Free State Project Lights of Liberty

While the FSP generally recruits self-identifying libertarians, during our outreach efforts we frequently have to explain what libertarianism is. There is no sense in our re-creating educational materials when other organizations have already done a good job of it. One of the most famous tools is The World's Smallest Political Quiz (TWSPQ), which The Advocates for Self-Government incorporate into their Operation Politically Homeless kits. Feel free to contact the FSP Events Coordinator if you are planning to represent the FSP at an event. As described below, The Advocates offer some additional incentive for making use of them.

It should not be difficult to find a receptive audience. In Cato Policy Analysis 580, The Libertarian Vote, David Boaz and David Kirby report finding "9 to 13 percent libertarians in the Gallup surveys, 14 percent in the Pew Research Center Typology Survey, and 13 percent in the American National Election Studies, generally regarded as the best source of public opinion data." Find a sleeping libertarian and wake him up!

The Advocates for Self-Government recognize people who have spread the word of liberty by numbering them among the Lights of Liberty. You qualify for a Lights of Liberty Award if you've done THREE of any combination of the following activities in the previous year:

• Had a letter mentioning the word "libertarian" printed in a newspaper or magazine
• Participated for two hours or more in one day at an Operation Politically Homeless (OPH) booth
• Delivered a speech using the word "libertarian" to a non-libertarian audience

The FSP encourages its volunteers to support The Advocates' LoL program. This is a great way to structure outreach efforts, and promote the FSP among The Advocates' thousands of members. Be sure to take a photograph and record notes about how things went. In this way we can share experiences and improve our effectiveness.

Of course, the goal of running an OPH booth is not just to get your name on a list, but to educate people and sway them in the libertarian direction. Time has shown that some ways are more effective than others, with the most important factors being where, who, and how. The Advocates offer a downloadable set of OPH Manuals. Below are a few more tips.

• Where: In general, you want to run an OPH booth in a place or at an event with a large number of people with time to spend on you. The bulk of the people should be neither already self-identifying libertarians (e.g. an LP convention) nor unlikely libertarians (e.g. a Brady Campaign conference). Ideal candidates are single-issue freedom events, e.g. for gun rights, industrial hemp, educational freedom, etc.
• Who: obviously, it helps if you are extroverted, charismatic, cheerful, and all that. Know yourself: if you are not the right personality type, compensate for it, or turn your attention on other outreach methods (e.g. LTEs).
• How: make sure the booth is in a place where people feel comfortable stopping by for a while.