantage
By Mary Beth Schneider mary.beth.schneider@indystar.com April 26, 2002 The Libertarian Party is the poor stepchild of Indiana politics. It's the most successful third party in the state, with rapid growth in the past decade. The party has gone from fielding just five candidates in 1994 to counting on 200 Libertarians to be on this November's ballot. But the party's growth remains stunted, while Republicans and Democrats flourish with the fertilizer of taxpayer dollars. When Libertarians choose their nominees at their state convention today through Sunday in Indianapolis, they'll be footing the bill themselves. The reception rooms in a Downtown hotel, the delegates' fees, any campaign materials -- all will have to come from the money they raise or from their own pockets. In contrast, Republicans and Democrats choose most of their nominees in the May 7 primary election, fully funded by public money. And when they do so much as turn on a light at a state or county party headquarters, it's thanks in part to money that comes from Hoosier motorists who buy vanity license plates. Each year, Republicans and Democrats split more than $1 million -- it hit about $1.4 million in 2001 -- from fees generated by the sale of personalized license plates. Everyone who wants their car's rear end to tell other motorists "I M GR8" or "2 HOT" must pay a $48 fee -- $30 of which is an involuntary political contribution split evenly between the two major political parties. "Wow," said Edwin Bender, research director at the Montana-based National Institute on Money in State Politics, when told of Indiana's method of funding politics. "That's a pretty cozy deal they've got." Not just cozy. Unique, Bender said. Other states give matching funds to candidates who agree to abide by spending limits or let taxpayers decide whether to check a box on their tax form to give a few dollars to the political party of their choice. Only Indiana lets the parties get cash in sums limited only by the number of people buying vanity plates. Libertarians -- and other alternative political parties -- can't share the bounty until they find a candidate for governor who can pull in more votes. Parties whose gubernatorial candidate gets 5 percent to 33 percent of the vote get that same percentage of the license plate cash. The parties of the top two candidates split the rest or, as is the case now, the whole pot. The link between political funding and license plates began in Indiana in the 1930s, when the parties started running the branches as a patronage perk. In 1977, the two parties began getting $15 each from the sale of every personalized license plate. The state took over the operation of license branches in 1987, but the parties were allowed to keep the public money. Alternative political parties measure success by percentages. If their candidate for secretary of state gets 2percent of the vote -- as Libertarians did in 1994 and 1998 -- the party is automatically on the ballot and avoids the cumbersome petition process. Snare at least 5 percent of the vote for governor, they get the license plate cash. Get 10 percent of the vote for secretary of state, and they must choose the bulk of their candidates in the primary election. It's kind of like graduating from the kids' table at Thanksgiving to the grown-ups' dining room. But while Libertarians hope for success, they are debating whether the trappings would compromise their principles. The party had high hopes that it's candidate for governor in 2000, Andrew Horning, could get 5 percent of the vote and make it eligible for the license plate cash. Horning got closer to 2 percent of the vote, but he doesn't want the money. "Do we want to be pragmatists that do whatever's necessary, or do we hang firm to our principles because nobody else does? My take, being the quixotic loser I am, is to stick to principles and don't budge," Horning said. Brad Klopfenstein, executive director of the state Libertarian Party, prefers pragmatism. Ironically, he is the only state party leader with a personalized license plate -- "SSKLOPF" -- though it expires this month, and he isn't renewing it. Democratic Party Chairman Peter Manous, Republican Party Chairman Jim Kittle and GOP Executive Director Luke Messer do not have vanity plates, though their parties benefit from them. Klopfenstein said the Libertarians could advocate getting rid of the money, but he didn't think the party should handicap itself by refusing a cash advantage the major parties have long enjoyed. The third party also has mixed feelings about holding a primary election. Klopfenstein would like to, citing the lack of attention the Libertarians get in the spring as the public and press focus on the primary election candidates. Instead, the party will choose its nominees at this weekend's convention. Two nominations are contested -- one state representative district and the key secretary of state race. If that seems like a paltry number, Klopfenstein points out that it's twice as many contests as they had two years ago, when the party had its first contest for a nomination. Running for secretary of state are two Bloomington residents -- former teacher Rebecca Sink-Burris and software engineer Paul Hager. Sink-Burris favors getting the license plate money, calling it a voluntary fee, but she prefers the convention over a primary election. The parties, and not taxpayers, should foot the bill to choose the nominees, she said. Hager also wouldn't refuse the license plate cash, saying, "You can't shoot yourself in the foot like that." He, too, prefers the convention to the primary election. "We're very issue-oriented," he said. "The problem with the primary is it opens up the decision-making process to a whole lot of people who are not dedicated activists."
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