TheLibertarian National Convention is held every two years by theLibertarian Party (United States) to choose members of theLibertarian National Committee (LNC), and to conduct other party business. In presidential election years, the convention delegates enact a platform and nominate the Libertarian presidential and vice-presidential candidates who then face the nominees of other parties in the November general election.
While most delegates to theRepublican National Convention and theDemocratic National Convention are tied to particular candidates, delegates to the Libertarian National Convention are free to choose, as was previously the case for the larger parties. Accordingly, Libertarian National Conventions place less emphasis on festivities and spinning the press, though some of each may be found. The complete convention is televised byC-SPAN with additional broadcast television coverage of the presidential nominating process.None of the above is always an option on all ballots.
The first Libertarian National Convention was held in1972 inDenver, Colorado.John Hospers andTheodora Nathan were nominated presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively. The party received the first electoral vote won by a woman, cast byRoger MacBride.
The 1973 Convention was held inStrongsville, Ohio, from June 8 to 10. Over 175 were in attendance.[1]
The 1974 convention adopted theDallas Accord which sought to accommodate supporters of bothanarcho-capitalism and minarchism.[2][3][4]
The 1975 convention was held at the Statler-Hilton hotel inNew York City.Roger MacBride was nominated for president. After initially selectingNone of the Above, the convention's delegates nominatedDavid Bergland for vice president.
The 1976 convention was held inWashington, D.C., from September 23 to 26, 1976.
The 1977 convention was held at the Palace Hotel inSan Francisco, California. (More details soon)
The 1978 convention was held at the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston Massachusetts. (More details soon)
The 1979 convention was held at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles[5] and nominatedEd Clark for president and billionaireDavid H. Koch for vice president.
The 1980 convention was held at the Century City Hotel inLos Angeles, California, and via satellite. Unlike other Libertarian Party conventions, its primary purpose was promotional.
The 1981 convention was held inDenver, Colorado.
David Bergland was selected as the 1984 presidential nominee at the1983 National Convention.[6]
The 1985 convention was held inPhoenix, Arizona.
The1987 Libertarian National Convention was held the first weekend in September inSeattle, Washington. At the convention, the party was split between conservative and liberal factions.[7] Ron Paul, representing the former, was nominated as the Libertarian Party's 1988 presidential candidate on the first ballot with 196 of the 368 votes cast. His closest opponent,Native American activistRussell Means, received 120 votes.[8] Andre Marrou was selected as Paul's running mate as the candidate for vice president without opposition.[8]
The 1989 convention was held inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.
The1991 Libertarian National Convention was held inChicago the last weekend in August, and nominated Andre Marrou as the party's 1992 candidate for president.[9][10]
The 1993 convention was held inSalt Lake City, Utah.
The1996 Libertarian National Convention was held the first weekend of July inWashington D.C., and nominatedHarry Browne as its presidential candidate.[11]
The 1998 convention was held inWashington D.C.
The 2000 convention was held inAnaheim, California, from June 30 to July 4.Harry Browne was again chosen as the party's presidential candidate, becoming the first Libertarian Party candidate to run twice for president of the United States.[12]
The 2002 convention was held inIndianapolis, Indiana, from July 3 to 7. Key Note Speaker: Dr. Ron Paul.[13]
The 2004 convention was held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel inAtlanta, Georgia, Memorial Day weekend, May 27 to May 31.Michael Badnarik was chosen as the party's presidential candidate, beating outGary Nolan andAaron Russo on the third ballot;Richard Campagna was chosen as the party's vice-presidential candidate overTamara Millay, andMichael Dixon was elected chair of the LNC.
The 2006 convention was held at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower inPortland, Oregon, July 1–2.[14] Delegates chose (in a "retain or delete" vote process) to eliminate about three-quarters of the specific planks in the party's platform[15]
Speakers included:
The 2008 convention was held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (formerly the Adam's Mark Hotel) inDenver, Colorado (the same city as the very first convention in 1972), May 23–26.
The 2010 convention was held inSt. Louis, Missouri, from Friday, May 28, to Monday, May 31.
The 2012 convention was held inLas Vegas, Nevada, May 4–6, 2012.[16][17]
The 2014 convention was held inColumbus, Ohio, during the last weekend in June.[18]
The 2016 convention was held inOrlando, Florida, during the last weekend in May.[19]
The 2018 convention was held from June 30 to July 3 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nicholas Sarwark was reelected as chair, Alex Merced elected as vice chair, Caryn Ann Harlos elected as secretary, Tim Hagan reelected as treasurer, new at-large members were selected, and a new four-year term Judicial Committee was elected.
The 2020 convention was scheduled to be held inAustin, Texas, overMemorial Day weekend, but that was canceled via the enactment of their impossibility clause. Nomination business for president and vice president and potentially, confirmation of the in-person convention, was to be done virtually on Friday, May 22, with ratification to take place sometime in early July. That alternate venue was set by theLibertarian National Committee forOrlando, Florida, the host city of the2016 Libertarian National Convention.
The 2022 convention was held on Memorial Day weekend from May 26 to 29 inReno, Nevada.[20][21]
The 2024 convention was held from May 24 to the early morning of May 27, 2024, at theWashington Hilton inWashington, D.C.[22]
The following is a list ofUnited StatesLibertarian PartyPresidential nominating conventions.
