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Meet Stonewall “Stoney” Bird and Jennifer “Gigi” Ferguson

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Tired of the same old choices you’ve always had? Looking for a better future for our communities and our country?

Please come join us and meet:

 Stonewall Jackson “Stoney” Bird, Green Party candidate for Congress in CD 2!

AND

Jennifer “Gigi” Ferguson, our preferred candidate for US Senate!

Hadley Hall at the Arlington Boys & Girls Club

Tuesday, June 26th, 2018 from 6-8PM

18513-59th Ave NE

Arlington, WA  98223

In our broken democracy, both Democratic and Republican voters find that the people they vote for do not stand up for them. This is why both Stoney and Gigi are running for office!

Stoney is running for Congress as a Green in Washington’s Second Congressional District and is endorsed by the Green Party of Washington. His aim is to bring the four Green Party pillars of ecology, democracy, peace, and social justice to Congress.

Gigi is running for US Senate as an Independent and is our Green Party preferred candidate. She stands for justice, dignity, equality, and community development. Gigi is willing to take on any corporations or established political interests in service to the people.

Both Stoney and Gigi are committed to cure the plague of gerrymandering and campaign bribes that mean the people we elect can ignore us. Both vow to work to overturn “corporate personhood” and “money is speech”.

In addition, Stoney is active in promoting ranked choice voting and proportional representation, making our votes count and the politicians accountable.

With these changes we will get representatives who represent us, and we will be able to achieve:

  • universal, single-payer healthcare
  • debt-free college
  • fair trade instead of free trade
  • a path to citizenship for all immigrants
  • strongly progressive taxes
  • expanded Social Security benefits
  • living wages and easy union membership
  • a universal basic income
  • a decent place to live for everyone
  • an end to the endless wars – and their endless costs
  • internet neutrality
  • government and corporate spies out of the internet
  • the big banks broken up
  • public control of the money system
  • Post Office banking and state and local government banks
  • no discrimination against anyone
  • voting rights
  • criminal justice reform
  • ending for-profit prisons
  • a Green New Deal
  • clean water, clean land, clean air, and clean electromagnetic space
  • nature treated with respect and gratitude, not as a thing to exploit

Stoney and Gigi both refuse to take corporate money. Moreover, if elected Stoney intends to donate 2/5 of his salary to causes that support Green values.

We hope you will come meet Stoney and Gigi on Tuesday – Please invite your friends!

If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation: 

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Support Gigi’s Senate campaign for the people!

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Donate to Stoney’s grassroots-powered campaign for Congress!

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RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/667467520274308/

 

GPWA Spring Gathering Update

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The Green Party of Washington held our annual Spring Gathering on Saturday, April 14th in Fife, WA.

At our meeting, we heard reports from Green Party officeholders EJ Zita – Thurston County Port Commissioner, and Renata Rollins – Olympia City Councilmember. Live videos of Zita and Renata are posted on our Green Party FB page.

Green Party member and Congressional candidate Stoney Bird gave a short overview on Camp Wellstone, a training program for organizers, campaign workers, and candidates.

Green Party organizer Kathryn Lewandowsky gave a detailed presentation on Initiative 1600 – Healthcare for All – Whole Washington. Volunteers are needed to gather signatures to get this Universal Healthcare initiative on the ballot!

Initiative 1631 – Clean Air and Clean Energy is also gathering signatures!

Candidates for US Congress and for local offices also spoke:

All candidate statements can be found here.

We heard updates from our local Green Party chapters, including Whatcom, Snohomish, Seattle, Tahoma (Pierce County), South Puget Sound, and Mid-Columbia (our newest chapter).

Finally, we took nominations for GPWA Coordinating Council (CC) and GPUS national delegates and alternates.

The following members were nominated to the GPWA CC:

  • Chris Govella – Treasurer
    • Update: Our nominee for Treasurer has since declined, and this position is currently open for nomination.
  • Noah Martin – Deputy Treasurer
  • Jody Grage
  • Kathryn Lewandowsky
  • Maricela Sanchez
  • Mary Ellen Knoop
  • Scott Thompson

The following members were nominated for GPUS delegates:

  • Jody Grage
  • Kathryn Lewandowsky
  • Lisa Canar – alternate
  • Noah Martin – alternate

Short bios for GPWA nominees can be found here.

