Jess McVay for Kent County Recorder of Deeds

As some of you know, I'm running for the Kent County Recorder of Deeds as a Libertarian.  I've just posted my Candidates Introductory Message on the Kent County Libertarian Online Forum.  I'd like to share it with you.  I think it's a little unusual.

Hi. I'm Jess McVay, and I am running for the Kent County Recorder of Deeds on the Libertarian Ticket. I'd like to tell you why.

I believe in Libertarian principles, and I believe that there has never been a time in this nation's history where those principles have been as important as they are today. But Libertarians are at a significant electoral disadvantage in this country simply by virtue of America's long tradition of two party politics. I believe that without that tradition, Libertarians would win majorities today in most political debates on the merits of our ideas. But many voters have never heard of a Libertarian. All they know is Democrats and Republicans

Even among voters who are attracted to libertarian principles, there are two major reasons why Libertarians don't get more votes than they do.

1) People don't think the Libertarian can win, and

2) If the Libertarian doesn't win, voters think they may have helped elect the guy they least wanted to see elected.

How do we overcome these disadvantages? I believe we overcome them by starting with baby steps. First, Libertarians have to get their names on the ballot. Voters need to see as many names on the ballot followed by the Libertarian Party ID as we can muster. This will reinforce the impression that Libertarians are a serious and credible force in Delaware politics. The Recorder of Deeds position represents another one of those baby steps. The election for Recorder of Deeds is among the least likely to be subject to the aforementioned perceptions about electability and consequences of defeat.

Pop quiz: Why is the Recorder of Deeds a partisan elective office?

Answer: I have absolutely no idea.

Does anyone believe that a Democrat would run the Office of the Recorder of Deeds in an ideologically different manner from the way a Republican would run it? Would a Libertarian's ideology dictate any different policies in the Recorder's office than the ideology of the Democrat or the Republican? I'm thinkin' your answer to both questions is no.

So how do most people decide who to vote for in the Recorder of Deeds race? Well, if they're registered Republican, they vote for the Republican. If they're registered Democrat, they vote for the Democrat. And if the other candidate wins, they don't lose one minutes sleep over it because it doesn't really matter, and they don't really care that much.

I believe that many voters, if not most of them, are fed up with politics as usual. They believe both parties have made a hash out of recent policies. There has never been an election where voters were more receptive to the idea of a third party candidate. Their attitude toward the Democrats and the Republicans is, "A pox on both your houses."

My candidacy offers those voters a low risk place to register their protest. If I win, great. They've sent a message to members of their party. Stop the stupidity. If I lose, who cares. It's only the Recorder of Deeds. Does this sound like a lunatic's approach to running for public office? Maybe so. But I think it makes perfect sense. If I win, I represent one small baby step on the path to demonstrating the electability of Libertarian candidates. And if I lose? Well I won't lose a minutes sleep over it because it really doesn't matter.

My campaign slogan suggests itself:

Vote for Jess McVay. What have you got to lose?