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Success in Wisconsin and Minnesota!
The Wisconsin Green Party submitted over 2,000 signatures to place Ron Hardy on the ballot for State Treasurer. Ron is already an elected Green official in Wisconsin, serving as a County Supervisor. He’s running for higher office to give a voice to issues such as a $15 minimum wage and a publicly-owned state bank. By securing his place on the ballot, this is the first non-presidential election since 2006 where every Wisconsin voter will have the opportunity to vote Green. The Wisconsin Green Party was also successful getting their down-ticket candidates on the ballot, including Lawrence Dale for Congress and Michael LaForest for State Assembly.
The Minnesota Green Party turned in nearly 3,000 signatures to place Andy Dawkins on the ballot for Attorney General. Andy served 15 years in Minnesota’s State Legislature as a Democrat, but recognizes the failure of the two party system in both Minnesota and the country. He is running on a message of limiting money in politics, promoting civil liberties and privacy protections, and re-establishing the Consumer Enforcement Division as a top priority in the Attorney General’s Office.
Dealing With “Chicago” Politics
The signature requirement for statewide office in Illinois is 25,000 signatures. However, Illinois has a notoriously punitive and corrupt process in place to challenge candidates off the ballot. The broken system was put in place by the “Chicago machine” to kick fellow Democrats off the primary ballot and maintain strict party discipline. The same methods are now regularly used against the Green Party in the general election.
The Illinois Green Party overcame these challenges in 2006 by submitting nearly 40,000 signatures. They have until June 22nd this year to meet the same goal. Illinois is the largest state in the country without Green Party ballot access.
The Green Party of the United States has already given Illinois nearly $1,000 to help with their ballot drive. However, a donation to the Ballot Access Committee, right now, means that we can provide even more support. Please donate to help us defeat “Chicago” politics, and reassert our right to exist, our right to participate, and our right to be heard.
If you would like to volunteer for the Illinois Ballot Drive, please contact the Illinois Green Party Chair, Rich Whitney, at [email protected].
An Opportunity in Missouri
The Ballot Access Committee has an opportunity this year to secure a spot on the ballot for our 2016 presidential candidate in Missouri. The Democrats failed to file anyone for State Auditor. A Green Party candidate for State Auditor would only need 2% of the vote in a two-way race against a Republican in order to secure the Green Party ballot line. 10,000 signatures are required by July 28th to get on the ballot for State Auditor.
Next weekend is also “Politics on the Prairie,” a multi-state organizing meeting taking place in Kansas City, Missouri. The event is being headlined by Jill Stein, includes workshops and trainings, and is the perfect catalyst for taking advantage of this early opportunity for 2016 ballot access.
A donation to the Ballot Access Committee means the ability to hire a coordinator and petitioners in Missouri. Achieving ballot access and 2% of the vote not only means a place on the ballot for our presidential candidate in 2016, but lower signature requirements for all candidates. Your support, right now, will make the difference in how many local candidates Missouri can run in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
If you would like to volunteer for the Missouri ballot drive, please contact the Ballot Access Committee Co-Chair, Tom Yager, at [email protected].