The Commission on Presidential Debates, or CPD, has been under fire for its policies for several years now. For the past 24 years, the CPD has excluded anyone but the Republican and Democratic nominees from participating in the three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate in September and October before the election.

An important lawsuit, Level the Playing Field, et al. v. Federal Election Commission, goes before a federal judge on Jan. 5. That suit seeks to accomplish what the CPD has refused to do on its own: change the rules to stop systematically preventing independent candidates from debating – and becoming president.

[Ed note: the Green Party of the United States is a plaintiff in this lawsuit.]

Meanwhile, it seems no coincidence that the CPD itself is disintegrating. Here’s what has happened:

• On April 16, 2014, the CPD elected six new directors. Three of them have recently resigned: Leon Panetta, the former congressman and director of the CIA; Mitch Daniels, the former governor of Indiana; and Shirley Tilghman, a biologist who is the president emerita of Princeton University.
• After the 2014 board elections but before these three resignations – two other directors were named to the board: Jim Lehrer, the former PBS nightly news anchor, and Bob Schieffer, former CBS “Face the Nation” anchor. Schieffer dropped off within months.
• A fifth director, Sen. Alan Simpson, also left the board over the past year.
• A sixth director, Mike McCurry, a Democratic lobbyist who once served as press secretary to President Bill Clinton, stepped down as co-chair in the past few weeks. McCurry had been one of the board’s staunchest supporters, along with Frank Fahrenkopf, the ex-chairman of the Republican National Committee. McCurry was replaced as co-chair by Dorothy Ridings, a former newspaper publisher who left her post as president of the League of Women Voters 30 years ago.
• The final departee was former President Bill Clinton, who, with former President Jimmy Carter, was one of the CPD’s two living honorary co-chairmen.

So, to sum up: The CPD has lost one-third of its board members in the past year.

The question is why, and the CPD itself is not forthcoming…

Read the full article here: http://ivn.us/2016/12/21/debate-commission-loses-one-third-board-members/

The 2016 general election has left many of us deeply shaken. We are more aware than ever that the entire US elections process does not represent all of our voices; from state caucuses, to primaries, to debate and ballot access, and to voting methods. And now to witness the egregious cost and road blocks we face to have the accuracy of our votes verified. It is a bedrock crisis for true democracy which should be both fair and free.

After election integrity watchdog groups discovered many states met specific criteria for possible election irregularities, Jill Stein was the only candidate who accepted the commitment to the US citizens to ensure their votes were accurately counted. Not for Donald, not for Hillary, not for Jill, but for each of us who voted and for those who should have been allowed to vote. Her quick decision to act allowed for the recounts to occur in those flagged states where she also had the legal right to file and where filing deadlines had not past. And the citizens clearly spoke with an equally quick and vast response of small donations to meet the costs involved.

In light of this, the Green Party of Washington State fully supports Jill Stein’s decision to pursue the recounts. It reflects our values and principles for election integrity and grassroots democracy representing each and every citizen.

Do you have a Wells Fargo bank account? Would you be willing to close it to stand in solidarity with Standing Rock?

The rejection of the drilling permit required to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline was a huge victory — but this fight is not over yet. Following the Army Corps announcement last Sunday, Standing Rock Leadership made a direct request to continue targeting the investors financing the pipeline.

So we’re joining efforts with 350 Seattle to target Wells Fargo, which has over $470 million invested in the pipeline and the corporation behind it.

If you have an account and would be willing to close it to stand with Standing Rock please fill out this form.

For those of you who are willing to take this action, 350 Seattle has created this handy advice page on how to move your money and find a values-based bank.

If you don’t have an account, but would like to support the day of action, please fill out the form.

Where: Wells Fargo Center, 999 3rd Ave, Seattle
When: Thursday, January 5th, 12 PM
What: #DefundDAPL: Mass Closure of Accounts

And please help spread the word on Facebook!

Washington is the only state in which a law enforcement officer can be prosecuted for use of deadly force only if malice (evil intent) can be proven. I-873 would eliminate this consideration when determining whether an officer committed justifiable use of deadly force.

Ready to work on this? The Green Party of Washington State is working with Washington for Good Policing on this initiative – and the final submission deadline is 31 December, so DO IT NOW!

To get petitions sent to you, send a message to hello@greenpartywashington.org.

SUGGESTIONS: Ask for 3 petitions and maximize your effort and the quantity of signatures you can gather by finding an event with a lot of people – Farmer’s Market, concert, progressive forum, Trump protest, etc. Even better, find someplace where there is a line – at the ferry, an entertainment event, etc. Still better, ask for 6 petitions, go with two friends and celebrate your full petitions with a cup or glass of something.

