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Voting Green in North Carolina
The NCGP is
not a recognized political party for purposes of voting in North
Carolina, and it is not possible to register as a Green in North
Carolina. This unjust and anti-democratic state of affairs has grown
out of an effort by the leaders of the duopoly party to ensure that
only Democrats and Republicans are allowed to participate in partisan
politics in North Carolina. This is an effort dating back to 1900. The
NCGP has compiled a history of the gradual tightening of election law
regarding new political parties, which can be found here. These laws,
coupled with the practice of
gerrymandering, the corruption of politics by money, and the
statistical difficulty of unseating incumbents, has resulted in North
Carolina voters having little say in who gets to run for office.
Ballot Access and the North
Carolina Green Party
Since its
formation
in 2000. the NCGP has tried to overcome the barriers placed in front of
it by
the Demopublican Party. The ballot access requirement is tied to a
percentage
of the voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election in
North
Carolina. Because North Carolina elects state officials every four
years, this
is the close to the same as the number of voters who participated in
the last
presidential election. The percentages in the law (see NC
General
Statues Sec 163-96 and -97) for attainment
and
retention of party status are intentionally deceptive. There are
currently over
six million registered voters in North Carolina.
4,268,942 of those voters officially
voted for Governor in the
2008 election. Based on current law, the verified signatures of 85,379
registered voters is required to gain party status in North Carolina.
Because
of the
verification requirement, this number is itself misleading. Each
signature must
be verified by the Board of Elections of the county in which that voter
resides. Signatures maybe rejected for a number of reasons. Overall,
the
rejection rate approaches or exceeds 30%. This means the actual number
of
signatures to be gathered is approximately 111, 500.
The
only third party to accomplish this in recent times has been the
Libertarian Party. Their access to the ballot came at the cost of tens
of thousands of dollars. And after every campaign, they lost ballot
access by not polling voters in the numbers prescribed by the
law. In 2006, a law introduced by the NCGP lowered the polling
requirement for ballot access retention to 2%. The Libertarians were
able to poll more than 2% in the 2008 gubernatorial election, and
thanks to this law, do not have to garner signatures for the 2010 or
2012 election. This frees them to establish their party financially and
develop candidates that might pose a significant threat to incumbents.
- The
NCGP is developing a strategy, still under discussion, to fight for
ballot access in 2012. This strategy is muti-pronged.
- Identify
candidates who can run in non-partisan races, and who will identify as
Greens supporting the 10 Key Values
- Introduce
new legislation into the General Assembly to bring North Carolina
Election Law out of the dark ages
- Work
to increase membership in our locals, and increase our financial
resources
- Continue
to gather signatures toward the 2012 goal.
The time for the Green Party is now. The corruption of corporate
influence and special interests dominate politics in North Carolina and
nationally. The Greens are the only party that will not accept
corporate contributions. The NCGP and GPUS need your talents, energy,
and desire for justice and equality for all. Join us in the struggle
for a better state, a better nation, and a better world.
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Copyright © 2008 North Carolina Green Party
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