Colorado Libertarians decide not to submit party’s presidential ticket to state’s November ballot

Libertarian Chase Oliver takes part in an Oct. 16, 2022, debate in Atlanta when he was the party's nominee for Georgia's U.S. Senate seat. The Libertarian Party on May 26, 2024, nominated Oliver for president, rejecting former President Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after they each spoke at the party's convention.
(AP Photo/Ben Gray, File)
Colorado’s Libertarian Party doesn’t plan to submit paperwork putting the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees on the state’s general election ballot after determining the national ticket doesn’t share the state party’s core values, a party spokesman said.
That could change if Libertarian presidential nominee Chase Oliver and his running mate, Mike ter Maat, change their positions on numerous issues, the spokesman told Colorado Politics.
As things stand, however, the state’s largest minor political party is leaving its options open — and could nominate someone else or list “none of the above” as the Libertarian candidate for president on Colorado ballots.
Libertarians nominated Oliver, the party’s 2022 U.S. Senate nominee in Georgia, and ter Maat, a retired police officer from Virginia, on May 26 at the party’s national convention in Washington. The two prevailed on the seventh round of balloting, after delegates rejected former President Donald Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who both spoke at the gathering and asked for the party’s support.
#dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading [id*=”-outstream-icon”] {display: none !important;}[id*=”-outstream-icon”],[id*=”-outstream-icon”] > img {width: 24px;height: 24px;display: block;cursor: pointer !important;font-size: 24px !important;line-height: 1 !important;max-width: unset !important;vertical-align: unset !important;box-shadow: unset !important;}[id*=”-outstream-icon”]:hover {filter: drop-shadow(black 0px 0px 6px);}#bottom-controls_videoPlayer_7481 {position: absolute;bottom: 5px;left: 5px;display: grid;grid-template-columns: 24px 24px;}#tpd-volume-control_videoPlayer_7481.muted > #volume-on-outstream-icon_videoPlayer_7481,#tpd-volume-control_videoPlayer_7481:not(.muted) > #volume-muted-outstream-icon_videoPlayer_7481 {display: none;}#tpd-play-pause-control_videoPlayer_7481[playing=”true”] > #click-to-play-outstream-icon,#tpd-play-pause-control_videoPlayer_7481[playing=”false”] > #click-to-pause-outstream-icon {display: none;}@media (max-width: 770px) { #dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading iframe[src],#dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading video {display: none !important;} } #dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading #ad-container_videoPlayer_7481 {background: #5a585830 !important;mask: linear-gradient(315deg, #000 30%, #88888855, #000 70%) right / 350% 100%;animation: tpd-shimmer 1.15s infinite;}@keyframes tpd-shimmer {100% {mask-position: left}}#dsk-box-ad-e:not(.new-ad-loading) {background: black;}#dsk-box-ad-e {opacity: 1;animation-name: fadeInOpacity;animation-iteration-count: 1;animation-timing-function: ease-in;animation-duration: 0.75s;}@keyframes fadeInOpacity {0% {opacity: 0;}100% {opacity: 1;}}#dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading #progress-row_videoPlayer_7481,#dsk-box-ad-e.has-countdown #progress-row_videoPlayer_7481 {display: none;}#progress-row_videoPlayer_7481 {width: 100%;display: block;bottom: 0px;position: absolute;}#dsk-box-ad-e.new-ad-loading #progressLabel-container_videoPlayer_7481 {display: none;}@media (max-width: 770px) { #progressLabel-container_videoPlayer_7481 {display: none;} } #dsk-box-ad-e.has-countdown #progressLabel-container_videoPlayer_7481 {display: none;}#progressLabel-container_videoPlayer_7481 {width: 640px;position: absolute;bottom: 15px;height: 0px;}#progressLabel_videoPlayer_7481 {color: white;font-size: 7pt;font-family: Arial, Sans-Serif;text-align: center;width: fit-content;height: 5px;margin: auto;}#progressBar_videoPlayer_7481 {width: 640px;height: 3px;background-color: lightgray;}#progress_videoPlayer_7481 {height: 100%;background-color: cornflowerblue;width: 0;}#dsk-box-ad-e:not(.replay) #replay-outstream-container_videoPlayer_7481 {display: none !important;}#dsk-box-ad-e.replay #replay-outstream-container_videoPlayer_7481 {display: flex;height: 100%;width: 100%;z-index: 99;position: relative;background: black;}#dsk-box-ad-e.replay #replay-outstream-icon_videoPlayer_7481 {width: 30px;height: 30px;margin: auto;position: relative;background-image: url(‘data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg fill=”white” height=”30px” width=”30px” xmlns=”https://www.w3.org/2000/svg” viewBox=”0 0 74.999 74.999″ xml:space=”preserve” stroke=”black”%3E%3Cpath d=”M33.511 71.013c15.487 0 28.551-10.563 32.375-24.859h9.113L61.055 22 47.111 46.151h8.006c-3.44 8.563-11.826 14.628-21.605 14.628-12.837 0-23.28-10.443-23.28-23.28 0-12.836 10.443-23.28 23.28-23.28 6.604 0 12.566 2.768 16.809 7.196l5.258-9.108c-5.898-5.176-13.619-8.32-22.065-8.32C15.034 3.987 0 19.019 0 37.5c-.002 18.481 15.03 33.513 33.511 33.513z”/%3E%3C/svg%3E’);}#dsk-box-ad-e.replay #bottom-controls_videoPlayer_7481_videoPlayer_7481,#dsk-box-ad-e.replay [id*=”-outstream-icon”]:not([id^=”replay-outstream-icon”]) {display: none !important;}#dsk-box-ad-e.replay #video-container_videoPlayer_7481 {display: none !important;}#dsk-box-ad-e {margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;}/* Main Styling */#dsk-box-ad-e.first-render {display: none !important;}#page-content_videoPlayer_7481 {display: inline-block;}#video-container_videoPlayer_7481 {position: relative;}#video-element_videoPlayer_7481 {position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;}/* Some providers inject their ad content into the video element *//* but if not we hide it. */#video-element_videoPlayer_7481:not([src]) {display: none;}#ad-container_videoPlayer_7481 {position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;cursor: pointer;}#dsk-box-ad-e,#page-content_videoPlayer_7481,#video-container_videoPlayer_7481,#video-element_videoPlayer_7481,#ad-container_videoPlayer_7481 {width: 640px;height: 360px;}#dsk-box-ad-e div[id*=”google_ads_iframe_”] {width: 640px !important;height: 360px !important;z-index: -1;position: absolute;}
James Wiley, the Libertarian Party of Colorado’s executive director and a congressional candidate, said Oliver and ter Maat must overcome a long list of objections raised by the state party before they’ll earn a spot on the state’s November ballot
Among their hurdles, Wiley said in a text message: “Making us believe that when the next big moment to stand against the state arrives, they’ll be on the side of liberty instead of tyranny. At present we don’t have faith this ticket will stand with our principles.”
In a release, the Colorado Libertarians characterized the pair as “essentially useful idiots for the regime” after listing grievances that included Oliver’s willingness to wear a face mask and celebrate a “distanced Thanksgiving dinner” at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The party faulted ter Maat for telling “feeble jokes” in response to Trump’s recent conviction on multiple felony charges in a New York trial.
The state Libertarians also took issue with Oliver’s stance calling gender-affirming care a decision between parents and their child — contrary to the Colorado party’s contention that a “network of public school officials, public health bureaucrats, and billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies creating a web of perverse incentives to pressure parents and children into irreversible decisions.”
Colorado’s official major and minor political parties have until Sept. 6 to turn in their nominees to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office, which is required to certify statewide ballots by Sept. 9.
Under a resolution adopted unanimously on Monday by the Colorado Libertarians’ governing board, the party refused to place Oliver and ter Maat in contention for the state’s 10 electoral votes, .
“This decision was not taken lightly, it reflects the will of our delegation, which voted (none of the above) in the final round of voting, and reiterates our deep concern that the national ticket does not align with the values and strategies that the (Libertarian Party of Colorado) holds dear,” the state party said in a statement.
“We call on the Libertarian National Committee to decertify the Oliver/ter Maat ticket and align with the true principles of liberty that our party stands for,” the Colorado party added. “At a minimum, the (national committee) must allow states to pursue their own electoral strategies to maximize Libertarian outcomes.”
Neither the national Libertarian Party nor Oliver’s campaign responded to requests for comment.
Last summer, Colorado Libertarians entered into an agreement with the state GOP to stand down in competitive legislative and congressional races if the districts’ Republican nominees pledge to adhere to a list of positions laid out by the Libertarians.
While only a handful of Republicans have signed on to the pledge, one of them, former state Rep. Ron Hanks, is running in a six-way primary in the 3rd Congressional District, where Wiley is the Libertarian nominee. If Hanks wins the GOP nomination in the June 25 primary, Wiley told Colorado Politics he plans to withdraw from the race and throw his support behind Hanks.
Wiley said the state party is open to discussions with the candidates but would be even happier if no one was elected president this fall.
“We all have made mistakes. We have all held false beliefs,” Wiley said in a text message. “We are granting Chase incentive to improve his campaign by asserting our Sovereign autonomy and reserving our First Amendment right to nominate a candidate. We hope he will consider making these improvements in order that his nomination would not constitute a violation of our principles. Until that happens we are leaving our options open, including the option to nominate someone else or None of the Above (NOTA).”
Wiley said the latter option is his preferred choice.
“If the American People want to govern themselves absent the tyranny of the executive state of the federal government, then they have the right to vote for and elect no one to the office of president,” Wiley said. “NOTA spoke during our national convention and gave very convincing arguments for their nomination and election. The most positive outcome for the greatest number of people would be the abolition of the entire executive state in a single election. While theoretically possible, it would be challenging for any candidate to match this appeal.”