I've been active in the libertarian movement since I was in high school in Houston, Tex. I participated in the Free Enterprise Education Center's programs and worked there one summer (it's now known as the Free Enterprise Institute).

In college, I became an anarcho-capitalist and stirred things up on campus. I founded the College Libertarians at Washington & Lee, and we brought in speakers like Jacob "Bumper" Hornberger and John Hasnas. I joined the Libertarian Party in 1996, although I registered Republican that year so that I could vote for Steve Forbes in the presidential primary (at that time everyone thought he was a crypto-libertarian, but he turned out not to be). I also wrote anarchist columns for the student newspaper, Ring-tum Phi.

After college, I went to graduate school in political science at Yale and became an ultraminarchist, no longer an anarcho-capitalist. I was determined not to be a political activist anymore, because I didn't want to threaten my career chances. All that came to an end when I wrote the July 2001 article in "The Libertarian Enterprise" proposing the Free State Project (www.freestateproject.org). Since then, most of my activism has been directed toward building the FSP, although I am still a Libertarian Party member (I'm a member of the New Hampshire LP, not the national party) and have contributed to Badnarik's campaign. My activism has in fact hurt my planned career in academia, but that just means I have to work harder and demonstrate my ability to surpass a higher standard.

I'm delighted to participate in the LFC because all major electoral realignments begin with young voters. I don't believe the Libertarian Party will ever win many federal races; our first-past-the-post electoral system ensures an eternal two-party stranglehold. However, I do believe libertarians, whether in the LP or other parties, can win control of a state and can win a few federal races if we concentrate our resources.

Jason Sorens, PhD
Dept. of Political Science, Yale Univ.
PO Box 208301
New Haven, CT 06520
www.freestateproject.org