You can’t buy a voter base. You have to earn one. We can earn a voter base if we:
● consistently put our name and stands before the public,
● run good candidates,
● give candidates solid support,
● sell the electorate on our answers to their problems, and
● deliver excellent performance when elected.
● Above all, we gain a voter base by recruiting young people not yet committed to any party.
We can also be given a voter base. Our opponents give us a voter base when they
● consistently elect the corrupt and the incompetent
● enact policies that lead to disaster
● insult, abuse, and scapegoat groups of voters.
In about two dozen states–the exact number fluctuates–you can watch our voter base grow, because as our real support grows the number of registered Libertarians will grow at the same time. That’s a one way street. Our supporters will tend to register Libertarian. Statistics from Massachusetts indicate that about half of the dues-paying state or national party members –these groups only somewhat overlap–are registered as Libertarians, the rest being Democrats, Republicans, Greens, or independents.
Registering someone as a Libertarian will not make them our supporter. The party affiliation is a tag, one many people forget with time. You may still want to register people as Libertarians for some other reason, such as ballot access, but persuading people to register Libertarian will not by itself increase your activist or voter base.
We need that voter base. Until we create that large, solid Libertarian voter base, regular victories will be rare.