Please help us start the summer with momentum!

Posted on by

We could really use your help. If you are able, I hope you will consider making a mid-year donation to the Green Party of Washington. For the past six months, I have been working hard, along with our GPWA Coordinating Council, to strengthen our local Chapters and increase our membership across the state.

One of our biggest expenses each summer is for our Website and our Database. We use a content management and customer relationship management (CRM) software called NationBuilder. Your donation will help us make our annual payment to them in mid-July. Any amount is appreciated.

As Greens, we are actively marginalized and scapegoated by people that see our existence as a threat. Your donation today will help us keep moving forward, looking beyond our current political paradigms.

I’m so thankful to be in a party that has vision! Thanks for being on this journey with us and thank you for your donation!

Peace, 
Starlene Rankin, Organizer GPWA

PS: Become a GPWA member, check your membership status, or renew your membership today!

Keep up with us on Twitter and Facebook 

2022 Primary and Green Party Voter’s Guide

Posted on by

Federal Candidates

U.S. Senator: The Green Party has no preferred candidate in this race.

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 1: The Green Party has no preferred candidate in this race.

Jason Call for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 2: While we do not officially endorse members of major political parties, we oppose corporate democrat Rick Larsen for this office. While not a Green Party member, the candidate most closely aligned with our platform in this race is Jason Call.

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 3: The Green Party has no preferred candidate in this race.

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 4: The Green Party has no preferred candidate in this race.

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 5: The Green Party has no preferred candidate in this race.

Rebecca Parson for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 6: While we do not officially endorse members of major political parties, we oppose corporate democrat Derek Kilmer for this office. While not a Green Party member, the candidate most closely aligned with our platform in this race is Rebecca Parson.

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 7: The Green Party has no preferred candidate in this race.

U.S. Representative, Congressional District 8: The Green Party has no preferred candidate in this race.

Stephanie Gallardo for U.S. Representative, Congressional District 9: While we do not officially endorse members of major political parties, we oppose corporate democrat Adam Smith for this office. While not a Green Party member, the candidate most closely aligned with our platform in this race is Stephanie Gallardo.

Statewide and Legislative Candidates

Secretary of State: The Green Party has no preferred candidate in this race.

Liz Hallock for State Representative, District 14, Position 2: While not a Green Party member, Liz Hallock is running as a community organizer and is aligned with the Green Party’s 10 Key Values.

Kathryn Lewandowsky for State Representative, District 39, Position 2: While not currently a Green Party member, Kathryn Lewandowsky is running as a grassroots community organizer and is aligned with the Green Party’s 10 Key Values.

Other State Legislative Positions: The Green Party has no preferred candidates in these races.

Other Candidates, Initiatives, and Resolutions

Consider endorsements and supporters of the following organizations:

Looking for endorsements or Green Party write-in candidates?

Currently, the Green Party is focused on initiative campaigns (Universal Healthcare, Ranked-Choice Voting), solidarity efforts, mutual aid, and building Left Unity. While we have no Green Party members actively campaigning for federal, statewide, or legislative office at this time, we hope to have candidates running for City Councils, Conservation Districts, and other local offices next year in preparation for building a serious statewide run in 2024, especially if we can get Ranked Choice Voting enacted soon.
If you or someone you know is interested in running for office in 2023 or 2024, now is a good time to start thinking about it and to get involved!
—
Green Party of Washington State, PO Box 70493, Seattle, WA 98127

#WeAreGreen

Green Party Platform

GPWA Candidate Statements

Posted on by

Nominees for GPWA offices:

LEE SCOTT LAUGENOUR – CANDIDATE FOR DELEGATE TO GPUS NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Nomination Bio for Lee Scott LAUGENOUR (he/him/his)

Green Party Commitment:

  • 2022 – present: monthly financial contributor to GPUS
  • 2015 – present: monthly dues-paying member of GPWA
  • 2008 – 2015: registered Green-Rainbow Party (MA) voter
  • 2000: first Green vote cast

Candidate/Campaign Experience:

