Green Party to introduce Green presidential candidates at 2007 national meeting in Reading, Pa., July 12-15
Ralph Nader is slated to appear at the meeting; Greens will make Reading an ‘oasis of democracy’ in Pennsylvania, a state with some of the most antidemocratic ballot access rules for third party candidates in the US
The Green Party will feature declared and potential Green candidates for President of the United States at ‘Green for a Change‘ www.gp.org/meeting2007, the party’s 2007 national meeting, to take place in Reading, Pennsylvania, July 12-15. Greens will meet at the Abraham Lincoln Wyndham Historic Hotel, 100 North Fifth Street in downtown Reading.
Several candidates for the Green Party’s presidential nomination have already announced their campaigns, and plan to attend the meeting in Reading. The Green Party has planned a Presidential Candidates’ Forum for Friday, July 13, 5:30-7 pm, open to the public, at which the attending candidates will be introduced.
Below is a current list of declared Green presidential candidates, including their states of residence. The Green Party also expects more candidates to announce soon.
One Green candidate has announced for the Vice Presidential nomination: KCM Curry (California).
Ralph Nader, who ran for President in 2000 on the Green Party ticket, will also attend and will headline an event on the evening of Saturday, July 14, at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center, 8th and Penn Streets, in Reading. Mr. Nader has not yet made his intentions known for 2008.
The Green Party of Pennsylvania <http://www.gpofpa.org> will host the meeting, which is expected to draw delegates, party officials, candidates, and observers from state Green Parties all over the US.
Mr. Nader will discuss ballot access during his appearance. In 2004, Mr. Nader, running for the White House as an independent, was forced off the Pennsylvania ballot after a challenge by Democratic Party lawyers. In 2006, Carl Romanelli, Green candidate for the US Senate, was denied a ballot line after Democratic lawyers persuaded a court to invalidate many of the 90,000 signatures he handed in to comply with a Pennsylvania law requiring more than 67,000 signatures for third party candidates. Democratic and Republican candidates are only required to collect 2,000 signatures in Pennsylvania.
Democratic lawyers also convinced courts to fine both Mr. Nader nearly $89,0000 and Mr. Romanelli more than $80,000 for failing to qualify. Greens have sharply criticized Pennsylvania election law and the court-ordered fines, calling them a bipartisan ploy to intimidate and discourage third party and independent candidacies from running. Mr. Romanelli will also speak at the Saturday evening event.
“One of the reasons Greens are eager to meet in Pennsylvania is that the state’s laws typify the unfair ballot access rules, enacted by Democrats and Republicans, to keep other parties and independents off the ballot,” said Jim Coplen, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. “Pennsylvania, the so-called cradle of democracy, should be ashamed to have such laws on the books. But Pennsylvania isn’t the only state with unfair ballot access laws. Greens throughout the US are challenging state legislatures and courts to abolish such obstructions. We plan to make Reading an oasis of democracy in July.”
Filed under: events, Green Party Websites, international politics, presidential race, third party
.
Leave a Reply