2007 Green candidates to watch on Election Day, November 6

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party is off and running with candidates for public office in races throughout the US on Election Day, November 6.

The total number of Green candidates in 2007 is 130. At least 225 Greens across the nation currently hold elected office. Greens ran 377 races throughout 2006, winning 67 races (18%). Out of 170 municipal and county races in 2007, Greens won 70 (41%).

45 states and the District of Columbia have parties affiliated with the Green Party of the United States . Twent-two state Green Parties have ballot access for the 2008 national election as of October 2007.

Several candidates deserve special attention in the 2007 election:

Chuck Turner is running for reelection to the City Council District 7 seat in Boston, Massachusetts. He is currently the highest ranking African-American Green officeholder in the US. Mr. Turner won his primary election with 75% of the votes cast.

Howie Hawkins, candidate for Councilor At-Large in Syracuse, New York was endorsed by the Syracuse Post-Standard on October 30. Mr. Hawkins ran for the US Senate in New York against Hillary Clinton in the 2006 election.

Grace Ross, for Councilor-at-large in Worcester, Massachusetts , is one of twelve candidates running for six seats after finishing sixth in the September 11 primary.

BALLOT ACCESS UPDATES

NATIONAL
On October 30, Ralph Nader, Peter Camejo, and six voters filed a lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee. The 30-page complaint details the national Democratic Party’s extensive support for challenges to Mr. Nader's ballot positions, especially efforts to sabotage ballot petitions and harass petitioners in several states.

ARKANSAS
On October 17, the Arkansas Green Party was notified that its petition has been certified. It is the only Arkansas party, other than the Democratic and Republican Parties, that is on the ballot for all offices.

NEW JERSEY
On October 17, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Neil H. Shuster ordered that the state grant equal treatment to alternative political parties. The ruling eliminates some of the structural advantages long enjoyed by the Democratic and Republican Parties, and concedes that New Jersey election law must treat alternative parties as official "political parties" for the purposes of campaign finance, lobbying, and voter registration. The lawsuit in the case was filed by the Green Party of New Jersey, the New Jersey Constitution Party, and the New Jersey Libertarian Party.

PENNSYLVANIA
Carl Romanelli, 2006 Green candidate for the US Senate, is awaiting a decision from the State Supreme Court on $80,000-plus in costs he was ordered to pay as a penalty for invalidated signatures on his ballot petitions. In an equally troubling and unprecedented twist, the court also encumbered Mr. Romanelli's attorney, Larry Otter, with fines and costs. Pennsylvania requires over 67,000 valid signatures for third party and independent candidates but only 2,000 signatures for Democrats and Republicans running for US Senator, Governor, or President. Greens have accused the Pennsylvania court system of intimidating third parties and independents and freezing them out of major races by exacting such fines, which are unprecedented in the US. The Green, Libertarian, and Constitution Parties of Pennsylvania have filed a joint law suit in the US Supreme Court against the state's blatantly unfair and antidemocratic ballot access laws.