FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Libertarian Party of New York Launches “VOTE NOTA” Write-In Campaign for Governor. Protests Restrictive Ballot Access Laws and the Entrenched Two-Party Duopoly [Albany, NY] — [09/01/26] — The Libertarian Party of New York (LPNY) today announced its statewide “VOTE NOTA” write-in campaign for Governor in the 2026 general election. The LPNY will not support any named candidate for Governor this cycle. Instead, the Party calls on New York voters who reject the status quo to write in None of the Above for Governor. This decision is a deliberate protest against New York’s deliberately restrictive ballot-access laws. Since the 2020 changes, independent and minor-party candidates have faced signature thresholds and vote requirements that effectively shut alternatives off the ballot. The result is a de facto two-party system that denies voters meaningful choice. “New Yorkers deserve better than a closed system designed to protect the Democratic and Republican parties,” said Communications Director Christopher Skelly. “When the rules make it nearly impossible for principled alternatives to appear on the ballot, the honest response is to withhold consent. Writing in None of the Above is a clear, countable statement that none of the major-party options deserve our support.” The “VOTE NOTA” campaign urges voters to: Write in None of the Above in the write-in space for Governor. Encourage friends, family, and fellow liberty-minded New Yorkers to do the same. Use the campaign to highlight the need for genuine ballot-access reform, including restoration of lower signature and vote thresholds. Learn more and get involved at votenota.org. The LPNY continues to support down-ballot candidates and local efforts where viable, and remains committed to long-term goals of fair election laws, individual liberty, and “liberty from below” through hyperlocal organizing. Media Contact:
 Christopher Skelly
 Communications Director
 Libertarian Party of New York
 [email protected] 
 votenota.org

For the second consecutive gubernatorial election, New York voters are facing a general election ballot with only two candidates for governor, despite five political party lines. Kathy Hochul appears on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Bruce Blakeman appears on the Republican, Conservative, and Vote Affordable lines. Neither faced a real contested primary. After the Libertarian Party of New York cleared the old threshold in 2018, Albany rewrote the rules. The bar is now high enough that alternatives are effectively locked out of the printed ballot. The Libertarian Party of New York is calling for a statewide write-in of None of the Above. This is not about electing a governor this cycle. It is a deliberate, countable refusal of a system designed to protect the two major parties. If no one on that ballot cares about you, no one supports you, and no one deserves your vote, you should be able to say so. Leave the printed candidates blank. Fill the write-in oval. Write “None of the Above” exactly. Learn the exact steps and take the pledge at votenota.org

Bruce Blakeman is scared of the LPNY’s NOTA campaign. This unverified claim by proponents of the Blakeman claim that he will restore the party status of the Libertarian Party in New York. This is pure panic from a campaign that knows that Blakeman’s candidacy for governor has been rejected by a portion of the electorate who refuse to vote for him or Kathy Hochul.

At the 2026 Libertarian Party of New York convention, the following were elected to the Executive Committee. Congratulations to all!

The VOTE NOTA campaign is a deliberate choice. When the rules make it nearly impossible for alternatives to appear on the ballot, writing in a named candidate treats those barriers as legitimate rather than working to dismantle them. Writing in None of the Above is a clear, countable refusal of a system that protects the two major parties and denies voters real choice. Learn more at votenota.org

This is why we firmly believe in voting for NOTA this year. votenota.org

Go to deflockny.org now and see how many camera are in your county, and how to fight back.

How’s that “unwasted vote” been working out for you?

Both parties keep nominating the same type of candidate and demanding our support like it’s our duty. We refuse your binary thinking. So while the midterms detonate from the weight of two options nobody actually wants, we’ll be right here watching it blow up exactly the way we said it would.

Coming from one of the two major parties who are stealing from American taxpayers every day of the week, this is rich.

Oooh, we’ve seen this movie before! Spoiler alert: they won’t actually be going after the powerful and politically connected.

Last night's Kathy Hochul/Bruce Blakeman debate made the choice even clearer: both candidates are inept and do not deserve to be Governor of New York. Both spent the night on the same tired script while New Yorkers deal with the highest costs, utility bills, crime concerns, and government bloat. Neither offered real solutions or competence. They don’t deserve your vote. The right decision is to write in None of the Above. Reject the duopoly. Demand better ballot access. New Yorkers deserve options beyond these two.

Ten minutes in and this debate is already a shitshow. Hochul and Blakeman are weak candidates who do not deserve to be Governor. Vote None of the Above for Governor.

The better question would be: Is there five worth keeping?

Tonight’s debate is the only time Kathy Hochul and Bruce Blakeman will share a stage. It doesn’t matter who “wins.” Both are products of a closed ballot designed to protect the duopoly, resulting in a padlocked choice between two candidates who are each beholden to someone else: Hochul to special interests, Blakeman to Trump. A closed ballot is not a choice. When the major parties fail to represent us, we withhold our consent. Write in None of the Above for Governor of New York. Your vote gets counted. votenota.org

None of the candidates represent us, so we’re voting None of the Above

Beholden to special interests? Beholden to Trump? We reject both. Write in None of the Above for Governor. Your vote gets counted. A closed ballot is not a choice. votenota.org

NOTA

We are voting… For None of the Above.

Donald Trump will institute socialism to save America from socialism.