The North Carolina Libertarian Party held a watch party at the Crabtree Holiday Inn on election night. Gubernatorial candidate Barbara Howe attended the event and gave a speech on the growth of the party through the election season.

The party must gain 2 percent of the popular vote in the gubernatorial or presidential election to stay a legally-qualified party on the ballot without petitioning in North Carolina. It had continuous ballot status from 1996-2004. The party was decertified by the state in 2005 and regained its continuous ballot status in 2008. Libertarians received 2.8 percent of the vote in the 2008 gubernatorial election. At the time of her speech Tuesday night, Howe had received 2.12 percent of the vote.

Howe said the popularity of former presidential candidate Ron Paul helped the party gain traction in the local and national elections.

Weve seen a lot of enthusiasm from former Ron Paul supporters, Howe said. Theyre still Ron Paul supporters, but since hes not in the race theyve tracked to the Libertarian Party as the more fiscally responsible and socially tolerant party. They dont find that in the Republicans or the Democrats, and they see that in the Libertarian Party.

The Libertarian Party has grown from 13,000 registered voters in North Carolina in 2008 to 19,000 registered in the 2012 election. It is also active in 50 counties in North Carolina. Jason Melehani, co-director for North Carolina for presidential candidate Gary Johnson and a medical student at UNC-Chapel Hill, said the Libertarian Party is active in the most urban counties out of the 100 in North Carolina.

Howe said these numbers show some promise for the growth of the party.

It shows an incredible growth and interest in the ideas of the Libertarian Party. Were just going to keep moving forward, Howe said.

Howe also said she is excited about the amount of young people that have been drawn to the partys beliefs.

According to Melehani, the average age range of a registered Libertarian is 36-38 years old, and there are many college-aged Libertarians that exhibit a high level of involvement and enthusiasm in the party.

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Libertarians celebrate growth