1972 The first Libertarian National Convention was held in
1972 in
Denver, Colorado.
John Hospers and
Theodora Nathan were nominated presidential and vice presidential candidates, respectively. The party received the first electoral vote won by a woman, cast by (faithless Republican elector)
Roger MacBride who became the Libertarian party's presidential candidate for the 1976 election.
1973 The 1973 Convention was held in
Strongsville, Ohio, from June 8 to 10. Over 175 were in attendance.
1974 The 1974 convention adopted the
Dallas Accord which sought to accommodate supporters of both
anarcho-capitalism and minarchism.
1975 The 1975 convention was held at the Statler-Hilton hotel in
New York City.
Roger MacBride was nominated for president. After initially selecting
None of the Above, the convention's delegates nominated
David Bergland for vice president.
1976 The 1976 convention was held in
Washington, D.C., from September 23 to 26, 1976.
1977 The 1977 convention was held at the Palace Hotel in
San Francisco, California.
1978 The 1978 convention was held at the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston Massachusetts.
1979 The 1979 convention was held at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles and nominated
Ed Clark for president and billionaire
David H. Koch for vice president.
Alternative '80 The 1980 convention was held at the Century City Hotel in
Los Angeles, California, and via satellite. Unlike other Libertarian Party conventions, its primary purpose was promotional.
1981 The 1981 convention was held in
Denver, Colorado.
1983 David Bergland was selected as the 1984 presidential nominee at the
1983 National Convention.
1985 The 1985 convention was held in
Phoenix, Arizona.
1987 The
1987 Libertarian National Convention was held the first weekend in September in
Seattle, Washington. At the convention, the party was split between conservative and liberal factions.
Ron Paul, representing the former, was nominated as the Libertarian Party's 1988 presidential candidate on the first ballot with 196 of the 368 votes cast. His closest opponent,
Native American activist
Russell Means, received 120 votes.
Andre Marrou was selected as Paul's running mate as the candidate for vice president without opposition.
1993 The 1993 convention was held in
Salt Lake City, Utah.
1996 The
1996 Libertarian National Convention was held the first weekend of July in
Washington D.C., and nominated
Harry Browne as its presidential candidate.
1998 The 1998 convention was held in
Washington D.C. 2000 The 2000 convention was held in
Anaheim, California, from June 30 to July 4.
Harry Browne was again chosen as the party's presidential candidate, becoming the first Libertarian Party candidate to run twice for president of the United States.
2002 The 2002 convention was held in
Indianapolis, Indiana, from July 3 to 7. Key Note Speaker: Dr. Ron Paul.
2004 The 2004 convention was held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in
Atlanta, Georgia, Memorial Day weekend, May 27 to May 31.
Michael Badnarik was chosen as the party's presidential candidate, beating out
Gary Nolan and
Aaron Russo on the third ballot;
Richard Campagna was chosen as the party's vice-presidential candidate over
Tamara Millay, and
Michael Dixon was elected chair of the LNC.
2006 The 2006 convention was held at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower in
Portland, Oregon, July 1–2. Delegates chose (in a "retain or delete" vote process) to eliminate about three-quarters of the specific planks in the party's platform Speakers included: •
Michael Badnarik, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives (TX-10) and the 2004 Libertarian presidential candidate • Judge
John A. Buttrick, Maricopa County (Arizona) Superior Court Judge, 1994 Arizona gubernatorial candidate, 1998 Arizona House of Representatives candidate • Megan Dickson, an eighth-grade honors student who spoke about
libertarianism • Patrick Dixon, city councilman, Lago Vista, Texas • Bill Lynn, alderman, Davenport, Iowa •
Tonie Nathan, former Libertarian vice-presidential candidate, and the first woman to receive an electoral vote in U.S. history • BetteRose Ryan, at-large LNC member • Rev. Anthony Williams, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives (IL-2) • Former Congressman
Bob Barr, who has served as the chairman of Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances •
Andrew Neil, founding chairman of
Sky TV, former publisher of
The Scotsman, former editor of
The Economist and former editor-in-chief of the
Sunday Times • Christopher J. Farrell, member of the
Judicial Watch's board of directors • Greg Nojeim, associate director and chief legislative counsel for the ACLU •
Krist Novoselic, founding member of the Seattle-based grunge rock band
Nirvana, founder JAMPAC (Joint Artists and Music Promotions Political Action Committee), author of ''Of Grunge and Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy''
2008 The 2008 convention was held at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel (formerly the Adam's Mark Hotel) in
Denver, Colorado (the same city as the very first convention in 1972), May 23–26.
2010 The 2010 convention was held in
St. Louis, Missouri, from Friday, May 28, to Monday, May 31.
2012 The 2012 convention was held in
Las Vegas, Nevada, May 4–6, 2012.
2014 The 2014 convention was held in
Columbus, Ohio, during the last weekend in June.
2016 The 2016 convention was held in
Orlando, Florida, during the last weekend in May.
2018 The 2018 convention was held from June 30 to July 3 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Nicholas Sarwark was reelected as chair, Alex Merced elected as vice chair, Caryn Ann Harlos elected as secretary, Tim Hagan reelected as treasurer, new at-large members were selected, and a new four-year term Judicial Committee was elected.
2020 The 2020 convention was scheduled to be held in
Austin, Texas, over
Memorial Day weekend, but that was canceled via the enactment of their impossibility clause. Nomination business for president and vice president and potentially, confirmation of the in-person convention, was to be done virtually on Friday, May 22, with ratification to take place sometime in early July. That alternate venue was set by the
Libertarian National Committee for
Orlando, Florida, the host city of the
2016 Libertarian National Convention.
2022 The 2022 convention was held on Memorial Day weekend from May 26 to 29 in
Reno, Nevada.
2024 The 2024 convention was held from May 24 to the early morning of May 27, 2024, at the
Washington Hilton in
Washington, D.C. 2026 The 2026 convention will be held from May 21 – 25, 2026, at the
Amway Grand Plaza in
Grand Rapids, Michigan. ==List of Libertarian conventions==