I find it hard to believe that the people who come up with the following can truly be for less .gov... I was on the main site and noticed that they have a number next to each LP candidate. I clicked on "More about Candidate Tracker" and get this: Mind you, I'm looking to see if a High or Low score is better... Sheesh. Oh if you are confused, they give you a support number you can call It's no wonder the LP can't win a showing, year after year. http://www.lp.org/ Printer friendly page About the LP's Candidate Tracker [Note: With the Launch of the CT, we will be loading candidates into the system over the next several days. Please check back regularly to see more great LP candidates!] The Libertarian Party’s Mission Statement reads as follows: “To move public policy in a libertarian direction by building a political party that elects Libertarians to office.” As part of our program to provide tactical support to our Libertarian candidates and get them into office, the Candidate Tracker project is designed to give us hard data about how they are performing on the campaign trail. By tracking tangible and measurable activities, we will discover more precisely which ones will result in higher vote totals. The cultural shift within the party caused by this empirical approach cannot be understated. In the past, they only way that we could assess our candidates were by reports submitted by the campaign which typically painted a very bright picture (as they should). With the Candidate Tracker, we now can view our candidates with objectivity and promote them based not on what we hope they might do but by what they have actually done. Most of the time we find that our candidates who have received positive subjective assessments before score quite well when rated objectively. Now we know exactly why we like them, and can promote them and all other successful Libertarian candidates without the reality or even appearance of favoritism. The formula we are using to generate the Candidate Tracker scores was developed in consultation with Libertarian Party State Chairs. All items in the formula are easily quantifiable and verifiable. Admittedly, the current formula is a first draft. After the election, we will look at our winners, determine what they did that got them elected and adjust the formula accordingly. As it is proven and refined, the Candidate Tracker will be a great addition to the political technology needed by our candidates to turn them into winners. You will be able to see on the website how our candidates compare to each other and who is producing tangible results on the campaign trail. Candidates are list by highest score. You may also search by state affiliates as well. We encourage you to contact campaigns in your region to see how you can assist. Also, you can always help LP candidates regardless of where you are by volunteering with the Ballot Base. Behind the Mystery of the CT Score! Here is the precise formula we used to generate the Candidate Tracker (CT) Score: [FundsVoterScore]+([NPRace]*20)+([Incumbent]*100)+([USMilVet]*-20)+[TeleAppScore]+[TeleMentScore]+[PrintArticlesScore]+[PubAppScore] / Number of candidates (minor candidates and Independents count as half a point) FundVoterScore is the total funds raised divided by the number of registered voters multiplied by 100 For NPRace, add 20 points if the race is non-partisan For Incumbent, add 100 points if the candidate is an incumbent seeking reelection For USMilVet, add 20 points if the candidate is a veteran of the US armed forces For TeleAppScore, add 5 points for each television appearance by the candidate For TeleMentScore, add 2 points for each time the candidate is mentioned on television For PrintArticlesScore, add 5 points for every article on candidate in print media For PubAppScore, add 2 points for each appearance of a candidate at a public event The raw score is then divided by the number of candidates on the ballot Based on the research and judgment of national headquarters staff, a candidate is awarded 0-40 additional points. This allows us to add in a second level of objective criteria that indicate the professionalism of our campaigns. Here is the current legend of how these HQ bonus points are given: Having an active Campaign Manager or Treasurer – 2 points Delegating Candidate Tracker updates to Campaign Manager or staffer – 1 Active campaign staff of 3 or more – 5 Strong community service record before filing – 2 Elected or appointed office or high position in local civic group before filing – 5 Polling at 3% or higher (scientific polls only) – 2 Polling at 7% or higher – 5 Endorsement from media or prominent civic/political group – 1 each Placing at least 100 yard signs – 1 Active door-to-door campaigning (20 hr/wk minimum) – 5 Purchasing broadcast or print advertising per $1000 – 1 (5 maximum) Becoming a positive national news story – automatic top score Hype, favoritism, gut feelings and anything else intangible – 0 Note: radio appearances over 10 minutes count the same as print articles, 5 pts each. The final score is determined by taking the sum of the Criteria and HQ Bonus scores and dividing by the number of candidates in the race. Major party candidates count as “1” and minor party candidates count as “1/2.” Any suggestions for other factors to include and track would be appreciated. Please also send in *any* other information you deem relevant, including photo scans of your campaign signs, amusing or informative anecdotes from the campaign trail, issues or tactics which achieve resonance, whether you got into debates, and so on. Bear in mind that we use this material for potential stories in LP News or on the lp.org website, so if you think it is newsworthy tell us all about it. Thank you for participating in the Candidate Tracker project! By making it a success, it will help you become more successful. Note to Candidates: Understanding the formula will help you improve your score and your efforts on the campaign trail WILL result in a higher score. The Candidate Tracker should be viewed as tactical support for your campaign. We don’t intend it to be an extra chore, nor will it be used to manage your campaign in any way. It is a tool so you can manage your own campaign more effectively. If your campaign is not tracking this data already for your own purposes, you may wish to consider starting now. Knowing these things about your campaign will help you most of all. Also remember, we can’t include data from your race if you don’t tell us about it! Please contact LPHQ at 1-800-Elect-Us or send an e-mail through the LP Support Center.
