FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Tim Willard, co-chair Maryland Green Party
[email protected]
240-533-2399

Yesterday afternoon the Maryland Green Party and the Libertarian Party of Maryland entered into a settlement with The State Board of Elections to lower the threshold of petition signatures required to put the Green Party on the ballot from 10,000 to 5,000. Both parties had sought relief from the 10,000 signature requirement as a result of the COVD-19 State of Emergency. 

The Green Party has already collected 5,200 signatures by paper petitions and several hundred since launching its electronic efforts this month. With the decision yesterday additional signature collection is intended to account for any signatures the State Board may deem invalid.

Since March the Maryland Green Party has been lobbying the state to provide two things in the face of the COVID-19 State of Emergency 1)  electronic collection of signatures 2)  reduction in the number of signatures required. In April the State Board of Elections issued a policy that allowed electronic collection of signatures and with yesterday’s settlement both goals have now been achieved.

The Green Party is collecting signatures on-line at https://www.md-petition.com/invite/mgp.php and must turn in 5000 valid signatures by August 3rd, 2020.

Former Maryland Green Party Chair and Plaintiff in this case Andy Ellis said “The Green Party has been on the ballot every year since 2000 in Maryland and with this settlement I am confident we will be on the ballot in 2020”

“We have begun a phone banking operation to collect electronic signatures and we fully expect to meet the August 2 deadline,” said incoming co-chair Tim Willard.

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