03/18/2026
Statement from the Libertarian Party of Fayette County
The Libertarian Party of Fayette County is closely watching the ongoing legal challenge involving Harry Young Cochran’s place on the ballot.
Let us be clear: while we often disagree with both Republican and Democratic Party leadership on policy, one principle we will always stand firm on is this, ballot access should never be undermined through the weaponization of the courts.
What is happening here is not new to us.
Third-party and independent candidates have faced these same tactics for years. Petitions challenged over minor technicalities. Signatures thrown out. Legal hurdles designed not to ensure fairness, but to keep competition off the ballot. It is a system that protects insiders and shuts out the very people it claims to represent.
We do not have to agree with a candidate’s platform to defend their right to run.
The voters of Fayette County deserve the opportunity to hear from every qualified candidate and make their own decision at the ballot box, not have that choice limited by legal maneuvering and political gamesmanship.
If ballot access can be taken from one candidate today, it can be taken from another tomorrow. That should concern everyone, regardless of party.
We stand firmly against the use of legal challenges as a political weapon and in support of fair, open, and accessible elections for all.
Libertarian Party of Fayette County