.
The Green Party of Hawaii has regained ballot status for the 2008 elections, after gathering more than twice the number of petition signatures required. “Thanks go out to the tireless efforts of local Green activists as well as supporters who traveled to Hawaii to help with the petition drive,” said Hawaii Green Party Secretary Claire Mortimer.
Locally, Greens and progressive Independents, with help from supporters from the Mainland, simultaneously gathered signatures to help the Green Party of Hawaii and the new Independent Party in Hawaii gain ballot status. It was a joint signature gathering effort to give Hawaii voters the opportunity to cast their ballot for progressive candidates—offering real alternatives to the two dominant political parties, that Greens and Independents alike believe are dominated by corporate influence to the detriment of Hawaii’s people.
The Green Party presidential candidate will be decided by delegates from state parties at the Green Party National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, July 10 to 13, 2008. At its State Party Convention in Honolulu, the Green Party of Hawaii elected party officers and delegates to the national Green Party Convention. Officers elected to the State Coordinating Committee were: Mary Stone and Jim Brewer – State Party Co-Chairs, Claire Mortimer – Secretary, Julie Jacobson – Treasurer and Renee Ing – Membership Chair.
Results from the Hawaii Green Party Primary mean that 50% of Hawaii delegates will vote for former six-term Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney for the Green Party presidential candidate, and 50% will vote for Ralph Nader.
Nationally, all candidates for the Green Party’s presidential nomination oppose the war in Iraq, urge impeachment of Bush and Cheney, support single payer national health care, support organic agriculture, oppose GMO‘s [genetically-modified organisms], and support alternatives to global warming fossil fuels used for home heating, electricity generating power plants and transportation.
The Green Party U.S. has vowed to achieve 51 ballot lines in 2008 in all the states and the District of Columbia, and has committed party resources for this purpose. Greens currently have ballot access in 21 state Green Parties (including DC)
Locally, on the Big Island, Greens have helped push forward Voter Owned C.L.E.A.N. Elections—free from the influence of corporate money.
Green Party elected official Bob Jacobson is running for re-election to the Hawaii County Council for a fourth and final time this year due to term limits. The council seat Jacobson has held for six years has been occupied by a Green for fourteen years, though the race has been non-partisan since 2002.
O’ahu Greens Jim Brewer and Renee Ing, the Green Party Candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor in 2006, are leading the campaign to educate the public on the clear advantages of clean, quiet hydrogen fuel cell powered, advanced magnet-guided public rapid transit vehicles, with super-express capabilities, on a dedicated elevated fixed guideway, as today’s best mass transit option for the City and County of Honolulu.
Kauai Green, Carol Bain, was elected to the Board of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative in 2007.
Globally, the Green Party has been busy internationally as well, with candidates in 91 countries. Wangari Maathai of the Kenyan Green Belt Movement [Kenya Green Party] received worldwide attention when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
Filed under: activism, Anti-War, Ballot issues, election, elections, Global Warming, Green Party Websites, Healthcare, international politics, Iraq, Peace, Political Websites, presidential race, Press Release, progressive politics, reform, social & economic justice, sustainability, sustainable, third party, US Politics Tagged: | alterntive fuel, clean elections, gmos, Hawaii, impeachement, single payer universal, third parties, Wangari Maathai
Leave a Reply