LibertyBallot has weighed in on the Mayoral Race in Manchester, endorsing Victoria Sullivan in her race against incumbent Mayor Joyce Craig.
An independent organization, LibertyBallot seeks to ‘do the research for you,’ as many people don’t have the time or resources to research the dozens of candidates that will appear on the ballot. With LibertyBallot, you can “confidently vote for candidates who favor personal liberty and minimal government intervention,” says Merav Yaakov, co-founder of the service.
She says they started with the need to find objective measures to assess candidates, and began compiling endorsements and ratings from several pro-liberty organizations into one spreadsheet. That data is combined with interview results and voting histories when available, to form an independent liberty recommendation.
Victoria Sullivan is recommended on each of the 12 ward’s ballots available on the LibertyBallot.com website. “After serving two terms at the NH State House, and with hundreds of votes under her belt, she is clearly a small government advocate,” Yaakov said in an email interview. “Victoria understands that people should be free to make choices in their personal lives, as long as those choices do not interfere with the rights of others.”
“She is a champion of school choice, and as mayor will welcome alternatives to the failing public schools in the city.”
In a stark comparison to the current Mayor and Board of Alderman, the tax cap would be protected by Sullivan. “She will not vote to bust it like the current Mayor.”
Other Endorsements in Citywide MHT Elections
Alderman-at-Large
- Joseph Kelly Lavasseur
- William Infantine
School Committeeman at-Large
- Joseph Lachance
Question 2: Shall the City of Manchester allow Sports Betting?
- Yes
Question 3: Shall the City allow Students on the School Board (non-voting postition)?
- No
School Charter Commission (up to 9)
- William Infantine
- Joseph Lachance
- Jimmy Lehoux
- Matthew Ping
- Andrew Rosa
- Carla Gericke
- Lisa Freeman
For more information on your specific ward, you can visit LibertyBallot.com and click your ward from the drop down box. Yaakov tells me it’s completely legal to bring your printed ballot into the voting booth with you, so you don’t have to remember all of the recommendations. She asks you please remember to take it with you when you leave. You can also load it on your phone as a PDF for easy access from the booth.
Currently, LibertyBallot only makes recommendations for the Manchester Municipal races, as it’s the largest city with both the most pro-liberty voters and the most pro-liberty candidates.
Since 2014, when LibertyBallot was founded, hundreds of their recommended candidates have won state or local offices in New Hampshire.
They recommend “bullet” voting, a strategy where you sometimes vote for less than amount of candidates you’re allowed to vote for in races. This, Yaakov suggests, is a good strategy, but obviously voters are free to vote as they choose she says. There are many blanks on a LibertyBallot recommended sample ballot.
LibertyBallot is not choosing the less of two evils, but instead, choosing principled candidates only. We recommend to not vote in a race if there is no good candidate in that race. It is better to vote, as an example, for 7 people out of the 9 allowed for the school charter commission, given that those 7 are principled, and announced that they will vote against creating a new taxing authority for the school district in Manchester. Bullet voting is an important tool, and one of the things we often use at LibertyBallot.
Check it out, Manchester Voters, and bring it with you on Tuesday!
And, if you like the service they provide, recommend it to your friends.
