Libertarian Party leads push for use of Bitcoin as political capital

Libertarians are leading the charge in Wisconsin for campaigns to allow use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as political donations.

The currencies themselves may be tough for some to understand but the concept of using them as campaign contributions is relatively simple, says Wisconsin Libertarian Party chair and candidate for governor, Phil Anderson

”We have people that want to make donations to our campaign in Bitcoin, so we’d like to to accommodate that because cryptocurrencies are becoming more widely accepted,” Anderson said. “People are understanding them better and there should be no reason why we can’t accept cryptocurrencies.”

Anderson’s party is pushing the state to allow the currencies’ use as campaign contributions. And there’s likely a reason his party is the one at the front of the movement

“We tend to have more people who want to avoid the government so that’s basically where we’re at,” Anderson said. “Our constituents includes more people that are interested in cryptocurrencies than probably democrats or republicans.”

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission, which held a hearing on the use of cryptocurrencies last week, is determining whether the currencies can be used under current laws.

Anderson believes the decision should be no brainer.

“Doesn’t really require a rule changes, just understanding that cryptocurrencies can comply with the current law,” he said.

Montana and Washington D.C. currently allow it, while the Federal Election Commission approved cryptocurrency donations in 2014, classifying them as “in kind donations.”