Libertarian Party

Kevin Garcia-Galindo | 9.13.2024 12:00 PM

The Iowa Supreme Court this week upheld a decision made by a State Objections Panel last month that barred three Libertarian federal congressional candidates from the ballot in November. The long litigious process began in January when the Libertarian Party of Iowa (LPIA) held its precinct caucuses and county conventions on the same day.

According to Iowa law, delegates are elected at these precinct caucuses and then participate in county conventions which select delegates for the state convention. That process resulted in the nominations of Nicholas Gluba, Marco Battaglia, and Charles Aldrich for Iowa's 1st, 3rd, and 4th congressional districts, respectively, during the LPIA's state convention held in June.

Months later, Republicans from the districts with Libertarian opponents challenged the process, initially alleging that the Libertarians had skipped county conventions and moved directly from precinct caucuses to the state convention, in violation of Iowa law. This led to a State Objections Panel hearing late last month to determine if the LPIA had held proper county conventions.

According to the appellate brief, a day before the hearing the objection shifted from whether the........

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