Green Party of Washington

Organizing for Campaigns and Endorsements in Washington

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First and foremost, we want to extend a word of solidarity in light of the ICE actions currently terrorizing American cities and the escalating illegal acts of war we’re all watching take place. We hope you are taking care of yourself and your community wherever you are in Washington State.

This year demands more from all of us as we contend with the symptoms of late-stage capitalism, the blowback of US imperialism, and the knowledge that both corporate parties, whose partnership brought us to this moment, will not be coming to save us.

The political moment calls for building power for uncompromising anti-capitalist voices and organizing outside of the corporate duopoly for people, peace, and planet. Have you thought about how you can help us achieve this in 2026? There are many ways you can take action:

  • Become a GPWA member: Members can organize local chapters, endorse candidates, elect state party leaders, and elect representatives to the national Green Party US organizations. Learn more about becoming a member here.
  • Join or form a GPWA chapter: Organizing GPWA members into chapters across Washington State amplifies our message. When you join GPWA as a member and form or join a chapter, you have a voice in determining which candidates get endorsement. Explore existing local chapters here and learn what it takes to form your own here.
  • Run for office: Are you considering running for office or thinking of encouraging someone else to run for office? Now is the time to begin planning for a run and putting together campaign teams! Filing week in WA for most elected offices is May 4-8, 2026. Learn about running for office here.
  • Send us a donation: Don’t have extra time to volunteer right now? You can still be part of building the Green movement by chipping in financially, either as a dues-paying member or a one-time donation here. If you’re already a member or donor, THANK YOU.

We’ve got big goals for 2026.

Please reach out to me to help organize and strengthen Green Party Washington campaigns.

For additional reference, visit our Candidate Recruitment page to see information about and a link to a recording of a webinar that GPWA conducted last year with two Green elected officials.

Karissa Halstrom
Organizer

action@greenpartywashington.org

Green Party of Washington State

Your Anti-Capitalist Political Home for People, Peace, and Planet

Meet GPWA’s New Organizer – Karissa Halstrom

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The Coordinating Council of the Green Party of Washington is pleased to warmly welcome and to introduce you to Karissa Halstrom, who has just signed on as GPWA Organizer.

Karissa’s life passions for environmental, social, and economic justice and for human rights are manifest in her Clark County activism and in her support for progressive candidates, including Green Party candidates. She recognizes the imperative not only to organize outside of the corporate duopoly, but also to utilize elections as a platform for the Green Party’s message in order to grow the movement for people, planet, and peace.

Karissa lives in Southwest Washington, has been a proud member of the working class throughout most of her adult life, and entered the anti-capitalist left through her journey learning about the climate crisis and engaging in environmental activism. Some of Karissa’s efforts in recent years have been founding a mutual aid community fridge network in her community, working on local land use policy, and launching a citizen advocacy journalism podcast called Everything is Fine in SWWA, where she advances progressive viewpoints in local politics and interviews candidates.

As GPWA Organizer, Karissa will have three areas of focus as she reaches out to GPWA members:

  1. Volunteer Engagement
  2. Candidate Development
  3. Party Growth – Members, Volunteers, Chapters, and Income

GPWA members who are eager to reach out to Karissa to assist her with her responsibilities are welcome to contact her at action@greenpartywashington.org.

In Solidarity,

greenpartywashington.org

Your Anti-Capitalist Political Home for People, Peace, and Planet

PLEASE DONATE to GPWA

GPWA Organizer – Seeking applicants!

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Green Party of Washington Organizer – Contract Position

Application deadline is December 5th, 2025

Online interviews will be scheduled on the evening of Tuesday, December 16th.

To grow, we must engage volunteers, increase membership, and run candidates. Engaging volunteers, increasing membership, and supporting candidates and campaigns will ultimately build strong Green Party chapters. Engaging an organizer is a good investment and more efficient and effective than relying entirely on volunteers.

The Organizer will serve as a contractor, not an employee. The contract will last for three months (probationary period), with an option to renew for 9 months, based on work performance. The contract begins on January 1, 2026.