  • 2022 – present: Candidate for GPUS Coordinating Campaign Committee (CCC) member
  • 2021 – present: GPUS CCC Associate for GPWA
  • 2021: GPWA point person for Forks (WA) mayoral candidate Stephen Wright
  • 2013 – 2015: Director of the Green-Rainbow Party (MA) Candidate Development and Legal Committee
  • 2012: Green-Rainbow Party Candidate for State Representative, Fourth Berkshire District of Massachusetts
  • 2010: Green-Rainbow Party Candidate for State Representative, Fourth Berkshire District of Massachusetts
  • 2009 – 2013: Treasurer for JD Hebert’s Berkshire County (MA) Sheriff (partisan) and Pittsfield (MA) City Council (non-partisan) campaigns
  • 2008: Candidate for Lenox (MA) Select Board (non-partisan)

Other Green Party positions held:

  • Green-Rainbow Party Representative to the GPUS National Committee in 2011
  • Green-Rainbow Party Membership Director in 2008-2009
  • Elected Green-Rainbow Party State Committee Representative from the Berkshire Hampden Franklin and Hampshire State Senatorial District 2011-2015

Career / Professional Background:

I have worked as a teacher of English as a Second Language in Tokyo and in Hanoi, worked in various front-line and in executive positions for Marriott International, and have run an art gallery business.  I have served on a number of boards in various fields, including several appointed positions in town government.  Presently I am retired, residing both in Hanoi, Vietnam and in Reykjavik, Iceland.  I remain a registered voter in Washington State.

Education:

BA Liberal Arts, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Class of 1980

MATTHEW VILLATA – CANDIDATE FOR COORDINATING COUNCIL – AT-LARGE

Matthew Villata hails from California, though he is proud to call Washington State University his alma mater. He very much thanks you for your time and consideration.

There is no place quite like Washington. Here is a state that is diverse, beautiful with a thrilling combination of mystique and the simply strange. A new arrival to the state of Washington and the Washington Green Party, Matthew wishes to contribute constructive positivity to both of his new homes geographically and politically.

There is fertile soil in this country and State for the so-called minor parties to grow past the shackles the so-called major parties have imposed on them and the people of this nation. The Green Party is at the forefront of this. The Party can give people the hope and optimism they need to challenge the oppressive status quo and can do this in simple and practical ways, like continuing to heavily support ranked-choice voting reform and an end to the odious tradition of gerrymandering. The Party can also prioritize working with other minor parties, those who operate out of love and respect and should do so while not compromising its own integrity. The task of establishing multiparty democracy in America is great. Reasonable alliances should be made to this end.

With that in mind, Matthew believes that the chief duty of any representative is to listen to the hearts and minds of those represented. A representative must also be timely and responsive. He has modest political experience, though he has made a habit of attending rallies and protests in order to understand how to listen and hear. From BLM rallies in Sacramento to C.H.O.P in Seattle, Matthew has witnessed that people are demanding real solutions to painful problems. It would be his honor to contribute to the solutions.

The man you are reading about has a straightforward set of skills. Washington State University taught him to write and reason at a passable level. He is not afraid of public speaking or public communication. He constantly studies American History. Work in radio, visual interpretation for the blind and low vision, and Special Education have instilled communication and listening skills. Matthew considers himself a Green-Libertarian and also associates with the Libertarian Party. His most important personal issue is the establishment of multiparty democracy in the United States and an end of the reign of two parties guided by fear, greed and the military-industrial complex. No less important are the preservation of this planet for future generations, the protection of personal liberty including individual privacy and the correction of the injustices found within the historical record of the United States. Great strides can be made in all these avenues within this lifetime.

The Green Party can grow and provide real help to people who need it the most. Matthew would be humbled to contribute to this eventuality to the best of his ability if chosen to serve.

Nominees for GPUS Committees:

Animal Rights Committee – Charles Law (continuing, May 2022 – May 2024)

Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures Committee – Rick Morrow (to be appointed)

Coordinated Campaign Committee – Scott Laugenour (elected by the GPUS National Committee)

Diversity Committee – Daniel Bumbarger (to be appointed)

International Committee – Noah Martin (continuing, May 2022 – May 2024); Scott Laugenour (to be appointed)

Link to all GPUS Committees.

Green Party Virtual Spring Gathering

Posted on by

Thank you to all Green Party members who attended our Spring Gathering in May!

We had a lively and informed discussion with representatives from FairVote Washington giving a presentation on the campaign to bring ranked-choice voting to Washington State elections!

