For Immediate Release
Attachment: LP Letter to GSA
Alexandria – The Libertarian Party has formally requested that the General Services Administration (GSA) designate the 2016 Libertarian presidential nominees, Governor Gary Johnson and Governor William Weld, as “eligible candidates” under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 (PTA).
The designation, determined by GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth, would entitle the Libertarian candidates to receive national security briefings, among other services and facilities.
Under the PTA, candidates may be deemed eligible provided that they:
(I) meet the requirements described in Article II, Section 1, of the United States Constitution for eligibility to the office of President;
(II) have qualified to appear on the ballots of a sufficient number of States such that the total number of electors appointed in those States is greater than 50 percent of the total number of electors appointed in all of the States; and
(III) have demonstrated a significant level of public support in national public opinion polls, so as to be realistically considered among the principal contenders for President or Vice-President of the United States.
Prior to 2010 this designation was customary and traditional. In 2010 these provisions were codified and the responsibility over them was given to the GSA to administer.
Libertarian Party candidates Gary Johnson and William Weld meet or exceed all of these requirements. They should therefore be deemed eligible under the PTA immediately, the letter states.
“The old party candidates have had access to security briefings for weeks now. Gary Johnson is a major party candidate, on every American’s ballot, and he needs access to the same information as his challengers so the American people can hear his take on a level playing field. I hope this was just an oversight on the part of the GSA, and this request will set things right in short order,” stated Libertarian National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark.
Full text of the letter linked above.
