Oh, the irony: Libertarians’ primary goal this Election Day is to qualify for federal handouts in the 2016 election.
If the party can glean 5 percent of the vote this time, it’s eligible for a campaign entitlement next presidential election, NBC explains:
[Gary Johnson] ends [his new campaign] video by calling viewers to “do something revolutionary — cast a protest vote that counts.” If Johnson carries 5 percent of the total vote, the Libertarians will receive federal funding for the 2016 election. This funding would go a long way towards allowing the party to increase their exposure and dispel the notion that we live in a two-party electoral system.
Pragmatically, this makes sense. But it would be a cynical start indeed if Libertarians made their national breakthrough primarily because they had betrayed their fundamental principles.