The Organizer position will be a contract for 20 hours per month at $500 per month. Any changes in hours or pay per month must be approved by the GPWA Coordinating Council (CC).

The contractor will provide monthly status reports to the CC on their work.

Volunteer Engagement (10 hours per/month)

1. Call all new volunteers and members to engage people in action and encourage volunteers to join as members. Encourage new members to join Loomio.

2. Helping volunteers move into leadership roles, including organizing for their area and forming local chapters. Develop tabling kits and literature, etc., for volunteers to do outreach.

3. Organize periodic state-wide and/or regional Zoom calls on topics of interest to volunteers, including campaign support.

4. Coordinate Eblasts, texts, and phone calls on behalf of the State Party.

Membership & Income (5 hours per/month)

1. Call GPWA supporters and create automations in NB to increase membership and income from membership, including converting non-members to members and increasing the level of dues paid by individual members.

2. Provide follow-up for calls made by the Contract Fundraiser.

Candidate Recruitment and Campaign Support (5 hours per/month)

1. Serve as a liaison for Green Party candidates by engaging Green Party members and volunteers to become involved.

2. Recruit new candidates and develop a Green Party recruitment webpage.

3. Social media outreach to support candidates and engage volunteers.

****************************

To apply:

Send your letter of interest, qualifications, and references to hello@greenpartywashington.org

NO NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION – Call to Action!

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GREENS & anti-war allies in Washington:

NO NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION!

Please make at least one phone call today to the capital switchboard.  202-224-3121

It is an easy few minutes of effort for People, Peace, and Planet. Real human beings are there to listen to your messages, not email-aggregating AI bots. Ask to connect to the office of Senator Cantwell, Senator Murry, or Representative Larson.

In your own words, tell them that:

  • Washington does not want the US to resume nuclear testing
  • Washington supports limits and cuts in nuclear arsenals. The U.S. and Russia must renew the 2010 New START commitment, which expires February 5, 2026.
  • Washington Supports both H. RES. 100 and S. Res. 61 –

“Expressing support for the continued value of arms control agreements and negotiated constraints on Russian and Chinese strategic nuclear forces.”

Pramila Jayapal and Adam Smith are co-sponsors from Washington State.

Ask Rick Larsen to do the same. Call the office, or write to him online, call him at (202) 225-2605, or mail a letter to 2163 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515.

Some Backstory:

President Trump dropped a bomb and announced in early November that “Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”

In point of fact, the U.S. has not conducted a nuclear test since 1992, China and France last did so in 1996, and the Soviet Union in 1990.

Trump’s order was widely criticized by nuclear scientists and nonproliferation experts, who said that Washington had little to gain from live drills, which would likely only embolden Moscow and Beijing.

Either he is not fully cognizant of what this really means, or he just does not care. Sen. Ed Markey coined the term ‘Trumpatomics’ to characterize this new directive.

Pete Hegseth, everyone’s favorite Guantanamo Bay Alum and, ‘Secretary of War’ apparently lives in an alternate reality where nuclear testing makes us all safer. The ‘us’ he refers to are the weapons & petrol-based dollah big C Capitalists.

In the House, Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada introduced the ‘Renewing Efforts to Suspend Testing and Reinforce Arms Control Initiatives Now’ (RESTRAIN) Act on October 30, 2025.

“With just 97 days until the only arms control agreement between the U.S. and Russia expires, now should be the time to negotiate further arms-control agreements, not create mushroom clouds in the Nevada desert.” – Dina Titus [NV]

In the Senate, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, a long-time disarmament advocate, introduced legislation ‘To prohibit the use of funds for an explosive nuclear weapons test’ on October 30.

“The No Nuclear Testing Act would use Congress’s power of the purse to deny the Trump administration from restarting nuclear testing. We should not simply ignore the terrible lessons of the Cold War and expose a new generation of Americans to the horrors of radiation sickness. We will not learn anything new about the nuclear stockpile from new tests; we will only endanger our health and security.” -Ed Markey [MA]

Make that call today!

