On April 19, members of the Green Party of New York began soliciting the 45,000 voters’ signatures they need to gather in 42 days by May 31 to place the party’s gubernatorial ticket of Howie Hawkins for governor and Gloria Mattera for lieutenant governor on the ballot. Thanks to Democratic legislators who tripled the signature and vote requirements for ballot access at the urging of then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo as part of the state budget package in April 2020, New York now has one of the most difficult independent nominating petition systems in the nation and the world.

Many are outraged at recent Republican laws enacted in many states that affect voting rights. But we all should be outraged at Democrats in New York who have enacted laws to undermine voting rights in our state.

These new rules ensure that only the elites in New York can run for office, that hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers will be prevented from voting for whom they truly support, limiting our choice and therefore silencing our voice. Over 250,000 New Yorkers voted for alternatives parties in 2018. Ending achievable candidate access to the ballot, as well as voter access to the election process disenfranchises voters for alternative parties like those we represent, the Green Party and the Libertarian Party.

In 38 years, there have been only eight successful attempts by minor parties or independent candidates to collect the tens of thousands of signatures required by Indiana law to guarantee a spot in state elections, according to a new lawsuit by the Indiana Green Party and Libertarian Party.

The lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, says minor parties and independents face "substantial or severe burdens" because of Indiana's "unconstitutional" rules governing how they can qualify for state races.

• By Garret Wassermann, Co-chair of Green Party of the U.S.

PHILADELPHIA – Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Republican Party proposed changes to the state's 1938 Election Code. The bill, HB 1300, was ultimately vetoed by Governor Tom Wolf in June. However, Pennsylvania's decades-old election code does need serious analysis and change, especially in light of lessons learned in 2020 while trying to hold elections during a global pandemic. The Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) had previously submitted some ideas to the public, and I would like to revisit and expand on those ideas.

• The Democrats belie their commitment to democracy by repeatedly suing to get the minor party off ballots

Democrats have framed their voting-rights legislation as a "battle for the soul of America." President Biden last week said that "the right to vote and to have that vote counted is democracy's threshold liberty." But what about the right to a real choice?

We all know that Maine is peculiar in all sorts of ways, so it should be no surprise that we are out on an island in terms of the way we allow access by political parties to our ballots:

“Maine’s statutory scheme is almost entirely unique in the nation,” says Oliver Hall, legal counsel for the Center for Competitive Democracy, “in that the only way to become a ballot-qualified party is to have enough enrolled members.” 

Specifically, you need to launch your political party and get to 10,000 members within two elections. Before recent legal revisions, it was even worse: You had to have 10,000 enrollees actually vote in that election! 

• Climate poses the greatest threat to the future of humanity

ALBANY, NY – The Green Party is the strongest political voice calling for real solutions to reduce the severity of climate change and to provide hope for a decent life for future generations. Democrats and Republicans at all levels – from the state to the White House and Congress – continue to protect the fossil fuel companies and their profits so the special interest campaign contributions keep flowing.

ALBANY, NY  12/2/21 – Green Party of New York leaders today called on the Legislature and Gov. Hochul to enact a "Gold Standard" ballot access bill that would expand voter choice in New York State.

While Green officials said they supported the Legislature's renewed push to expand absentee ballot access and a voter registration deadline closer to Election Day, they also said that strengthening democracy requires Democrat Party lawmakers to reverse their recent efforts to kill the independent third parties in New York. Many political scientists point out that the United States' unique lack of robust third parties among the world's so-called democracies is a major cause of the present toxic politics in the country.

SO. DEERFIELD, MA – Thank you for all you've done to build our movement for people, planet, and peace over profit! Our work together has set the progressive agenda on issue after issue, from an emergency Green New Deal and Medicare for All to free public higher education, democracy reforms like Ranked-Choice Voting and much more.

Now, in the face of accelerating climate collapse, crushing inequality, endless war and the epic failure of public health — we need independent politics more than ever to advance these transformative solutions our lives depend on.