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Paul Jacob

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Paul Jacob
Paul jacob.jpg
Basic facts
Organization:Citizens in Charge Foundation
Role:President
Location:Woodbridge, Virginia
Education:•Westminster College
•University of Arkansas at Little Rock


Paul Jacob is an American activist and the president of the Citizens in Charge Foundation and its 501(c)(4) affiliate, Citizens in Charge, which seeks to protect and expand the initiative and referendum process.[1] Jacob serves on the board of both Citizens in Charge Foundation and Citizens in Charge.[2]

Biography

Jacob attended Westminster College from 1978 to 1979 and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock from 1980 to 1981.[3] As of December 2025, Jacob resides in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Work and activities

Draft resistance

In 1982, Paul Jacob, a draft resistance activist, was featured in an article in Rolling Stone that focused on his refusal sign up with the Selective Service. At the time, the Selective Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sought him for his failure to join the service. He began traveling around the country talking to students and other youths about not registering. Jacob told Rolling Stone, "[i]t's important to show seventeen-year-olds and eighteen-year-olds who are about to register that you can resist being a slave to the military. If the choice is between jail and the draft, then eighteen-year-olds have nowhere to go, but...there's a much better alternative. That is simply to move away from home and not leave a forwarding address. I've been away from home for a year now, and I've been a public resister and I'm still free. So, obviously, anyone who's been a quiet nonregistrant has nothing to fear."[4]

At the time, Jacob was associated with the National Resistance Committee, which sought to actively urge men not to sign up for the draft. In 1984, the FBI arrested Jacob for his refusal to register with the Selective Service. He spent six months in prison as a result.[5][6]

Libertarian Party

See also: Libertarian Party and Libertarian Party of Arkansas

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Jacob served in several positions with the Libertarian Party. Jacob was the national director of the national party and its national ballot access coordinator. While still in prison, he was elected to the Libertarian National Committee. He was also elected as the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Arkansas.[6]

U.S. Term Limits

See also: U.S. Term Limits and U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton

Jacob served as president and on the board of U.S. Term Limits, a national term limits advocacy group that lobbies for term limits for elected officials at each level of government in the United States.[3][7] He worked for the group from its inception in 1992 until 2007.[3]

In 1992, under Jacob's leadership, the group put term limits on ballots in 14 states, which was followed in 1994 with measures in eight more states. In 1995, a case challenging the legality of a state placing restrictions on Congressional terms was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court as U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton.[8] The Court ruled 5-4 that it was not legal for a state to impose term limits on elected federal positions.[9] The result of the court's decision de facto struck down all 23 laws that U.S. Term Limits had helped to pass throughout the country. In 1996, U.S. Term Limits put forth new term limit measures in 14 states.[3]

Citizens in Charge Foundation and the Sam Adams Alliance

See also: Citizens in Charge Foundation and Sam Adams Alliance

In 2003, Jacob became the president of Citizens in Charge Foundation as well as Citizens in Charge, the 501(c)(4) arm of the foundation.[2] Both groups aim to protect and expand the initiative and referendum process.[1] Jacob also serves on the board of both organizations.[2]

Between 2006 until 2009, Jacob served as a senior advisor for the defunct Sam Adams Alliance.[3] Eric O'Keefe, the former chairman and CEO of the group, also serves on the boards of the Citizens in Charge Foundation and Citizens in Charge.[2]

Liberty Initiative Fund

See also: Liberty Initiative Fund

In 2012, in addition to his roles with Citizens in Charge, Jacob began as president of the Liberty Initiative Fund, an organization that aims to promote government accountability, opposing government favoritism, and adherence to the Constitution through ballot initiatives.[3][10]

Noteworthy events

Yes on Term Limits v. Savage

See also: Free Paul Jacob and Yes on Term Limits v. Savage

In 2007, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson filed criminal charges against Jacob, Susan Johnson and Rick Carpenter, who became collectively known as the Oklahoma 3. Edmondson asserted that Jacob, Johnson and Carpenter had violated Oklahoma's ban on non-resident petition circulators. The three denied the charges.[11]

As the result of a federal lawsuit, Yes on Term Limits v. Savage, the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit ruled unanimously on Dec. 18, 2008, that the law under which Edmondson was criminally prosecuting the trio was unconstitutional. Edmondson asked the court to re-consider. On Jan. 21, the Court said it would not do so. Edmondson then on Jan. 22 dropped his prosecution, saying that the 1969 law under which he was prosecuting them was no longer enforceable.[12]

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope. Know of one we missed? Click here to let us know.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Citizens in Charge, "About," accessed December 23, 2025
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Citizens in Charge, "Our Team," accessed December 23, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 LinkedIn, "Paul Jacob," accessed December 23, 2025
  4. ↑ Rolling Stone, "Nothing About the Draft Makes Sense," September 30, 1982
  5. ↑ Common Sense, "Why I refuse to register," accessed May 18, 2016
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Common Sense, "About Paul Jacob," accessed May 18, 2016
  7. ↑ U.S. Term Limits, "About," accessed December 23, 2025
  8. ↑ Oyez, "U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton," accessed Decmeber 23, 2025
  9. ↑ Justia.com, "U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton - 514 U.S. 779 (1994)," accessed December 23, 2025
  10. ↑ Liberty Initiative Fund, "About," accessed December 23, 2025
  11. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Still Oklahoma's Most Wanted," December 26, 2008
  12. ↑ Associated Press, "State won't appeal initiative petition ruling," January 22, 2009
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