Meet Olivia Hayse!
Ain't No Party like the Libertarian Party
by Olivia Hayse, LPKS Membership & Development Director
I became involved with the LPKS after attending Spike Cohen’s vice-presidential campaign event here in Wichita. I actually showed up late to the event and was given the post of “mic girl.” That meant I had to run the mic around to each speaker and each attendee who had a question for Spike. I felt really silly, but I got to meet Ned Kelley, our current Chair of the LPKS. Ned did a great job as our emcee for the event. Shortly after, Ned reached out and asked me if I had any volunteer, non-profit, or marketing experience. As it turns out, I had exactly that experience! Before moving to Kansas just a couple years ago, I had co-founded a small digital marketing firm in down in Texas. We specialized in helping small businesses utilize social media and email as marketing tools. In networking that business, I both volunteered and was hired on by a handful of nonprofits (and even some other political campaigns). During Jo Jorgensen’s campaign, my role was the Volunteer Coordinator. It was my job to get new volunteers in touch with their County Coordinators and get everyone campaign signage if they wanted it. That role was a really exciting way for me to get familiar with the LPKS leadership and see where our freedom-loving people are all throughout the state. That role has morphed into my current role, the Membership/Development Director, where I will continue to match new members with their County Affiliates and support them throughout the year. I still always get the question, “Why the Libertarian Party?” I realize this may be preaching to the choir here, but I wanted to share all the same. When you look at many aspects of my lifestyle, there is simply no other party that makes sense for me. For starters, I am a Christian. My Christian friends don’t typically think of the Libertarian party as a Christian party. I am always trying to explain to them that we are the only party that believes in “all your rights, all the time.” Meaning that we don’t just believe in protecting the rights of Christians, but in protecting the rights of all religious and non-religious people alike. I think this is where some Christians get turned off. They won’t admit it, but I believe they only want religious freedom for the religions that look like theirs. There is nothing more non-Christian like than that, in my opinion. If you want true religious freedom, then you want the Libertarian Party. Next, I am a homeschool mom. Again, I think most homeschool families do not typically see the Libertarian Party as their ally. But there is no other party that wants education in the hands of “parents, teachers, students - not the government.” When it comes to educating our children, not having government oversight is of paramount importance to most homeschool families that I know. It’s also super important to me personally that parents, teachers, and students all be equally respected when it comes to input on education. If you want true educational freedom, then you want the Libertarian party. Lastly, my family and I relocated to Kansas in order to fulfill our dreams of growing our own food. Whether it be bacon or a carrot, we wanted to be part of the process from start to finish and know exactly what goes into our food. It sounds simple enough, but ask any small-scale farmer and you will learn that there are certain barriers to this lifestyle put in place by a system that favors large government-subsidized farms. According to The Counter, the Libertarian Party believes that farmers should be able to grow the type of food the market needs or wants without government oversight. The Libertarian party also values private land ownership rights and conservation, two ideals that go hand in hand with how we manage our farm. As you can see, there is simply no other party who matches my lifestyle quite as well as the Libertarian Party. It is my hope that you will feel equally as comfortable in the LPKS as I do. If you haven’t already, please reach out and let me get you connected to your local LPKS Affiliate!
Email: olivia.hayse@lpks.org
LPKS Instagram: @libertarianpartyofkansas
Personal Instagram: @themamamarketer