How We Got On The Ballot
Here’s a breakdown from the Secretary of State regarding the filing of the Fitrakis/Rios gubernatorial slate. We filed 1,199 petitions representing 81 of Ohio’s 88 counties. In Franklin County alone, my home, we filed 7,124 signatures. We also filed 1,283 in the Cleveland area (Cuyahoga County) and 757 signatures in the Cincinnati area (Hamilton County). We filed 322 in the Toledo area (Lucas County), Anita Rios’ home, and 163 in the Akron area (Summit County). We also filed 102 in Lorain County and 1071 in the Dayton area (Montgomery County). We did well in the college towns of Athens (Ohio U) with 111 and 244 in Greene County where Antioch College is in Yellow Springs. Major party candidates only have to file 1,000 signatures, but the bipartisan bluster of two effete corporate lapdog parties are in agreement that independents and third party candidates should have to file 5,000 valid signatures.
Overall, we filed 12,295 signatures and the Secretary of State approved 7,853. What these numbers show is that the Green Party has a massive and active grassroots network throughout the state of Ohio, due in no small part to the fact that they stood up for the rights of the voters when the Democratic Party faded away following the 2004 election. The Greens funded and initiated the recount, and my running mate for Lieutenant Governor, Anita Rios, was a plaintiff in many voting rights actions before the court.
Tim Kettler, Green Party candidate for Secretary of State also gained ballot status this week. Kettler was instrumental in forcing Coshocton County to recount all its ballots by hand in 2004, the only county in the state of Ohio to do so.
Once again I want to thank all my signature gatherers and those who signed. We look forward to building a real party of the people. I know some of you are concerned about the Greens playing a spoiler role, so I intend to ask Ted Strickland to drop out of the race, as suggested by blogger Andrew Warner, so a real progressive can run against Blackwell. But here’s another idea: why don’t all the candidates – Democratic, Republican, Green and Libertarian – debate openly in the series of public town hall meetings and let the people decide. Isn’t that what democracy is all about?
Congratulations to you all!
Now why were almost half of the signatures “disqualified”?
Not to be the Debbie Downer here, but this may be a sign of those who have been illegally removed from the rolls or some other shinanigans.
Is there accountability at this point or is it a non-issue? Does the SOS explain the results?
I would think that as a responsible entity, the SOS would show an accounting as such in the banking industry, why the results are the results?
Too bad the Democrats and the Republicans would never let that happen…
Been listening to Thom Hartmann this morn.
These really are scary times. See this article from Thom about VP Hrenry Wallace under FDR about fascism. This was in 1944. Where are we now but in throws of what he warned us about.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0719-15.htm
excerpts;
“Vice President Wallace bluntly laid out in his 1944 Times article his concern about the same happening here in America:
” If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings, then there are undoubtedly several million fascists in the United States. There are probably several hundred thousand if we narrow the definition to include only those who in their search for money and power are ruthless and deceitful. … They are patriotic in time of war because it is to their interest to be so, but in time of peace they follow power and the dollar wherever they may lead.”
” Still another danger is represented by those who, paying lip service to democracy and the common welfare, in their insatiable greed for money and the power which money gives, do not hesitate surreptitiously to evade the laws designed to safeguard the public from monopolistic extortion. American fascists of this stamp were clandestinely aligned with their German counterparts before the war, and are even now preparing to resume where they left off, after ‘the present unpleasantness’ ceases.” ”
This paints the picture of what is our present challenge.
BE HERE NOW
I agree with Andrew on asking Strickland to back out. When we were at John Edwards’ speech in Cincinnati this past weekend, we were wishing we had some Fitrakis stickers to stand out amidst the others.
Look forward to seeing you in Cincinnati in a couple of weeks!
We will be in Cincinnati on July 29, 2006 at McFadden, downtown, from 5-9PM. Come out and meet Dr. Fitrakis. Tell everyone in Cincinnati.
We look forward to seeing you.