By Steve Brawner, © 2025 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

It’s the monthly Third Thursday event in Benton, when the city closes off a section of the downtown around the courthouse for vendors and booths. Dr. Michael Pakko, chief economist and state economic forecaster at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute, is carrying a clipboard, again.

“Well, I’m collecting signatures for the Libertarian Party to become a new political party for the eighth time,” he explained.

The Libertarians are Arkansas’ largest third party. Pakko estimated it has about 150 dues-paying members. He is now in his sixth term as state party chairman. 

“Matter of fact, I think it was 10 years ago today that I was elected,” he said.

The party supports very limited or no government involvement in all aspects of life – economic and social. Some members are anarchists, though Pakko is not. A typical Libertarian might support privatizing Social Security, cutting taxes to the bone, and legalizing abortion while having no public funds pay for any procedures. He or she probably would favor legalizing marijuana while opposing gun restrictions. Like Republicans and Democrats, opinions can vary. I’ve met pro-life Libertarians. 

The weather was pleasant as Pakko shopped for signatures. One couple showed no interest; the male companion said he didn’t know if he was registered to vote. A booth advocating for lower taxes would have seemed to be fertile ground. However, the woman didn’t feel comfortable signing while “on the clock.” One couple did sign, both explaining that Pakko gave them a good reason to do so. Another Third Thursday-goer not only signed but tipped Pakko to others who might also.

“I look for someone’s who’s receptive to a smile and hello,” he said of his technique. 

The evening netted 48 signatures. The party at the time had about 3,000 on hand with more collected in pockets across the state.

It must collect 10,000 valid signatures because its presidential candidate last year failed to reach 3% of the vote in Arkansas. State law requires parties to collect signatures each election cycle if their presidential or gubernatorial candidate in the most recent election didn’t reach that threshold. Because the Libertarians didn’t, the law considers them to be a “new” party.

He’d like it to be easier for political parties to stay on the ballot. Some other states qualify parties if any of their statewide candidates, not just the ones for president or governor, reached a certain threshold.  

The good news for Pakko is that a state law passed in 2023 gave third parties more time to collect signatures. It’s gone from a 90-day window to well over a year.

At the same time, while the Libertarians will have more time, they probably will have less money for paid signature gatherers because of recent national party infighting.

Pakko is undaunted by that fact, just as he is undaunted by what happened last year when he ran for his first office, state treasurer. He was well qualified for that position as an economist. Determined to give it his best shot, he invested more than $20,000 of his own money and did some advertising. The result of his efforts was that he won 4%. That’s pretty good for a third party candidate, though he prefers to think of it in terms of nearly 50,000 votes. 

“In some sense this was an experiment for me,” he said. “I’ve been active in Libertarian Party politics. I’ve supported lost cause campaigns over the years, and I wanted to just see if I did things differently than some of the candidates I’ve advised and managed in the past, how that would change things.”

Pakko said he was disappointed at getting only 4%. He acknowledged that at times during the campaign he had mused about what he might do if he won. He has not shut the door on running again, though he won’t spend so much of his own money. 

In addition to believing in his party’s cause, he’s also committed to bringing more choices to the ballot. And so, after all these years, he’s still carrying a clipboard and seeking signatures.

“I believe that our democracy would be better served with more political parties, and so expanding the choices of voters is really the issue that motivates me, that gets me out doing things like this,” he said. “And for that matter, it’s really a great place to mingle and meet people when you’re carrying petitions. They might not like to meet you at first, but I have some interesting conversations with folks.”

Steve Brawner’s column is syndicated to 19 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.