(Brooklyn) The Green Party won a Temporary Restraining Order against the New York State Board of Elections today in federal district court in Brooklyn. The Board of Elections was barred from deleting any voters as Greens until at least the next hearing in the federal District Court in Brooklyn on January 16th. Voters can also continue to enroll in the Green Party. More than 30,000 New Yorkers are presently enrolled in the Green Party.
The order was issued by Judge John Gleeson after hearing oral arguments from the Green Party, and the NYS and NYC Boards of Elections. The Green Party was represented by Jeremy Creelan of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. TROs are issued only if the judge believes that the plaintiffs have a strong change on ultimately winning the lawsuit.
"We are pleased that the court has recognized that supporters of the green principles of democracy, justice, nonviolence and ecology have a right to join together in a political party. It is critical that a time when the Republicans and Democrats have banded together to promote war, tax cuts for the wealthy, and corporate welfare, that voters have the right to express support for an alternative such as the Green Party," stated Mark Dunlea, Chairperson of the Green Party of New York State.
The New York State Board of Elections will finally finish tomorrow (Friday, December 13th) counting the votes from the November 5th general election. Any party that receives less than 50,000 votes for Governor loses the right to be treated as a political party under the state election law. The Greens expect that at least one of their statewide candidates in this election will exceed the 50,000 vote total. Ralph Nader, their Presidential candidate, received more than 244,000 votes in New York State two years ago.
The present lawsuit deals with the right of voters to enroll in the green party. It does not deal with the issue of whether the state has the right to decertify the greens as a political party and require it to collect far more signatures in order to run candidates for office. The Green Party of New York State is recognized as a political party by the Federal Election Commission. The Green Party of the United States was recently granted status as the national committee of a political party by the FEC.
Nationally, the Green Party had its best showing ever in the recent elections, electing 70 officials to public offices around the country. The number of elected Greens now stands at 172. The party won its second state legislative seat, in Maine, and won its first victories in Texas, Nebraska and Iowa. Many Green candidates for state legislative office recorded vote totals of more than 20- 30%, and in the double digits in races with both Democrats and Republicans. Green candidate AnnDrea Benson in Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District won 22%, the best yet for a Green in a House race.
A copy of the lawsuit is available at www.brennancenter.org. Information on the Green Party is at www.gpnys.org
