Over the past couple of months, columnist Harriet Hausman has written several pieces that can generally be grouped under the topic of “defending American democracy.” Her recent column of Aug. 30 was entitled, “Highest priority: voting rights.”
We, the West Side Greens, both applaud Harriet and share her concern about the threats to democracy. We wish to put forth the position that what is needed at present is an expansion of democracy.
A key goal for the Green Party each election cycle is for state green parties to gain or retain ballot access, which ensures a line on the ballot for Green candidates for upcoming elections. Having an ongoing ballot line means easier ballot access, allowing state parties to focus their efforts on outreach instead of having to petition for higher numbers of signatures and meet other onerous requirements that smaller parties without ballot access are required to fulfill.
Matt Hoh is running a strong grassroots campaign in North Carolina’s Senate race. When the political establishment tried to keep him off the ballot, Matt and his supporters fought back and won - after being tied up in legal battles for months. But now those same establishment elites want to lock Matt out of the debates to keep the voters from knowing they have a real choice.
PITTSBORO, NC – The North Carolina Green Party (NCGP) sees today’s certification of our party by the North Carolina State Board of Elections as vindication for our organization and for the over 22,000 residents who signed our petition for more voter choice in this state. The decision is a reversal of the July 1, 2022, decision by the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE) in a party-line vote of 3-2 to reject the NCGP’s petition for “new party status” and with it the ballot access required to run Green candidates.
The news is in. After a contentious series of meetings and actions, and ongoing legal wrangling, Damon Circosta, Chair of the State Board of Elections, spoke today. “I move that the State Board of Elections recognizes that the North Carolina Green Party has submitted sufficient petitioners to become a political party in the state.”
Today, county and state investigations proved the Green Party’s petition to be recognised as a North Carolina political party was lawful. Board of Elections investigators submitted their findings before the State Board of Elections, asserting that wild accusations of rampant fraud were not, in fact, true. The Green Party needed 13,865 verified signatures of NC voters, and as of Aug 1, 2022, 15,472 signatures were both reviewed and validated by county boards and the state.
The Democrats’ scandalous campaign to purge Green Party candidate Matthew Hoh from the U.S. Senate ballot in North Carolina has attracted national attention. Now, Matthew and the North Carolina Green Party are fighting back and need your support, so make sure to spread the word and keep this battle in the spotlight!
We know the two corporate parties work to suppress Green candidates across the country, and we have requests from three more states who need immediate help. First up is Pennsylvania:
A lawsuit challenging the North Carolina State Board of Elections decision to exclude the North Carolina Green Party from the November ballot alleges collaboration with the governor’s office.
Democrats on the state board outvoted Republicans 3-2 in late June to exclude the North Carolina Green Party from the midterm ballot over "questions" about signatures verified by county boards of elections, despite the party submitting 2,000 signatures above the required threshold, The Carolina Journal reports.
“The hardest thing I’ve ever seen the Democrats fight for is to keep a disabled Marine combat veteran off the ballot.”
– Matthew Hoh, Green Party candidate for U.S. Senator in North Carolina
The last week of June 2022 brought more strikes against an American democracy already in deep crisis. Democrats blocked access to the ballot for the Green Party of North Carolina and seven independent gubernatorial tickets in New York.
Briahna Joy Gray hosts Matthew Hoh and Jill Stein to talk about the North Carolina Green Party’s fight with the Democratic Party and Democratic-controlled North Carolina State Board of Elections over the board’s denial of ballot access to the Greens.
North Carolina Senate candidate Matthew Hoh is enduring an all out attack from the Democratic Party to get him off the ballot. Why? Because he's running as a Green Party candidate. He got more than enough signatures, but the state won't certify them.
Raleigh, NC – On Wednesday, Green Party Senate candidate Matthew Hoh and fellow plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the North Carolina State Board of Elections, which denied the North Carolina Green Party's petition for ballot access in a 3-2 vote. The NCGP submitted 2,000-plus verified signatures more than required by law, and the denial of this legitimate petition left the campaign and supporters stunned and outraged.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina by lead attorney Oliver Hall of the Center for Competitive Democracy, with other plaintiffs including the NC Green Party and Matthew Hoh campaign supporters who circulated or signed the petition.
