About

The Libertarian Party of Oregon does not have an official platform. However, in accordance with the bylaws of the national Libertarian Party, all state affiliates must affirm the Statement of Principles found in the National LP Platform. The text of the Statement of Principles is as follows:

"We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent.

We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life—accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action—accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property—accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.

Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market."

Note: The Statement of Principles was approved at the Convention in Dallas in 1974.

The Libertarian Party of Oregon does not often take positions on matters of public policy.  The general power to do so is reserved to our membership in biennial conventions.  The board of directors can only take positions on matters that directly affect the operation of the Party itself, such as political party laws, election laws, and campaign finance laws.

The LPO endorsed 2016 Benton County Measure 2-100 ("Better Ballot Benton") to allow ranked choice voting for county offices.  This measure was adopted by the voters.

The LPO opposes 2018 Initiative Petition 28, which would amend the Oregon Constitution to allow general regulation and limitation of contributions and expenditures made to influence elections.

Read the Constitution and Bylaws of the LPO here.

Kyle Markley - Chair
Timothy Perkins - Vice Chair
Jennifer Mendenhall - Treasurer
Nicole Nowlin - Secretary (non voting)
Gary Dye
Lars Hedbor
Josh Hunking
Drew Ladya
Wes Wagner

See more details about the board of directors here.

The Libertarian Party of Oregon Constitution and Bylaws, Article 11 reads "The board of directors may grant charters to groups of LPO voting members wishing to establish an affiliate party or organization. The board of directors must establish a policy for how such charters are granted and maintained. Affiliate organizations do not have any authority to nominate candidates or indenture the LPO in any manner."

The LPO board is currently developing policies for granting charters to affiliate organizations. Let us know if you'd like to be updated when these policies are available.