Libertarians secure for '04 ballot; Greens not

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Arnold J. Trembley has done his part to save Missouri Libertarians future sweat and shoe leather.

The Libertarian nominee for state auditor was the choice of 39,830 Missouri voters last Tuesday. That represented 2.2 percent of the unofficial total vote in the race, far short of the 60 percent rolled up by Democratic State Auditor Claire McCaskill.

But Trembley's showing helped Libertarians maintain compliance with Missouri's legal threshold of 2 percent support among general election voters to be able to file candidates under their party banner in future contests.

"It wouldn't surprise me to learn the average Missourian doesn't know who the state auditor is, much less who I am, except for maybe around election time," Trembley said. "So that race is the kind where it's easier for someone to take a chance on a third-party vote or even a write-in vote."

Parties falling below the 2 percent threshold in two consecutive general elections don't have automatic ballot access and must gather petitions signed by at least 10,000 registered voters to have candidates listed alongside Democrats and Republicans.

Because Libertarians hit better than 2 percent backing for their attorney general nominee in 2000, they were assured an automatic ballot presence through 2004. But Trembley's showing assures Libertarians a ballot slot through 2006.

There were no winners among the Libertarians' 47 candidates for various offices across Missouri. But party leaders and candidates say they don't run so much to win as to spread and encourage acceptance of a limited-government philosophy.

"That is actually a bright spot in this election, that we made the 2 percent we needed," said Greg Tlapek, the Missouri Libertarians' executive director.

Greens need signatures

Tuesday's results weren't so bright for the Green Party.

Neither of the Greens' statewide nominees -- Daniel "digger" Romano for U.S. Senate and Fred Kennell for state auditor -- achieved 2 percent of the vote in the party's first statewide outing.

So if the Greens want to run statewide in 2004, they'll once again have to gather signatures of at least 10,000 voters on petitions. Romano, who accumulated six-tenths of 1 percent of the Senate vote, said he expected a 2004 petition drive to start soon.

"Getting the 2 percent in a statewide race is the big hurdle, and we have to go back to the drawing board now," Romano said. "But we have a lot more contacts."

The Greens' best regional showing was in the 9th Congressional District of northeast Missouri, where Keith Brekhus achieved 2 percent of the vote. So the Greens should have an automatic ballot slot in that district for 2004.

Unofficially, Republican Jim Talent unseated Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan, 49.8 percent to 48.6 percent. Talent had 22,586 more votes than Carnahan out of more than 1.8 million votes cast.

Together, Romano and Libertarian candidate Tamara Millay received 28,822 votes. But the third-party candidates said they weren't spoilers in the Senate race, insisting that their greatest appeal is to people who don't usually vote.