For Immediate Release Tuesday, August 19, 2008
55 percent of likely voters want Bob Barr included in the debates
A recently released poll by Zogby International shows that a majority of American voters want Libertarian Party nominee Bob Barr included in the presidential debates.
Barr, currently polling at 6 percent nationally, would need to meet the thresholds established by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a private corporation run by former chairs of the Republican and Democratic National Committees, and funded by many large corporations.
According to the CPD, to be included in the debates, candidates must meet ballot access requirements and poll nationally at 15 percent or more in at least five “selected” public opinion polling organizations.
The poll released by Zogby showed that 55 percent of likely voters want Bob Barr included in the debates. Of the respondents, 69 percent of independents felt that Bob Barr deserves a place in the debate, while 52 percent of Democrats and even 50 percent of Republicans agreed.
“We’re very pleased to hear the results of the poll and are heartened to learn that most voters don’t buy into the ‘spoiler’ argument being espoused by partisan talking heads,” states Russell Verney, campaign manager for Bob Barr and former campaign manager for Ross Perot. “People want real change and they know that they are not going to get it from a Republican or a Democrat. America’s only hope for change is by allowing more competition in the political process and that means opening the debates to any candidate who can meet the ballot access criteria.”
The Barr campaign supports opening the presidential debates to any candidate who is on the ballot in enough states to mathematically win the vote of the Electoral College.
“In 1992, Ross Perot was polling at seven percent nationally and was included in all three debates. It’s time to go back to those more inclusive times,” continued Verney.
Bob Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, where he served as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, as Vice-Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Financial Services. Prior to his congressional career, Barr was appointed by President Reagan to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, and also served as an official with the CIA. Since leaving Congress, Barr has been practicing law and has teamed up with groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the American Conservative Union to actively advocate every American citizens’ right to privacy and other civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Along with this, Bob is committed to helping elect leaders who will strive for smaller government, lower taxes and abundant individual freedom.
The Libertarian Party is America’s third largest political party, founded in 1971 as an alternative to the two main political parties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party by visiting www.LP.org . The Libertarian Party proudly stands for smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.