If you missed the Gathering, you can watch a video of the FairVote WA presentation on our YouTube channel!

–> Like and Subscribe while you’re there!

_____________________________________

Beginning Sunday, June 5th, our Coordinating Council will consider appointments for two of our remaining unfilled positions — GPWA Deputy Treasurer and At-Large Coordinating Council member.

GPWA members who are interested in being considered for either of these two positions are invited to post a statement of interest and a brief bio in our Loomio discussion group.

Our Coordinating Council will also approve nominees to serve on several GPUS Committees, including Animal Rights; Banking and Monetary Reform; Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures; Diversity Committee; and the International Committee. If you are interested in learning more about serving on a GPUS committee, please post your question in our Loomio discussion group.

Thank you!

Campaigning 101: Join the Green Wave 2022!

Posted on by

The Green Party of Washington State is looking for progressives who share our values to run for elected office. All across the country hundreds of Green Party candidates will be challenging the two corporate parties, so this is a great time to learn the ins and outs of running for office and a great opportunity to listen to the experiences of Greens who have run and won their seats.

Our guest speaker on March 20, 2022, was former Santa Monica, California City Council Member and Mayor Mike Feinstein (see video link below).

Mike spoke on his experiences of running for office, and what it’s like to be a Green in elected office. This was a great chance for people who are interested in running or participating in electoral campaigns to get questions answered by a Green who has done it.

We’re looking for people who are under-represented in elected office: women, African-Americans, Indigenous People, Asian Americans, Hispanic and Latinx Americans, LGBTQIA+, People with Disabilities, and Young People. The Green Party of Washington is dedicated to the 4 Pillars and 10 Key Values of the Green Party and we’re dedicated to Social Justice and Equity.

In 2022, seats in the US Senate, US House of Representatives, Washington State Senate and House, and other local offices are up for election. To be competitive for these seats, candidates need to begin their campaigns early and have a campaign staff in place. We are recruiting candidates as Greens or Independents who can file to run by the May 20, 2022 filing deadline.

The Green Party of Washington approaches national and state elections with the same overall strategy of supporting Green candidates and Independents who share our values so we can shift the balance of power away from the parties of war to the party of peace. This is a great time for a smart, energetic anti-war candidate to challenge and win election in Washington State!

If you or someone you know is interested in running for office or working on a progressive Green campaign, please share the video below with them. We look forward to organizing with you!

In this video, Michael Feinstein speaks on his experiences of running for office and what it’s like to be a Green in elected office. He is a former Santa Monica, California, City Council Member and the former Mayor of Santa Monica.

Recorded on Sunday, March 20, 2022

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdndvU07E1xDX6EKlGwzK0w

Protecting voting rights, not wrongs

Posted on by

By Michael Feinstein
Jan 13, 2022

This Opinion is reposted from the West Virginia Charleston Gazette:

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op_ed_commentaries/michael-feinstein-protecting-voting-rights-not-wrongs-opinion/article_f1564dea-c209-5653-a485-08a5eb758ff1.html

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote soon on the Freedom to Vote Act, in response to increasing restrictions upon voting rights passed by Republican-controlled state legislatures. In 2021, at least 19 states passed 34 laws restricting access to voting. Over 100 more such bills are scheduled to be heard in 2022.

The Freedom to Vote Act is a pared-down version of the Democrats’ For the People Act. The newer bill was negotiated by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to address his concerns. Manchin’s compromise legislation even includes a voter ID provision in the hope of gaining at least 10 Republican votes to avoid an unbreakable 60-vote filibuster.

But with no Republicans indicating they would support it, the Freedom to Vote Act can only pass if there is a change to the filibuster rule. Manchin has been visibly reluctant to consider any change. Unless he supports at least a filibuster “carve-out” for voting rights, the Freedom to Vote Act has no chance of being enacted into law in 2022.

In May 2021, Manchin wrote, “Protecting Americans’ access to democracy has not been a partisan issue for the past 56 years, and we must not allow it to become one now.”

Agreed — voting rights should be about what is good for people and country, not any political party. But Manchin also argues that passage of voting rights legislation needs to be bipartisan.

“Nonpartisan” and “bipartisan” are not the same. The former is an absence of political interest. The latter is a confluence of political interests.