Call the Capitol switchboard (202-224-3121), where an operator will direct your call to Senator Cantwell or Senator Murray or Representative Larsen. Phone calls leave a stronger impression than a form letter, but ANY ACTION is helpful.

Decline to Sign

WA Families for Freedom – Decline to Sign!

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DECLINE TO SIGN IL26-001 & IL26-638
Tell Signature Gatherers NO to Discrimination and Division! 

Decline to Sign Pledge

Support WA Families for Freedom

Brian Heywood, the California hedge fund millionaire behind the slew of bad initiatives in 2024, launched two new Initiatives to the Legislature (IL26-638 and IL26-001). While these initiatives single out transgender and LGBTQ+ school-aged children in particular, they threaten the safety, privacy, and dignity of all students. Washington voters have rejected similar attacks before, and these measures are another attempt to sow division and distract from the real issues facing students and families.

These initiatives would:

  • violate student privacy
  • roll back Washington’s successful inclusive sports policy
  • restrict access to counselors and mental health support
  • subject all girls who wish to play with their friends on a school team to invasive and costly physical examinations
  • expose schools to costly lawsuits and increase stigma and bullying in classrooms across the state

Decline to Sign Here

Resources:

How to Oppose Safely

De-escalation Guide

Information and advocacy:

New WA initiatives seek to undo rewrite of parental rights law, block trans girls in sports

Brian Heywood’s initiative factory is active again: Multimillionaire will circulate petitions for two measures to sabotage youth and LGBTQ+ rights

Parental rights and trans athletes initiatives

What to know about the anti-school initiatives (IL26-001 & IL26-638)

Justice for Zahid Chaudhry!

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Statement in Support of Zahid Chaudhry

We are outraged and deeply saddened by the unjust detention of Zahid Chaudhry, a disabled U.S. military veteran, community leader, and loving husband, who has lived in this country for 25 years. Zahid came to the United States legally, wore the uniform of our military, and made enormous sacrifices in service to this nation. He sustained disabling injuries during military training in 2003, was medically discharged in 2005, and has since continued to serve his community as a dedicated member of Veterans for Peace.

It is unconscionable that someone who has risked his life for this country, who is married to a U.S. citizen, and who has built his entire life here, should face the threat of deportation. Detaining Zahid during a citizenship interview at the USCIS office in Tukwila, Washington, is a cruel betrayal of the values of justice, compassion, and respect for veterans.

This act is not only an attack on Zahid – it is an attack on every immigrant who has served, every family that has sacrificed, and every community that believes in fairness and dignity. We condemn this injustice in the strongest possible terms.

We stand in full solidarity with Zahid and his family. We demand his immediate release from ICE detention and an end to the deportation proceedings against him. Zahid belongs here, with his wife, his community, and the country he has already given so much to.

We will not be silent while our government treats veterans and immigrants with such cruelty. We call on all people of conscience to speak out, organize, and demand justice for Zahid Chaudhry.

Justice for Zahid. Stop the deportations. Honor our veterans.

Featured image credit to The Burner: https://www.theburnerseattle.com/post/ice-detains-disabled-veteran-father-of-two-u-s-citizens-husband-to-pro-palestine-political-candid

The Common Ground Declaration

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From the Green Party Archives

The Final Document of the Third Parties ’96 Conference
Washington, DC, June 4, 1995

WELCOME TO THE NEW MAINSTREAM!

The Third Parties ’96 Conference, with delegates from 26 independent political parties in the United States, on June 4, 1995, adopted the following draft Declaration of common principles. These statements were approved during two days of debate, negotiation, and compromise, using a modified full consensus process.

We believe this Common Ground Declaration is an important step toward more effective cooperation among our nation’s growing movement of independent third parties.

