Problems and Solutions That Aren't Unique to This Libertarian National Committee ...

... so please don't take this as an "anti-Mises-PAC" post. The problems have come up before and the solution is obvious.

The Libertarian National Committee runs an extensive IT operation, and it offers certain aspects/uses of that operation to its state affiliates. For example, a state affiliate can have its web site hosted by lp.org, and state affiliates can store their member information on (and get "national member" information for people in their states from) the LNC's CRM software.

Those are certainly valuable services, which can save state affiliate financially and in terms of work hours put in maintaining their own sites and CRMs.

BUT! There are a couple of problems with it.

1. I'm always hearing that "decentralization" is a "libertarian value." It isn't, but it's still often a good idea. If all the information for both "national members" and state affiliate members is stored in one place, one hacker can penetrate one system and get it all, instead of that hacker (or multiple hackers) having to break into 51 different systems.
2. Disputes between the LNC and its state affiliates are nothing new. They go back to at least 2000 (Arizona). Over time (especially since the "Oregon situation" circa 2010), the LNC has increasingly arrogated authority (denied to it in its own bylaws) to itself to intervene in affiliate affairs, even to the extent of deciding who their officers are, what their bylaws mean, etc. And when that happens, the LNC being in control of the affiliates' web sites and member data makes it easier for them to get away with it because they can keep that stuff away from the affiliates and hand it off to any old randos they decide like better than the actual affiliate officers.

Solution: Even though it's more work and more expense to do those things themselves, state Libertarian Party organizations should not store their data, or host their web sites, on servers controlled by the LNC.