In today’s deeply polarized environment, many politicians have concluded the easiest way to win elections is by reinforcing partisan divides, rather than passing bipartisan legislation. Instead of pushing parties to find common ground, the filibuster is weaponized by the minority to deny the majority achievements, in the hope it will swing the next election the minority’s way.

The Freedom to Vote Act contains desperately needed provisions to preempt new Republican state laws promoting partisan gerrymandering, voter suppression, partisan election certification and intimidation of voters and election administrators. The Republicans’ gambit is they have a better chance to win elections if these laws remain in place. Their lack of support for the Freedom to Vote Act is a natural consequence of our duopoly electoral system.

At the same time, the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the authority to “make or alter” state regulations regarding elections. Since the power invested in the legislature derives from “the consent of the governed” — if the governed are denied their say in electing the legislature, then no act of the legislature is valid. Upon that basis, protecting voting rights should be exempted from the filibuster.

But before making such a principled exemption, there remains a major ethical contradiction — the major parties’ own partisan self-interest in the bill’s campaign finance section.

The Freedom to Vote Act would terminate the Presidential Election Campaign Fund — a post-Watergate era reform meant to reduce big donor influence by providing alternate public funding for campaigns. Abandoned by major party nominees (because they can raise and spend more private money outside of it), the program’s public matching funds are critical to help minor party presidential candidates (and their parties) fund expensive petition drives to meet onerous ballot qualification requirements established by Democrats and Republicans — a use affirmed by the Federal Election Commission. In many states, a certain result for president is even required for minor parties to retain ballot status. Without these funds, minor parties would disappear in many states.

True freedom to vote includes the freedom to vote for whom you want. Party suppression is a form of voter suppression.

Instead of reducing voter choice, it’s time to move beyond bi-polar politics to a viable multi-party democracy, by enacting proportional representation elections from multi-seat districts, where voters and parties win representation according to the percentage of their vote.

But for now, no voting rights bill should be used to convey partisan electoral advantage — in this case, to a major party by depressing its minor party competition. A filibuster exemption supporting this would be hypocritical. If Manchin is to be consistent that voting rights legislation must be non-partisan, he must insist this partisan element of the Freedom to Vote Act be removed.

Michael Feinstein is a former mayor and city council member in Santa Monica, California, and a former co-chairman of the Green Party of the United States.

Reach him at twitter.com/mikefeinstein and linkedin.com/in/michael-feinstein-14b45911/

GPWA Supports the Statement From GPUS on COVID-19 Vaccines and Mandates

Posted on by

The Green Party of Washington strongly supports the Covid19 statement issued by the Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States (see below).

We recognize the challenges we face to confront Covid19 and the impact it will have in our society are myriad and interconnected. Consequently, we encourage all Washingtonians to get vaccinated, get their booster and, above all else, stay home this holiday season.

Statement From GPUS on COVID-19 Vaccines and Mandates

Become a Whole Washington Signature Captain!

Posted on by

The most direct path to universal healthcare in Washington state is by putting it on the ballot and passing it through a vote of the people. All it takes is 400,000 signatures, collected during 2022!

In order to collect these signatures, Whole Washington is recruiting Signature Captains – people who are willing to step up and collect just 13 signatures a week from May-December, either by themselves or with a small team.

Right now the goal of the campaign is to recruit 800 Signature Captains to lead signature gathering starting in May!

Please join Whole Washington for the next Signature Captain Orientation on Monday, December 13th at 7 pm to learn more about becoming a signature captain, including the training and resources you’ll be given to ensure success!

Whole Washington will explain the program and commitment, and you can decide if it’s right for you!

Here is the link to sign up for the Signature Captain Orientation on Monday, December 13th – please help us bring in new people by sharing it with friends who might be interested!

If you can’t make the 12/13 orientation but are still interested, you can sign up on the Signature Captain Interest form and Whole Washington will follow up with you soon.

For more details and a *sneak preview* of the Signature Captain program, watch this video:

https://www.youtube.com/pHt_OCsmMeQ

Together we will pass health care that’s always there and make Washington whole!