We who signed this Declaration did so as individuals. From this First Conference, and these First Principles, we believe, can grow broader and deeper political dialogue and closer alliances among third parties

These principles, we know, represent the views of a strong New Mainstream, which can successfully challenge the two-party stranglehold on political power in the United States. We welcome more participants to this process, and recognize that these draft principles are but a beginning. They are, we believe, a very good beginning indeed.

(signed)

Third Parties ’96 Participants
At the George Washington University
Washington, DC
June 4, 1995

Our process encouraged open discussion and compromise, producing a large number of important issues on which our very diverse group of participants – including activists from green, libertarian, socialist, and populist parties – were able to reach complete agreement. As a result, many statements in this Declaration were adopted by full consensus. These are numbered below. Other items were not unanimously approved, but were favored by super-majorities of at least four-fifths (80%) of the delegates. A few items were adopted with majorities of three-fifths (60%).

Parties and Organizations Represented at Third Parties ’96: Building the New Mainstream

POLITICAL PARTIES & ASSOCIATIONS
Maine Green Party
Green Party of California
Green Party of Rhode Island
Pennsylvania Green Party
The Syracuse Greens
Green Party of Minnesota
The Atlanta Greens
New Mexico Green Party
Pacific Party of Oregon
C.O.C./DC Greens
West Virginia Greens
West Virginia Mountaineer Party
Green Politics Network – GPN
The Greens/GPUSA
Socialist Party U.S.A.
Democratic Socialists of America – DSA
DC Statehood Party
The New Party
Natural Law Party
Communist Party U.S.A.
Committees of Correspondence
Democratic Party of Maryland
Democratic Party of Virginia
Patriot Party of Virginia
Independence Party of Kansas
Libertarian Party of Virginia
Libertarian Party of Maryland

PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZATIONS
Progressive Assets Management (CA)
Institute for Science & Technology
Economics Working Group
Women’s Strike for Peace
National Center for Independent Political Action – NCIPA (NY)
American Federation of Government Employees – AFGE (DC)
Boulder Progressive Coalition (CO)
Boulder Community Alliance (CO)
ACT-UP
Center for New Democracy (DC)
University Conversion Project (MA)
Inform, Inc.
Center for Responsive Politics (DC)
Institute for Contemporary Studies (VA)
Veterans for Peace (VA)
Center for Voting and Democracy (DC)
Committee on Free and Open Elections (NY)

The Common Ground Declaration

POLITICAL DEMOCRACY

1. We support proportional representation.

2. We support campaign finance reform to provide a level playing field in elections.

3. We support initiative, referendum and recall. We oppose the abuse of these citizen votes to restrict civil or human rights.

4. We support genuinely open and fair access to the ballot in all elections.

We support the removal of all barriers to public access to voting. (80%)

We call on the broadcast media to fairly report on all ballot-qualified candidates. (80%)

We propose for voting to occur on non-working days. (60%)

INCOME & WEALTH

5. We believe that all economic activities should improve and protect the health of the earth, while promoting the happiness and prosperity of its inhabitants.

6. We must end corporate welfare.

We want those who can afford to pay taxes to do so; those who can’t, should not. (80%)

We support taking the tax burden off of the middle and lower classes and putting it back onto those who can afford to pay. (60%)

We support the equalization and improvement of per-pupil funding of public schools, between states, and within each state. (60%)

ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

7. We support public policies which respect all forms of life, preserve and promote biodiversity, protect endangered species, conserve natural resources and eliminate pollution.

8. We support developing and promoting environmentally friendly, energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources, especially all forms of solar energy.

9. We would encourage, through economic measures and education, the practices of source reduction, re-use, and recycling, and we advocate the elimination of toxic, nuclear, and other environmentally harmful substances.

NONDISCRIMINATION

10. We oppose race and class discrimination in exposure to environmental hazards, in communities and workplaces, including the siting of toxic waste facilities, employment in hazardous industries, and the location of energy and mining facilities.

