Joint Statement – A Joint Statement from Green Party Presidential Candidates Calling for EQUAL ACCESS FOR ALL CANDIDATES

As candidates for the Green Party Presidential nomination, we express our deep disappointment over the choice of certain state party conventions to provide speaking opportunities for one campaign while denying the same opportunity to all others.

Our Green values as well as the future growth of our party demand that we seek to provide a platform for diverse voices in a fair and impartial manner. As a global political party and movement, Greens have experienced systematic exclusion from ballot access, media coverage and televised debates. We should be all the more mindful of the critical need to allow for an open and equal opportunity for all Green candidates to speak to all voters.

Anytime you provide a platform for a potential nominee you are helping to promote their campaign. Such an opportunity must be open to all candidates. There are no compelling excuses for state parties to only provide it to one candidate over all others long before the nomination has occurred. Such an action qualifies as a statement of preference and has the effect of bypassing our democratic processes for endorsement and nomination.

The undersigned candidates represent diverse identities and backgrounds, such as black, gay, indigenous, first generation American, female and bisexual. We belong to many of the marginalized communities for which the Green Party is supposed to provide a voice.

We are asking simply that the Green Party and its state parties live up to our Ten Key Values and Four Pillars, the values we promote as a party, and provide an equal opportunity for all candidates to speak.

Signed,

Alan Augustson
Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza Curry
Dario Hunter
Dennis Lambert
Ian Schlakman