Libertarian Party gets ballot access in W.Va.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Libertarian Party candidates no longer have to collect signatures to have their name placed on ballots, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant announced Thursday.

To gain access to the ballot, a party's candidate must receive 1 percent of the vote in the governor's race. The libertarian candidate, David Moran, did just that on Tuesday, according to a news release from Tennant's office.

More than 8,000 people voted for Moran even though only 1,448 people in the state are registered with the Libertarian Party, the release noted.

Libertarians will now be able to choose their candidate during a primary election or by party convention.

"Becoming an official political party also means a person cannot run as a primary candidate if they were registered as a member of one of the other official political parties within 60 days of filing to run. People registered with no party affiliation, independent, or any other registration other than the official four parties are not subject to that law," according to the release.

In order to maintain ballot access, the Libertarian Party will have to get at least 1 percent of the total ballots cast in the 2016 governor's race.

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Libertarian Party gets ballot access in W.Va.