We urge the defeat of anti-affirmative action proposals and we support an even stronger commitment by government and the public and private sector to a more inclusive and just society. (80%)

We would identify and remove barriers to equal opportunities for all people irrespective of gender, race, age, class, disability, religious or political beliefs, family responsibilities, marital status or sexual orientation, medical condition and citizenship. (80%)

We envision a society that, as a minimum, guarantees all groups equal access to jobs, housing, education and political representation, in proportion to their size in the population. (60%)

We support the widest possible generation and availability of health and wellness information and education. (60%)

HUMAN RIGHTS

11. We support people’s right to control their own sexual and reproductive lives.

12. We propose an end to the war on drugs and its replacement with policies that treat addiction as a health matter, not a crime.

We believe that housing is a fundamental human right. (80%)

INTERNATIONAL

13. We would cut military expenditures dramatically, and provide for displaced workers.

14. We support the elimination of US military bases in foreign territories.

WORKPLACE DEMOCRACY

15. We believe that economic decisions should be made democratically, with participation by all affected workers, communities and consumers.

COMMUNITIES

16. We support the maximum empowerment of people in their communities, consistent with fairness, social responsibility and human rights, to meet local needs, and to defend those communities against exploitive forces.

17. We support community courts and justice centers with emphasis on intervention, prevention and mediation, alternative sentencing for juvenile and nonviolent offenders. We support community-controlled law enforcement to handle lesser offenses and disputes and to maintain community order.

We encourage community-owned and managed communication systems. (60%)

Please note that not all the listed parties and individuals participated in the entire drafting process, and that individuals who endorsed this declaration did so as individuals.

Original Declaration: https://www.ibiblio.org/spc/tp96/cgd.html

A Conversation with Green Office Holders

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David Doonan, former Mayor of the Village of Greenwich, NY, and Gabriel Medina, current School Board member in Watsonville, CA, talk with Margaret Elisabeth of GPWA to discuss their campaigns, how they got elected, and their experiences serving as elected Green officials.

This is a fascinating and informative conversation! Check it out and Share!

Remember to Like and Subscribe!

Seattle Police Clash with Trans Rights Protesters at Anti-Trans Rally

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By Michael Doyle, Green Party of Washington

On Saturday, May 24, 2025, Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood became the epicenter of a tense confrontation between law enforcement and protesters during a conservative Christian rally organized by Mayday USA. The event, held at Cal Anderson Park—a hub of Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community—was met with a vigorous counter-protest by approximately 500 individuals opposing the rally’s anti-trans and anti-queer rhetoric.

The rally, part of Mayday USA’s “#Dontmesswithourkids” tour, was perceived by many as provocatively held in the city’s LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Protesters clashed with police, leading to 23 arrests during a five-hour confrontation that involved shoving, thrown objects, and pepper spray.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell suggested the rally was intentionally provocative and noted anarchists infiltrated the protest, instigating violence.

Margaret Elisabeth, Chair of the Green Party of Washington and a transgender woman, condemned the police response, stating, “The disproportionate use of force against peaceful protesters by Seattle police is unacceptable. We must stand united against hate and ensure the safety and dignity of all individuals, especially those from marginalized communities.”

The events of May 24 have sparked a broader conversation about the balance between free speech and the protection of vulnerable communities, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by the transgender community in the face of rising political and social tensions.

Link to the Green Party’s position statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

More news coverage:

• New York Post (https://nypost.com/2025/05/25/us-news/23-arrested-at-rowdy-counter-protest-against-fascist-family-values-ahead-of-conservative-christian-rally-in-seattle/)

• CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News (https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2025/05/seattle-police-makes-multiple-arrests-during-counter-protest-of-fundamentalist-church-groups-rally-in-cal-anderson-park/)

• KING 5 (https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle-police-arrests-cal-anderson-park-protest/281-66330e3a-ae65-4076-a919-12e2d89c50e2)

The featured image photo credit is unknown (email us to claim credit).

GPAX Statement on Global Emergency

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The Green Party Declares a Global Environmental and Peace Emergency!

The threats to life on our beautiful planet are multiple and connected. Every day the world moves closer to the edge of extinction. Wildfires, floods, droughts and heatwaves threaten every corner of the planet as the climate crisis spins out of control.

