The UTD Mercury

Media Credit: Philip White Philip White hasn't campaigned, but said he believes voters should have more options.

Philip White is not running a conventional political campaign.

The 22-year-old UTD graduate student has not knocked on any doors or given any speeches. He has not spent or raised a single dime.

White, the Libertarian Party candidate for District 112 state representative, said he knows his candidacy is a long shot, but he thinks voters should have more than two choices.

"I think it's crucial to have a third-party candidate on the ballot," he said. "A two-party system will always convene a medium, but it won't always be a happy medium."

If elected, White said that he would be committed to reducing the size and scope of government. It has grown much too large, he said, and should limit itself to core functions such as building infrastructure and maintaining national defense rather than involving itself in the lives of its citizens.

He opposes higher taxes but said current tax revenues could be allocated more effectively. He supports increased gun rights, decriminalization of drugs and school vouchers to provide parents and students with a choice in education.

The legislature should make the legal system simpler and more straightforward, he said. There are too many laws currently on the books, giving the executive branch too much power to arrest people for minor offences.

"The current system is so complicated that no one knows if they are committing a crime," he said. "We need laws that are so simple and consistent that they just make sense."

White is dismissive of his chances in the Nov. 4 election, but at least one person believes he is a serious candidate. He said that Angie Chen Button, his Republican opponent, asked him to withdraw from the race a few months before the election.

He refused.

"If I thought she was a carbon copy (of me), I wouldn't have run," he said. "I know I'm probably not going to win; I just want to give people a choice."

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