The Libertarian Party has announced The Parity Project, a ten-year plan to grow its membership and visibility to rival the Democrats and Republicans. The effort draws inspiration from past membership drives, including the 1990s-era Project Archimedes.

In an October 15 letter to members, Libertarian National Committee Chair Steven Nekhaila outlined a plan to “equalize” the party by targeting Americans who already identify with libertarian principles. Citing research from “eleven different studies,” he estimated that 30 to 60 million Americans either identify as libertarian or hold mostly libertarian views. Nekhaila noted that many of these voters currently cast ballots “defensively” for Democrats or Republicans and that activating this base could significantly expand the party’s reach.

“The two old parties each have about 68 million Americans who identify with them. Both of those parties also have universal visibility,” Nekhaila wrote. “The LP has almost no visibility. Finding and activating dormant libertarians will change that. If we developed 30–60 million libertarians with little visibility, imagine what universal awareness could achieve.”

Nekhaila pointed to the United Kingdom’s multiparty system, which operates under a similar winner-take-all structure, as evidence that a three-party America is possible. “If you gain attention in London, the rest of Britain follows, but America requires heavy investment in hundreds of large population centers,” he wrote. “The only way to fund that is to locate and recruit the people who already see themselves as libertarians.”

Unlike past initiatives that focused on converting non-libertarians, Nekhaila said the project will follow a “discovery before persuasion” strategy prioritizing those who already agree with the party’s principles. He described this as “taking yes for an answer,” with the goal of building resources and momentum before expanding persuasion efforts. Nekhaila also introduced a subsidiary effort called “Operation Everywhere,” aimed at making libertarian candidates and ideas visible “to everyone, everywhere, every day.”

The project will begin by expanding an existing internal database of one million contacts, updating it with new information acquired from public resources, email appeals, and social media advertising. Respondents will be asked to affirm whether they identify as libertarian or libertarian-leaning, if they’d like to see the Libertarian Party on equal footing with the two major parties, and whether they’d be willing to help. The party plans to measure its success on a monthly basis, with donations funding further outreach and visibility.

According to the plan, each new supporter, donor, or increase in visibility will be treated as an “increment of success.” Nekhaila argues that even modest gains could eventually translate into electoral successes, with the long-term goal of giving the party enough prominence to influence governance “long before it achieves a majority.”

The project is being led by strategist Perry Willis, who previously designed Project Archimedes in the 1990s under then-chair Steve Dasbach. That effort produced record membership and revenue for the party at the time, with Nekhaila first alluding to its potential revival in remarks during an LNC meeting earlier this year. “Project Archimedes used only direct mail,” Nekhaila added. “What was done before on a small scale can now be done in a large way.”

Willis will work with advisor Jim Babka and the firm Iron Light, which will oversee data enhancement and advertising placements.

The party is seeking $48,000 in initial funding to launch the project, with half allocated to Iron Light for data enhancements and the remainder to cover email and advertising costs. Nekhaila said sustained growth in supporters, donors, and visibility will be critical to maintaining momentum.

“We aim to make our numbers constantly grow in the following areas, month after month […],” Nekhaila added. “Do that for a few years and we’ll achieve the ultimate goal, full parity with the Democrats and Republicans.”

Jordan Willow Evans