Statement From GPUS on COVID-19 Vaccines and Mandates

Posted on by

WASHINGTON — The Green Party of the United States Steering Committee strongly supports the use of vaccines, vaccine mandates, and quarantines as part of a comprehensive public health effort to curb and eradicate the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has swept the globe since early 2020.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

https://www.gp.org/statement_from_green_party_us_steering_committee_on_covid-19_vaccines_and_mandates

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Contact:

Michael O’Neil, Communications Manager, meo@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Diana C. Brown, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Philena Farley, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758

A comprehensive public health policy focused on prevention includes not only vaccines, but free access to personal protective equipment (PPE) including face masks, infrastructure upgrades to treat and filter indoor air, and quarantines and mandates when necessary — particularly for front-line, public-interfacing jobs such as schools and hospitals. To ensure the most vulnerable individuals and communities are protected, and provide parents and families the economic and social aid necessary to support collective public health policy, we support a comprehensive COVID Relief Plan such as that put forward by Green Party 2020 presidential ticket Howie Hawkins and Angela Walker, including:

  • monthly relief checks
  • eviction and utility shutoff moratoriums
  • rent and mortgage forgiveness
  • emergency Medicare-for-All
  • universal high-speed internet access for both jobs and education

Additionally, patents must be canceled on all vaccine formulations to aid rapid global distribution and stop the rise of even more transmissible and deadly COVID-19 variants.

We understand why mistrust exists toward the for-profit, privatized health insurance system — a system that has produced current and historical injustices. At the same time, because of the severity of this crisis, we encourage hesitant individuals and communities to consult with medical professionals including nurses, doctors, and researchers to learn more about the science, safety, and efficacy of vaccines. We encourage conversations about how vaccines and related policies protect our most vulnerable community members, such as young children, the elderly, and immuno-compromised individuals.

Scientific data and experiments may be difficult to properly interpret and put into context without formal training, therefore we support the efforts of the medical community working with the public to help dispel mistrust and misunderstanding of vaccine science and other public health efforts. We also call for direct remedies to systemic, racial, and class disparities in medicine through community outreach by qualified medical counselors, economic restitution, and dialogue toward truth and reconciliation.

Additionally, the public must be provided with general science information and counseling around the links between pandemics and the environment: continued ecological destruction due to industries like fossil fuels and human encroachment on habitats all increase the possibility that deadly new viruses will evolve and turn into future pandemics, making climate action an important part of comprehensive public health policy.

Ultimately, we are calling for communities to join together and work toward a nationwide, transformative Green New Deal — such as what Greens have campaigned for over a decade — to truly address the health, economic, and environmental issues that are deeply interconnected and have exploded under the COVID pandemic crisis. Then we can empower individuals and communities to make the best decisions for their own circumstances.

MORE INFORMATION

The Green Party US Steering Committee (SC) serves as the party’s primary spokespersons and oversees day-to-day administration and operations. The SC is made up of seven co-chairs plus the party’s Treasurer and Secretary, for a total of nine members. They are elected by the Green Party’s highest decision-making body, the National Committee.

The Green Party is an independent political party rooted in American social movements and a global Green movement founded on Four Pillars: Peace and Non-Violence, Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, and Social Justice.

Hawkins/Walker COVID Relief Plan. howiehawkins.us, last updated Sept. 19, 2020

Green Party of the United States

www.gp.org
202-804-2758
Newsroom | Twitter: @GreenPartyUS

Green Party of Seattle — December meeting

Posted on by

GPSEA Meeting | Wednesday, December 15, 2021  6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

All are welcome, invite a friend!

Virtual Zoom meeting

December 15, 2021 06:30 PM Pacific Time

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctde6opzooHNBly7Bpt9bqg-UZC8Wv6A0Q

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

RSVP and share on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/258701329579076

Agenda:

…

We acknowledge the first people of Seattle and the land itself as the rightful ancestral homelands of the Duwamish Tribe, past, present, and future. We honor and stand in gratitude to the land itself and the other living beings that make their home here.

…

Green Party of Seattle | GPSEA.org 

EcoSocialist Leaders needed now.

Membership: https://www.gp-wa.org/membership_gpwa

Discussion: https://www.loomio.org/gpwa-seattle-greens/

Twitter: @seattlegreens

Facebook: @GreenPartyofSeattle

GET IN TOUCH …

hello@greenpartywashington.org

🌻#WeAreGreen