It beats sitting around and moping!  Thanks for all you do and will do!!

Now that the dust is settling around the presidential election, it’s become apparent that the Green vote – and Green issues – gained a lot of ground this year.

In short, our movement scored several victories!

Ballot Access – We maintained ballot lines in 12 states thanks to voters casting over 1.2 million votes for Jill and Ajamu. (We are on the ballot in many other states as a result of Green Party voter registration). In all, we now have ballot lines in 21 states!

Marijuana legalization – California, Massachusetts and Nevada all passed marijuana legalization (recreational and medical for those 21 years or older). Marijuana for medical use was also approved in Florida, North Dakota, and Arkansas.

Minimum Wage – In Alabama, Colorado, and Maine, the minimum wage will  increase to $12 by 2020; in Washington, the minimum wage will increase to $13.50 by 2020.

Repealing Citizens United – Washington state passed initiative 735 and California passed Proposition 59 calling for a constitutional amendment to abolish the illegitimate, court-created concepts of “corporate constitutional rights” and “money equals political speech.”

District of Columbia – A resolution in favor of DC statehood passed.

Ranked-Choice Voting – Maine and Benton County, Oregon both adopted measures approving Ranked-Choice Voting.

Standing Rock/DAPL – In this election, we also participated in the growing movement at Standing Rock being led by indigenous people.

We were the only presidential campaign to stand in solidarity with the water protectors, and Jill and Ajamu were the only Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates to actually go and lend their support. The campaign also sent a delegation for an entire week.

We’re proud of that record.

Also, Greens were elected at the local level! We elected 3 Greens in Minnesota, 5 in Michigan, 10 to 13 in California, and 1 in Florida!

Stein/Baraka Campaign Calls for Immediate Resistance to Trump and the Failed Two-Party System

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 9, 2016

The Stein/Baraka campaign calls for sustained and organized resistance to president-elect Donald Trump and the rise of right-wing extremism in the United States. The campaign expresses solidarity and empathy with those who are traumatized by the election results and calls for an honest and sober reckoning of the collusion between the political establishment and corporate media that led to Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton.

“A New York Times poll reveals that 82% of Americans are literally ‘disgusted’ by this election,” said Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party presidential candidate. “This election is a reaction to what voters see as a toxic and corrupt political establishment and represents a wholesale rejection of it. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) sabotaged Bernie Sanders, who by all accounts would have easily trounced Donald Trump. Because of Wikileaks, we also know that the DNC actively colluded with corporate media to elevate Donald Trump as a ‘Pied Piper Candidate’ to encourage the most extreme elements of the Republican party,” she said.

She continued, “The DNC’s cynical political calculations, as well as the public’s mistrust and rejection of Clinton’s policies of endless wars for oil, disastrous trade deals, and support for Wall Street deregulation that crashed the economy and devastated the lives of millions — all this together has resulted in horrific blowback that puts us all in danger.”

“We stand in solidarity with the communities that have suffered from harassment, voter suppression, and now the trauma of a Donald Trump victory and what it represents,” said Ajamu Baraka, Green Party vice-presidential candidate. “We must build alternative power. We need principled and strong social movements that express and agitate for the needs of the American people, and a political party to represent that movement at the ballot box. Over one million people voted for the Green Party ticket. We are the electoral arm of that social movement.”

Green Party activists are hitting the ground running the day after the election. The Green Party calls for direct actions against the passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the lame duck session, and is co-organizing for “Occupy Inauguration” demonstrations on January 20 and 21 (also the anniversary of Citizens United).

The party also commends several state-level victories for institutional reform in this election, including the passage of ranked-choice voting in Maine. Ranked Choice Voting would end the role of fear-voting in elections by allowing voters to rank their choices for president or other single winner offices. In addition, the Stein/Baraka campaign praises successful resolutions in Washington and California calling for a constitutional amendment to abolish corporate constitutional rights and the concept of money as speech.

“Don’t mourn, organize,” said David Cobb, Stein/Baraka campaign manager. “This government is premised upon the concept of ‘consent of the governed.’ We do not consent to Donald Trump and right wing rule. We do not consent to the establishment of corporate rule. We do not consent to Empire. We call for a peaceful, non-violent revolution by the ordinary people who were shut out of this terrible election by the leadership of both corporate political parties. The Green Party is prepared to be an instrument for popular power and a new politics of integrity that must rise up and replace this rotten two-party system,” he said.