South Dakota Secretary of State Jason Gant announced today that a representative of the South Dakota Libertarian Party filed petitions today in support of the party’s bid to be a recognized political party in South Dakota.

Gant noted, “Samuel Saunders of Martin,South Dakota delivered petitions with roughly twelve thousand signatures to my office this morning in support of state recognition of the Libertarian party on the ballot. Should a sufficient number of signatures be validated, South Dakota would recognize the Libertarian Party as an organized political body in time for the 2012 primary and general elections.”

According to Secretary of State Gant, 7,928 signatures are required by law to organize a political party in South Dakota.

“As required by law, their declaration of organization included a brief statement of Libertarian Party principles. If certified, the party’s central committee will then have 30 days to submit their constitution or governing bylaws to the Secretary of State for certification,” Gant said.  “If certified, Friday’s filing will allow candidates for federal, state, legislative and county offices to run as recognized members of the Libertarian party in South Dakota in 2012.”

 The Libertarian Party has been recognized in the state before, registering gubernatorial candidates on the ballot in the general elections of 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006.

The Libertarian Party will hold all the rights of other political parties that were on the ballot in the 2010 general election, in this case the Republican and Democratic parties. They retain those rights if its 2014 gubernatorial candidate receives at least 2.5 percent of the total votes cast for governor.

The Libertarian party previously lost their party certification after the 2006 election as a result of their candidate receiving only .98 percent of the total votes cast for Governor.