March 11 was the deadline for parties to submit a petition to be recognized in Arizona. This year the state requires 20,449 valid signatures. The Green Party is the only party that turned in a petition. That petition contained 29,015 signatures. UPDATE: the 29,015 figure is an updated and accurate total. When this post was originally put up earlier today, it said 26,000, but that was not accurate.
The Libertarian Party has not needed to submit a petition in Arizona since 1994, because it keeps its registration above two-thirds of 1% of the statewide registration total.
This 2010 Green Party petition is the first time since 1994 that any party has turned in a petition in Arizona in a mid-term year.
7 responses so far ↓
1 VAGreen // Mar 12, 2010 at 10:24 pm
Good work by the Arizona Greens. Now let’s get our registration numbers up so that we don’t have to petition anymore!
2 Thane Eichenauer // Mar 13, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I am impressed. It is no small task to collect 20,000 valid signatures.
3 Green Party fan // Mar 13, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Audrey,
This is far beyond good work…
It is absolutely spectacular Green Party work!
Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank YOU!!!
…”Get registration numbers up so we don’t have to petition anymore!…”
Audrey, with all due respect, that is naive statement.
1) In many states one can not register as a Green. Virginia for example.
2) Registration doesn’t determine ballot access in most states. How well the Green Party, or Independent Green Party, or Independence party does in a statewide election determines whether a Party has ballot status. In Virginia you must get 10 per cent of the vote in a statewide election.
So..what’s the positive solution, and how will the Green Party win ballot status in every state in the US?..
Candidates, candidates, candidates. Greens must have candidates in every race…local, state, federal…every year.
Of course to recruit all those new Green candidates, the Green Party must continue to be positive, inclusive, welcoming, and encouraging of all self identified Greens…
I’m thrilled and delighted by this grand and great ballot Green Party petition drive…
Thank all of you wonderfully disciplined, dedicated Green Party American patriots, nonviolence advocates, fiscal conservatives, who spent your own precious months of time and many dollars this took.
Thank YOUUUUU…
4 VAGreen // Mar 14, 2010 at 7:07 am
“2) Registration doesn’t determine ballot access in most states. ”
Not in most states, but it does in AK, AZ, CA, CO, DE, and OR. As menti0ned above, the Libertarians maintain ballot status in AZ by keeping their registration numbers up.
5 More San Diego County, DonLake@ymail.com // Mar 14, 2010 at 12:12 pm
Thane Eichenauer // Mar 13, 2010:
“I am impressed. It is no small task to collect 20,000 valid signatures ….”
Especially in Barry Goldwater’s Arid Zona!
6 paulie // Mar 15, 2010 at 3:05 pm
The article is about Arizona.
In Arizona, keeping enough registered voters under a party banner is a way to stay on the ballot without having to petition.
7 Andy // Mar 15, 2010 at 3:30 pm
“In Arizona, keeping enough registered voters under a party banner is a way to stay on the ballot without having to petition.”
It should be pointed out that even once a party gets party status in Arizona through voter registrations they are still required to petition to place individual candidates on the ballot. Even the Democrats and Republicans have to do petition to place individual candidates on the ballot in Arizona. These petitions can only be signed by those who are registered to vote under the party banner of the party for which the candidate is petitioning to obtain ballot access or by people who are registered as indedependents (aka-unenrolled or Decline to State a Political Party).
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