Today is Fundraising Friday and we need your support to help the Green Party on the ballot! Based on this year's election results, the Green Party held or gained ballot status in twenty states leading into the 2016 election. The only question mark left for 2014 is Maryland. We are turning in our petitions later this month. Help us finish our petitions drive by making a contribution TODAY! Click here to make a one-time donation to support our 2014 ballot access efforts. Click here to make a monthly recurring contribution to the Green Party to support future plans, such as candidate recruitment and training, staff time, investment in our website and social outreach tools, and direct support to candidates.  Thank you for your contribution!    

Tim Willard won 21,530 votes in last week's election for Montgomery County Council (At-Large).Dear Supporters, I would like to thank everyone who supported my campaign. With your support the Green Party made important progress toward becoming an established party in the county. We picked up endorsements that no Green Party candidate had ever received before, we increased our vote totals from four years ago and we received important support among the activist community.While voter turnout in the county was down from four years ago, my vote total was higher than our at large candidate then. More than 21,000 people voted for me, or about 9% of the voters who turned out. This is a solid base to build on.Since the county has passed a campaign finance law that pays $5 for every dollar raised past a certain amount, a future campaign that made a serious effort to raise funds could receive $100,000 or more from the county which would allow us to reach many more people.Our work to build a sustainable county will continue. In the immediate future, the Montgomery County Green Party will join a coalition of environmental and civic groups to persuade the county council to pass a green building code without caving in the developer pressure to gut the measure.We will continue to work for a community that is sustainable, prosperous and just.Thank you again, one and all, for your support.Tim Willard   

Congratulations to our great candidates in this year's election! In U.S. House District 6, George Gluck earned 3,503 votes, for 1.9% of the total cast.  In U.S. House District 2, Ian Schlakman earned 5,096 votes, for 2.7% of the total cast. In Montgomery County, Tim Willard earned 20,836 votes for 2.4% of the total cast.  In Maryland House District 20, Dan Robinson earned 6,352 votes, for 9.1 of the total cast.  Thanks to all of our candidates for their hard work this year!      

Today is Election Day. First, go vote! Then join your local Greens for Election Night parties in Montgomery County and Baltimore. Dan Robinson, Tim Willard and George Gluck will be at the Montgomery County event from 8-11pm. The party will be at 120 Grant Avenue, Takoma Park MD, 20912. There will be live music and organic/local/vegan food and beverages. The Baltimore event will start at 8pm at Liam Flynn's Ale House, 22 W. North Avenue, in Station North, Baltimore. Ian Schlakman will be there watching election results. Snacks will be catered by Liam's and drinks are available at the bar. Come congratulate our great candidates for all their hard work this year! And don't forget to Vote Green!   

From the Green Party of the United States: [Note: HR 5334 - the bill that would establish a nation-wide "Top Two" primary for all House elections - is sponsored by John Delaney, a Maryland Democrat]  In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, U.S. Senator and "friend of Wall Street" Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for taking the "Top Two" primary system - which is currently in use on California, Louisiana, and Washington - nationwide. Under "Top Two", all candidates are on a single primary ballot and the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election regardless of party label. California was the most recent state to adopt "Top Two". In January 2009, State Senator Abel Maldonado held the state budget hostage during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression until the rest of the state legislature agreed to put a "TopTwo" referendum on the ballot. In June 2010, "Top Two" was adopted by 53% of the voters with overwhelming media support, big donations from corporate interests including Silicon Valley and health insurance companies, and a highly misleading campaign that characterized it as an "open primary". Support the Green Party as we work to build national awareness of "TopTwo" and its stifling effect on candidate choice. The Greens and other third parties warned that "Top Two" would disenfranchise voters who wanted to support candidates besides Democrats and Republicans. The evidence from California is clear. Under the previous primary system in 2010, there were six candidates on the general election ballot in every statewide race. In 2014, there were only two, and all statewide candidates are Democrats or Republicans. In 2010, there were four or five candidates on the ballot in every Board of Equalization race. In 2014, there are only two in each race, and all candidates are Democrats or Republicans. In 2010, 29 out of the 53 House of Representatives races had candidates outside of the duopoly. In 2014, there are only three, and none of them are Greens. In 2010, every registered Green and other supporter of the Green Party of California had the opportunity to vote for Green candidates in 8 of the 12 partisan races on the ballot: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Controller, Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and U.S. Senate. Additionally, some were in districts where they were able to vote for Green candidates for House of Representatives or State Assembly. In 2014, there will not be one single Green candidate on the ballot anywhere in California for a partisan race. "Top Two" is spreading to Oregon this year. On July 15th, Measure 90 - which would change Oregon's primary system to a "Top Two" system - was certified for the November ballot. Former Enron executive John Arnold has contributed $1.75 million in support of Measure 90. Other large contributors included Michael Bloomberg (at $1.6 million), Associated Oregon Industries, Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Associations and The Standard Insurance Company. We need your support to help counteract the flood of corporate money into corporate campaigns like this one. A win for "Top Two" in Oregon means that Greens are disenfranchised on the entire Pacific Coast. A win for "Top Two" in Oregon means that big corporate interests and their supporters like Chuck Schumer will be encouraged to spread this anti-reform nationwide. A win for "Top Two" in Oregon means that the growing revolt against the broken two-party system can be stopped in its tracks nationwide. Your support can keep the revolt alive and growing. The Pacific Green Party of Oregon is mobilizing registered Greens and Jill Stein campaign volunteers from all across the state to defeat Measure 90. A win for the Pacific Green Party means that we can keep running candidates like Jason Levin for Governor - who crashed a debate that was restricted to Democrats and Republicans - and Christine Lugo for U.S. Senate, who is the first transgender U.S. Senate candidate in Oregon. We have beaten "Top Two" before and we can do it again. In 2008, the Pacific Green Party played a role in defeating a "Top Two" referendum that lost 66% to 34%. If you live in Oregon, make sure to vote NO on Measure 90. We need all Greens to contribute to our efforts as we resist candidate suppression in all its forms. Thank you for your continued efforts to promote Green candidates and campaigns and work for free and fair elections for all candidates.