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For Green Party members:

We request your input on the qualification of our nominees, as well as the endorsement / preference of candidates for Congressional and local elected offices, including consideration of three candidates for US Senate. All candidate statements can be found here.

To check your GPWA membership status, see http://www.gp-wa.org/membership_status. If your membership has lapsed click here to join or renew.

Send an email by May 5th, 2018 to hello@greenpartywashington.org to provide your input on GPWA candidate endorsement and GPWA coordinator / leadership positions.

Universal Healthcare for Washington State!

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The Green Party of Washington has endorsed Initiative 1600, a ballot measure written and submitted by Whole Washington. Whole Washington is a grassroots group of citizens and healthcare professionals determined to bring single-payer universal healthcare to Washington State.

I-1600 has been certified by the WA Secretary of State, and the signature drive has begun with a goal of over 300,000 signatures by July 1, 2018!

This is our chance.

Universal Health Care is an essential human right. This initiative guarantees healthcare as a fundamental right to all citizens of Washington State. With your help, I-1600 will be presented to the voters of Washington State in the November 2018 General Election. In order to make this happen, I-1600 URGENTLY needs financial support and signature gathering volunteers at upcoming events. If you want to collect signatures, but cannot attend an event, sign up here to receive petitions by mail.

Every signature gathered by a volunteer will save the campaign ~$3!

Initiative campaigns are terribly expensive, but so too are out-of-control health care costs. Together, we the citizens of Washington State have the power to take control of our healthcare and save billions of dollars in the process.

To make this a reality, funds are immediately needed and will be applied to the hard costs of doing everything possible to deliver sufficient numbers of valid signatures to put I-1600 Universal Health Care on the ballot in Washington State for the November 2018 general election. Contributions can be made here. All donations go directly to the I-1600 initiative campaign.

Please sign up to collect signatures today!

For questions see I-1600 FAQs or contact Whole Washington at: outreach@wholewashington.org.

2018 Starts Now!

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The recent wins for Greens and other progressive candidates have been very exciting, and we realize that it is important for us to keep working hard and set our sights on the 2018 elections!

We need some volunteers who would be willing to work on a fundraising committee in order for us to financially support more Green Party candidates in 2018 and develop the infrastructure we need to provide campaign assistance to more endorsed Green candidates and non-Greens who have been given preferred candidate status. We are hoping to have 1-2 volunteers from each local Green Party chapter to assist with this project.

Some ideas for fundraising events we might organize: bicycle rallies, scavenger hunts, rummage sales, auctions, etc. And we are looking for more ideas for fundraising activities. Please get involved and share your ideas!

If you would be interested in helping on this committee please send your info to Kathryn at skyranch12805@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Coordinating Council,
Green Party of Washington

Congratulations to our elected Greens!

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Congratulations to our endorsed candidates Renata Rollins and E.J. Zita for winning election to Olympia City Council and Port Commission!

Get involved with supporting their work in office today!

For example, check out the activist blockade of fracking supplies at the Port of Olympia:

“For the second time in the past year, Washington activists blocked a train carrying oil fracking supplies from leaving the Port of Olympia on the Salish Sea. The blockade camp prevented a possible shipment of ceramic proppants from being shipped to the Bakken oil shale basin in North Dakota, and possibly other fracking operations….[T]hey are part of a larger regional movement taking responsibility to act in the face of the climate crisis, and using their strong geographical position to literally stand in the way of the fossil fuel industry.”

Blockade of train tracks on November 20, 2017, at 7th and Jefferson streets in downtown Olympia, Washington, to prevent a train carrying oil fracking sands (ceramic proppants) from the Port of Olympia. (Photo; Zoltán Grossman)

Phonebanking for Green candidates in Washington – urgent!

