"Let's be realistic," says the Green Party of Mississippi.

"If you vote for the Democratic nominees for President and Vice President, your vote in Mississippi will have ZERO effect on who is elected because Electoral College votes are what count for winning the White House. You'd basically be throwing your vote away.

Green Party of Mississippi
greenpartyms.com

Media Release
September 30, 2024

Contact:
Jan Hillegas, GP MS Chair, [email protected]

"If you vote for Green Party candidates Jill Stein and Rudolph Ware, your vote will count toward the party receiving the 5% or more of the national Presidential vote it needs to qualify as a "minority political party" that is entitled to ballot access nationwide and partial federal funding for its campaign and national nominating convention expenses. That status would greatly boost the Green voice for universal healthcare and education, as well as a Green New Deal, nuclear disarmament initiatives, and housing and health care as human rights for everyone in the U.S. Stein-Ware positions on democracy, prisons and policing, social justice, disability rights, immigration, and other issues are detailed at www.jillstein2024.com/platform."

The Green Party of Mississippi notes that, "After the last two Republican Presidents got fewer than half of the votes of U.S. voters but won in the Electoral College, you would think that Democrats would have moved to abolish the Electoral College. But no, there hasn't been a reform effort by most Democrats. And since Mississippi is a deep red state, our 6 Electoral College votes are sure to go to the Republican nominees.

"The Electoral College was set up by U.S. founders to magnify the power of southern slaveowners, which was fine with the northerners who did business with them. Because all of a state's Electoral College votes go to the one Presidential candidate who gets the most votes of all the choices on the state's ballot, those voting for other candidates have no voice.

"The Green Party calls for replacing the Electoral College with a National Popular Vote using ranked-choice voting so that if one Presidential candidate doesn't get a majority of first-choice votes, second choices count toward determining the winner.

"Greens also call for full public financing of elections to get the corrupting influence of private money out of politics, as well as proportional representation in the state legislatures and Congress.

"Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and running mate Rudolph 'Butch' Ware are working for the genuine changes that voters need and seek, and they deserve voters' consideration."

A Message to You from Jill Stein

Before we close out Suicide Prevention Month, I need to take a breath from the frantic pace of this sprint to election day to talk about a serious public health crisis – one I would even classify as a new pandemic.

This is not a random aside. It's an issue that cuts directly to the heart of our work and the reasons I am running for president.

I'll get right to the point: There is a sprawling, spiraling mental health crisis consuming this country, and our young people are at the very center of the storm.

The most notable trends emerged during the pandemic. In 2022, data from the CDC found that 44% of teens in the US reported feeling "persistently sad and hopeless." That number is indeed alarming. But we should note that even in 2019 that figure sat at 37%.

While many have tried to write this off as a pandemic-related fluke, the problem is much much deeper than the temporary isolation we experienced in that time. In fact, new data from 2024 (as reported in Forbes) shows that, if anything, this trend has gotten worse. The causes of this crisis are hardly unknown to us.

The social isolation brought on by the pervasive struggle to survive in modern society – the feeling fact that even the necessities of life are increasingly unaffordable and harder to hold on to.

The rising climate emergency, and the clear signs that none of your elected leaders take these threats to human survival seriously.

The grim realization that your vote only matters if you're rich enough to buy their attention.

None of this is artificial and none of it is accidental. The conditions of late stage capitalism are designed to leave us "persistently sad and hopeless" such that we surrender to this fate.

But we do NOT surrender! Our campaign is about rising up against the elite political and commercial forces conspiring to keep us compliant and silent in their destruction of humanity. We will show the strength of that movement at the ballot box on November 5th.

As a medical doctor, I know firsthand the devastating toll that mental health strain takes on our physical well being. When every single day feels like a battle to endure, your body pays the price. I'm particularly alarmed by the rapid rise in mental health crisis among our youth. Not only will this shorten their lifespans, it threatens the very foundations of our democracy when young people disengage from our political process.

We absolutely need comprehensive mental health resources, and we will have that under my plan for universal free healthcare. But while those services are urgently needed, they will not address the root cause.

The simple and hard truth is that the mental health crisis engulfing our nation is rooted in a society and economic system designed to enrich the very few at the expense of the many, and it will not change until we overthrow that system. Until we address the underlying cause of structural inequality and rebuild our economy to serve ALL of humanity, mental health will continue to be a source of struggle for billions of us.

If this message has resonated with you in a particular way, there is something important I need you to know:
You are not alone.

I'm going to repeat that, because it's SO important that you know this on a fundamental level: YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE.

There are millions of us – billions even – walking the same path and struggling under the same crushing weight.

In those moments where you may feel that the world is too much for you, I dearly hope you know that an entire community stands with you, ready to lift you up. If you or someone you love is struggling with persistent feelings of hopelessness, please call 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for resources and community.

Above all else, please know that you are worthy, you are treasured, and you are so urgently needed in our collective fight.

With love, solidarity, and gratitude,

Jill Stein
www.jillstein2024.com