In a stunning betrayal of Californians, lawmakers in Sacramento delayed until 2022 the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, Assembly Bill 1400. The Green Party of California aligns with a growing majority of Californians and many coalition partners in condemning this decision by the lawmakers.  “Universal single-payer healthcare lies at the heart of the Green Party of California healthcare platform,” said Barry Hermanson, long-time single-payer advocate and member of the GPCA Coordinating Committee. See “Big Pharma” and “Universal health care: California tries again.” Continue reading

Left, the items being sold at the Redwood County Flea Market in Wallingford, CT. Right, the guy selling them During the 2020 Presidential election, there was no shortage of lawn signs and banners in Wallingford, Connecticut showing support for Donald Trump. I rolled my eyes at each one that we passed and said to myself, “Rural Connecticut”. I live an hour south, in an urban area, where there was seemingly far less support for the 45th President of the United States. I have friends in Wallingford, and visit frequently, but it wasn’t until Saturday, April 17, that I checked out Redwood County Flea Market at 170 South Turnpike Road. Continue reading

GALESBURG, IL -- Peter Schwartzman (G) was elected Galesburg's mayor, defeating incumbent John Pritchard and fellow challenger Kristine Crow. According to unofficial election results, Schwartzman won 47% of the vote to Pritchard's 41% and Crow's 12%. Standing on the corner of Prairie and Main streets, Schwartzman's supporters erupted into cheers, with his daughters jumping up and down when they heard the news. "It’s pretty surreal. It’s been a hard-fought race," Schwartzman said. Continue reading

On Feb. 15, Gallup released a poll saying support for a “third party” is at an all-time high. On March 22, state Sen. Roberta Lange, D-Las Vegas, introduced SB 292, which would make it harder for new or previously unqualified political parties to appear on the ballot in Nevada. Supported by Democrats in the Legislature, SB 292 would double the number of signatures required to get on the ballot, from 1 percent to 2 percent of the last U.S. House statewide vote. It also would require the signatures to be spread equally over all four Nevada U.S. House districts. Continue reading

A Conversation With Ajamu Baraka On February 26th, I interviewed Ajamu Baraka for my podcast. Baraka is a veteran grassroots organizer whose roots are in the Black Liberation Movement and anti-apartheid and Central American solidarity struggles. He is an internationally recognized leader of the emerging human rights movement in the U.S. and has been at the forefront of efforts to apply the international human rights framework to social justice advocacy in the U.S. for more than 25 years. He is a National Organizer for the Black Alliance for Peace, whose activities we discussed. Continue reading

Delaware law says a party that has registration membership of at least one-tenth of 1% of the state total is ballot-qualified. The Delaware Green Party registration has increased from 716 members in November 2020, to 749 in March 2021. This increase substantially re-qualifies the party. The requirement is always changing, but currently it is 750 members. Continue reading

PITTSBURGH, PA -- Mobility activist Connor Mulvaney received two key endorsements this week in his run for Pittsburgh City Council District 4.  The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) endorsed Connor on March 15 after a vote by their General Assembly, encompassing delegates representing all the local Green Parties in the state. “I’ve been following the start-up of Connor’s campaign with excitement as he brings great energy to both the GPPA and progressive Pittsburgh politics necessary for all of Pennsylvania. I very happily voted to endorse him,” said GPPA Co-chair Tina Olson.  Continue reading

For integrity’s sake, HR1/S1 needs to be clean of political conflicts of interest. But in its campaign finance section, it is not. At no time since the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act have voting rights in the United States been under greater threat. In the 10 years preceding the November 2020 elections, 25 states passed lawsrestricting the ability to vote. Since November 2020, Republican state lawmakers have introduced more than 250 additional bills in 43 states to restrict voting, most surgically designed to suppress the vote of millions of Americans — especially Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian and the young. Continue reading

U.S. democracy is in existential crisis. The country already suffers from unrepresentative winner-take-all, single-seat-district legislative elections, a two-party duopoly, partisan gerrymandering, the corrupting influence of big money in politics, and an Electoral College and US Senate that give vastly outsized influence to some voters over others. In the case of the Electoral College, it can also prevent the presidential candidate receiving the most votes from being elected. Continue reading