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Now’s your chance to make a real difference in local races with great Green candidates who are on the 7 November ballot! The Green Party of Washington and the Green Party of South Puget Sound have endorsed Renata Rollins for Olympia City Council Position 6 (http://renatarollins.com/) and EJ Zita for Olympia Port Commission District 3 (http://www.reelectzitaforport.com/). Both have good chances of winning their races – but only if we do our part.

Please help by participating in phonebanking between Thursday 26 October and Monday 6 November. Never done this before? Not a problem! We will provide training and assistance as well as a list of voters to call and a script. One option is to come to the old Green Party office at 2428 NW 56th Street in Ballard/Seattle with your phone and laptop. A second option – particularly if you live in some other part of the state – is to phonebank from home and all you need is your phone and computer.

Remember that winning – or even coming close – in these two races will go a long ways toward encouraging Greens across the state to run for office. We all will benefit from these efforts.

Ready to go – or at least thinking about it? Send an email to hello@greenpartywashington.org and include your contact information and availability, as well as questions you may have. We’ll get back to you right away.

Looking forward to working with you!

Petar Marinov, Phonebanking Coordinator
Jody Grage, Chapter Coordinator

Green Party of Washington

Keep up with us on Twitter and Facebook
Donations always appreciated and put to good use!

Growing Green in 2018 🌻 – potluck and fundraiser/social with David Cobb!

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Growing Green in 2018 – potluck and fundraiser/social with David Cobb!

Friday, 7 July – 6:30 – 9 pm

West Seattle American Legion Hall, 3618 SW Alaska St, Seattle

Guest speaker David Cobb was the Green Party Presidential Candidate in 2004 and Campaign manager for the Stein/Baraka 2016 Presidential Campaign. From campaigning for the Democratic presidential candidates, Jesse Jackson and Jerry Brown in the 80’s to being arrested in an act of civil disobedience while protesting the denial of 3rd party candidates in presidential debates, David has been in the trenches and a leader in grassroots organizing.

Join us for good food and drink as we begin laying the financial groundwork for the Green Party 2018 campaign in Washington State!

We’ve acknowledged that we must run candidates. Come join the conversation and help make it happen!

RSVP on Facebook here

Federal Judge Rules Against Presidential Debate Commission

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A federal judge has ruled against the Commission on Presidential Debates and the FEC for enforcing rules that served to prevent a third voice in the presidential debates.

Note: this article is reposted from The Independent Voter Network (IVN). For the original article, see: https://ivn.us/2017/02/01/breaking-federal-judge-rules-presidential-debate-commission/

In a surprising decision, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. ruled against the Federal Election Commission in the case of Level the Playing Field et al v. Federal Election Commission holding that the rules governing participation in the presidential debates were decided unfairly and arbitrarily.

Level the Playing Field (LPF), the organization that brought the suit, challenged the 501(c)(3) nonprofit status of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) arguing it used unfair criteria to determine the participants of the 2016 presidential debates.

During oral arguments Lead Attorney for LPF, Alexandra Shapiro, argued the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) should lose its nonprofit status due to the unfair criteria used to determine eligibility in the presidential debates. The CPD, which is regulated by the Federal Election Commission, excluded non-major party candidates from participating in the debates in light of its 15 percent rule. According to the CPD, in order to participate in the presidential debates, a candidate must have “a level of support of at least 15 percent of the national electorate as determined by five selected national public opinion polling organizations…”

Judge Chutkan’s ruling in favor of LPF grants their motion for summary judgement and orders the FEC to reconsider the allegations against the CPD within 30 days.

The order states: “The FEC is ORDERED to reconsider the evidence and allegations and issue a new decision consistent with this Opinion within 30 days, failing which the complainant[s] may bring, in the name of such complainant[s], a civil action to remedy the violation involved in the original complaint.… The FEC is FURTHER ORDERED to reconsider the Petition for Rulemaking and issue a new decision consistent with this Opinion within sixty days.”

Read the full story, including the opinion from the District Judge here: https://ivn.us/2017/02/01/breaking-federal-judge-rules-presidential-debate-commission/

Faced With a Lawsuit, Debate Commission Loses One-Third of Its Board Members

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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/

Stein Recount Support Statement

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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.