At the same time, forever wars rage with the US ongoing proxy wars in Ukraine and Gaza that have killed tens of thousands and threaten to engulf the whole world, with the ultimate possibility of a catastrophic nuclear war. The change of administrations in the United States, which signals a move from a 20th-century covert imperialism to its historically traditional overt form, may prove to be an even greater threat.

The focal point for these concerns continues to be Gaza and the West Bank in occupied Palestine. Despite a fragile ceasefire (at the time of this writing) the US and Israel continue to create an ever more dangerous international emergency in pursuit of a Greater Israel. The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be dire, with the only proposed “solution” being the ethnic cleansing of 2 million people and the creation of an Israeli Riviera. This genocide has not been about Israel’s security but, in fact, threatens the safety of Israelis. And it has been a violation of international humanitarian law and a grave injustice to the Palestinian people.

In pursuit of Israel’s goals, thousands of Lebanese have died and hundreds of locations in Syria have been bombed by the U.S. and by Israel with U.S.-supplied munitions. Since September 2024, both the U.S. and Israel have taken deliberate steps to isolate Iran and its allies in the region. A war with Iran would be disastrous for us all.

A recent poll indicated that some 75% of the global population wants an end to the genocide in Gaza and the continued U.S.-supported Israeli violence in the region. The world now sees the violence that has been part of Israel’s settler colonialist project since 1948. The US must show it cares more about the people living in the US and the safety and security of the rest of the world than supporting Israel’s agenda in the Middle East.

Now, several countries face the threat by the Trump administration of being absorbed into the U.S. empire, a goal which can only be realized through military force.

All this violence increases the risk of a wider war and ultimately a nuclear war and should put the whole world on alert. The situation is critical and potentially explosive, literally and figuratively.

The Green Party US Peace Action Committee (GPAX) calls again for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Palestine that continues after the release of hostages and prisoners and prohibits Israel’s incursions into the West Bank and calls for an end to the Israeli occupation.

GPAX calls for the declaration of a GLOBAL EMERGENCY. More needs to be done to protect the population of Gaza and the West Bank by ending incursions, sieges and forced starvation and returning control of their lands to the Palestinian people.

GPAX calls for a real ceasefire in Lebanon, not one that gives the U.S. more power to intervene in the country and region.

We also call for an end to U.S. and Israeli presence in Syria, to return sovereignty to the Syrian people. The U.S., Turkiye, and Israel need to get out of the way, so that the Syrian people, together with a rejuvenated U.N., can work to guarantee that all peoples in Syria are respected.

The Green Party joins hands in solidarity with the thousands of students who have been threatened for standing up for justice! We call for everyone to get involved in their local peace movement in whatever ways they can. Building on past efforts, the Green Party will make a major effort to work with other progressives and radicals in building the ongoing events and actions, including support for the BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanction) movement. Our main goal is to build a bigger and more massive peace movement, in order to challenge and stop U.S. imperialism.

GPAX also calls for resistance to the Trump government’s bellicose policies and those that attack constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. We do this understanding perfectly well that the Democrats laid the groundwork for this moment.

The Green Party should, thus, join in building multi-issue coalitions from the grassroots uniting the many struggles while linking them to the peace issue.  GPAX will work to increase our involvement with other key national peace groups:  Jewish Voice for Peace, Veterans For Peace, UNAC, etc.  Along with state Green parties and other like-minded organizations, we can work to develop these connections.

GPAX urges the peace movement to unite in support of the Palestinians as well as to end the war in Ukraine and the threats to Iran and China. There are too many places where people are facing forced starvation and on-going violence, including the Congo, Sudan, Haiti, Cuba, South and Central America, where US interference is causing tremendous hardship for the people.

It is well past time for the world to rely on diplomacy and negotiations, instead of continued violence and war. The people demand it and the Earth requires it.

Original GPAX statement:

GPAX Statement on Global Emergency