• The recent consolidation of primaries in June means that petition-gathering season now falls in the middle of upstate’s elongated winter.

ALBANY, NY — Democrats have made some of the most sweeping reforms to New York’s election law in over a century since they assumed sole control of Albany in 2019. Changes like early voting, eased registration deadlines, and new rules for voting by mail have made it easier than ever to cast a vote.

• May Threaten Third Party Ballot Access in New York State

• Libertarian and Green Parties contend that a two-thirds supermajority in New York legislature and no ballot access for third parties makes it a one-party state.

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a decision to deny the writ of certiorari petition for an appeal brought forth by the Libertarian Party of New York and the Green Party of New York, concluding their legal battle over New York State’s ballot access thresholds. The petition, which was filed on March 13, 2023, sought to challenge the increase in ballot access requirements implemented in 2020.

The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to New York's 2020 election reform laws that raised the threshold for third political parties to appear on the ballot.

In the past, to achieve statewide ballot status, minor political parties needed to earn 50,000 votes for their candidates in the previous election. In other words, they needed 50,000 votes to qualify for the ballot every four years – rules that have been in place for decades. The law passed three years ago now requires that minor parties garner 130,000 votes or 2% of votes cast. Failure to do so would mean removal from the ballot in the next cycle. In addition, they demand that qualifications occur every two years, rather than four, at the gubernatorial and presidential elections.

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.