Voters have a third option in the race for governor: Libertarian candidate Barbara Howe.

Howe said she believes people should be free to live their lives as they see fit as long as they dont harm others. They dont need government trying to control how they live, Howe said.

Howe, who lives in Oxford, is a former chairwoman of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina. This is her third bid for governor. She also ran in 2000 and 2004.

Running as a third-party candidate has plenty of challenges.

While the two major-party candidates for governor debated Wednesday at N.C. Wesleyan College, Howe spent the evening responding to questions from people in an online forum.

She wasnt invited to participate in any of the televised gubernatorial debates, and she doesnt have as much funding or resources as the two major-party candidates. That makes spreading her message more difficult.

Howe has taken a unique approach to meeting with residents throughout the state during her campaign. She has been working to run 3.1 miles in all 100 of the states counties. She has three counties to go before the election.

At the very least, Howe hopes to earn at least 2 percent of the vote in the general election. The Libertarian Party needs to achieve that goal or a 2 percent or higher vote in North Carolina in support of Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president, in order to continue as an official party in North Carolina.

Many people are afraid they will waste their vote if they vote for a Libertarian candidate, Howe said. She said if people vote for a major-party candidate who they dont like, that candidate will consider the vote to be an endorsement.

If those candidates havent earned your vote, you really shouldnt give it to them, Howe said.

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Libertarian candidate for governor literally running for votes