GREEN PARTY OF PENNSYLVANIA FILES BALLOT ACCESS SUIT

Tuesday, January 10th, the Green Party of Pennsylvania filed a suit against the Commonwealth in the Middle District federal court in Harrisburg. The Green Party is seeking relief from a burdensome law that requires them to collect over 67,000 signatures for their statewide candidates. The Constitution Party of Pennsylvania is also a plaintiff in the suit.

Under Pennsylvania law minor political parties must gather thirty-three times the number of signatures as Republicans and Democrats to get their candidates on the statewide ballot in 2006. Given the gross inequity in the number of signatures, the Greens feel that Pennsylvania is violating the 1st and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution including the Equal Protection Clause.

"Pennsylvania has one of the most oppressive ballot access laws in the country," says Marakay J. Rogers, Green candidate for Governor and Plaintiff in the suit. "Not only does it grossly hamper our efforts to get candidates on the ballot, but it can eliminate choices for the voters and stifle fresh ideas from entering into the political arena."

The suit suggests using a ballot access system similar to Delaware's law where a party's candidates can appear on the ballot simply by attaining .05% of the overall state voter registration. Another remedy suggested in the lawsuit states that minor political parties simply collect the same amount of signatures as their Republican and Democrat counterparts which is 2,000 for statewide candidates.

"Even if you are not a Green," says Steve Baker, Co-chair of the York County Party, "we all should be outraged that the State Legislature is attempting to suppress fair and democratic competition."

Along with the lawsuit, Greens and other minor parties have formed a PA Ballot Access Coalition which has been meeting with the PA House State Government Committee and the Governor's Election Reform Task Force to petition for relief from current ballot requirements.

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We invite you to the Federal Courthouse in Harrisburg, at 10AM, Thursday February 2, to support our case. Check for more details on this website. forwarded by Thom Marti