Illinois Green Party

Illinois Green Party
Headquarters 213 S. Wheaton Ave, Wheaton, Illinois, 60189
Ideology Green politics
National affiliation Green Party of the United States
Colors Green
Website
Illinois Green Party

The Illinois Green Party is a statewide political party in Illinois.

The party is state affiliate of the Green Party of the United States. Its stated mission and purpose are to advance the Ten Key Values of the Green Party in Illinois through political means and to support individual members and the formation of Green Party locals.

In 2006, the party ran its first statewide candidates led by Rich Whitney, candidate for Illinois Governor, who received 361,336 votes for 10% of the total vote, making the Green Party one of only three legally established, statewide political parties in Illinois, in addition to the Democratic and Republican parties. Though after the 2010 election the Illinois Green Party lost their established party status, because none of their candidates for statewide office broke the 5% threshold, which determines established parties in Illinois.

There are currently 12 local chapters affiliated with the party,[1] as well as ten members holding elected office in the state.[2]

At the 2007 Green National Meeting the Illinois Green Party submitted a Proposal to host the 2008 Green Party National Convention. Greens from four cities had submitted proposals for the 2008 convention but in the end The National Committee chose Chicago.[3]

As an established party it was entitled to a presidential primary, if at least two candidates qualify for that primary.

In 2007, Illinois law required all candidates in the presidential primary to submit 3,000 signatures by November.[4] On November 5, 2007 the deadline for candidate petitions to run in the Green presidential primary, four Greens filed Cynthia McKinney, Kent Mesplay, Jared Ball and Howie Hawkins. (Hawkins was believed to be a stand-in for Ralph Nader).[5] Only eight state affiliates of the Green Party held presidential primaries in 2008 (other states nominated by caucus or convention).

The Ten Key Values

Key values of the Green Party platform include the following:[6]

  1. Ecological wisdom
  2. Social justice
  3. Grassroots democracy
  4. Nonviolence
  5. Decentralization
  6. Community-based economics
  7. Feminism
  8. Respect for diversity
  9. Personal and global responsibility
  10. Future focus

2008 Elections

In 2008, 32 Green Party candidates filed petitions to run in the Illinois Green Party primary by the filing deadline.[7] The party also had the power to fill ballot vacancies in races where nobody is picked in the Feb. 5 primary.[8] Following the primary and state party convention the party has fielded sixty candidates for the November general election.[9]

2010 Elections

In 2010, Rich Whitney again ran for Governor of Illinois, hoping to improve on his 2006 result. LeAlan Jones, a journalist and activist from Chicago's South Side, ran for Senate. Both were uncontested in the June primary. Both Whitney and Jones were excluded from televised debates, despite the Green Party's Major Party Status. Whitney and Jones filed a lawsuit against Public Broadcasting Station member WTTW for excluding them.[10] A private vendor of ballots misspelled Rich Whitney's name as Rich 'Whitey' in 23 Chicago wards, about half of which were in predominately African-American neighborhoods.[11][12]

Jones polled as high as 14% in a June 2010 poll, but ended up with 3.18% of the vote. In August 2010, Whitney polled 11% in a Public Policy Polling survey.[13] However, he ended with just 2.70% of the overall vote. Because neither candidate garnered over 5% of the vote statewide, the Illinois Green Party lost Major Party Status.

2014 Elections

Scott Summers ran for governor and Sheldon Schafer ran for secretary of state as write-in candidates after being knocked off the statewide slate.[14]

2016 Elections

In 2016, the Green Party is running Scott Summers for U.S. Senate and Tim Curtin for Illinois Comptroller. [15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Illinois Green Party - Affiliates Archived March 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ Illinois Green Party Elected Officials Archived October 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "2007.08.30: Greens choose Chicago for 2008". gp.org.
  4. ↑ "Ballot Access News - Illinois Greens Determined to Have a Presidential Primary". ballot-access.org.
  5. ↑ Illinois Democratic, Green Presidential Primary Filing Deadline is Today Ballot Access News, November 5, 2007
  6. ↑ Platform of the Illinois Green Party Archived November 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ "Local News for Grundy County". Morris Daily Herald.
  8. ↑ http://www.pjstar.com/stories/110607/REG_BERN2E0P.049.php[]
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "Rich Whitney, Lealan Jones, and the ILGP File Suit Against WTTW over Debate Exclusion :: 2010-10-31 00:00:00". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Good, Chris (October 15, 2010). "A Vote for 'Rich Whitey'". The Atlantic. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  12. ↑ Lach, Eric. "Illinois Candidate's Name Misspelled As 'Rich Whitey' On Electronic-Voting Machines". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "Brady Expands Lead over Quinn" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. August 18, 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "2 Green Party candidates to run as write-ins". Chicago. 2 September 2014.
  15. ↑ "It's Official We WILL be Able to Vote for the Greater Good in Illinois". Retrieved 2016-08-12.
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