About a dozen citizens joined a recent a Zoom call to launch and organize a new political party in the state of Virginia.
After electing a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Executive Director, the party immediately took action to nominate a Presidential candidate, as well as two Congressional candidates – and set the goal of recruiting more.
“For most of us, our political views haven’t changed”, said newly elected Chairman, Aaron Lyles from Roanoke, VA “For many of us, we’re here because the two major parties have become so polarized that they’ve forgotten the vast majority of us who sit in the middle”, Lyles added.
Unaffiliated with any of the “major third parties”, the Commonwealth Common Ground Party seeks to reach Virginians who feel disenfranchised, and offer them an alternative at the ballot box. “We’ve tried working with other Virginia parties, and what we have found is that they are either completely unorganized, or they claim to be independent, but then petition for other candidates of the larger alternative parties – limiting discussion and debate which only leads to supporters feeling disenfranchised all over again. There is no voice for true independents in Virginia, and we’re changing that, effective today”, Lyles finished.
However, Lyles was very upfront that the work ahead will not be easy, stating their party is required to collect 5,000 valid voter signatures to place their presidential nominee on the ballot, “we will most likely need to collect double that before the deadline”, added Lyles.
The party’s platform committee is also working in order to present their recommendations to the party by their March convention. (Details about the convention will be announced by the end of January – and will be an in-person event, open to the public.)
The party plans to launch a website shortly, but can be found on Facebook here:
Rise Up!