| | The '''Libertarian Party''' is an [[United States|American]] political [[party]] founded in 1971 that advocates [[libertarian]] political views. In terms of [[Presidential election]]s, the party reached its peak in popularity in [[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]], receiving about 1% of the vote<ref>[http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]</ref>. In terms of political activity (number of candidates, access to the ballot, and elected office holders), the Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party, although it is still much smaller than the biggest two American political parties. It is active in all 50 states and has more than 200,000 registered voters. Most Libertarian Party elected officials are in office at the local level of government.<ref>[http://www.lp.org/article_85.shtml Frequently asked questions about the Libertarian Party]</ref> The party has permanent ballot status in 27 out of 50 states and runs candidates in all 50. In 2008, the party nominated [[Bob Barr]], a former Republican Congressman from Georgia, as its nominee for the [[2008 Presidential Election]]. In the [[2012 Presidential Election]] [[Gary E. Johnson]] was nominated, who also is a former Republican. | | The '''Libertarian Party''' is an [[United States|American]] political [[party]] founded in 1971 that advocates [[libertarian]] political views. In terms of [[Presidential election]]s, the party reached its peak in popularity in [[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]], receiving about 1% of the vote<ref>[http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]</ref>. In terms of political activity (number of candidates, access to the ballot, and elected office holders), the Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party, although it is still much smaller than the biggest two American political parties. It is active in all 50 states and has more than 200,000 registered voters. Most Libertarian Party elected officials are in office at the local level of government.<ref>[http://www.lp.org/article_85.shtml Frequently asked questions about the Libertarian Party]</ref> The party has permanent ballot status in 27 out of 50 states and runs candidates in all 50. In 2008, the party nominated [[Bob Barr]], a former Republican Congressman from Georgia, as its nominee for the [[2008 Presidential Election]]. In the [[2012 Presidential Election]] [[Gary E. Johnson]] was nominated, who also is a former Republican. |