Revolted by Republicans? Disgusted by Democrats?

Haven't grassroots democracy and social justice been neglected by both parties? Isn't it apparent business as usual policies will ruin the earth's environment and make peace impossible? Hasn't it been obvious for decades that we should have universal health care, but the two-party system isn't getting it? Isn't it clear that an energy policy of conservation, efficiency and sustainable sources like wind and solar is better than the bi-partisan war for oil? Are you so disappointed by the two-party parody of political discussion that you're thinking about giving up on politics altogether?

You may be ready for the Green Party of Michigan. We're looking for supporters, members, activists, campaigners and candidates. The qualifications are simple, if demanding. You believe that grassroots democracy, social justice, environmental wisdom and non-violence are goals worth working for. You understand government of the corporations, by the corporations and for the corporations works against those goals. You conclude that running against two corporate parties is a good way of advancing those goals - certainly not the only way, but one good way.

Here in Michigan, the Green Party is short on money. We don't have enough people to do everything that needs to be done. We don't have a lot of political power. However, there is one thing that we do have, and that is ballot access. We can select candidates for any partisan office in Michigan, from United States Senator to Township Supervisor. In between, in the 2008 general election, are County Commissioners, Sheriffs, County Clerks, Drain Commissioners, County Executives, State Representatives, State Senators, United States Representatives and Presidential Electors. In 2010, when we're electing a Governor along with a Secretary of State and State Attorney General, we can select candidates for those offices, too.

We first got on the Michigan ballot in 2000. We've had candidates in the general elections of 2002, 2004 and 2006. We've accumulated a certain amount of knowledge about election laws, campaign finance requirements, and the mechanics of running campaigns. We're willing to share that knowledge, and willing to learn more. We expect to have a campaign and fundraising school sometime in the next few months, and we would like to hear from you if you might be interested.

We've made some mistakes, and we have had some successes. Green Party candidates in partisan elections have gotten anywhere between 1% to 20% of the total vote. In local non-partisan elections, several Greens have won and currently hold office. Sometimes we've been accused of "spoiling" a Democrat's chance to win, just as the Libertarians have sometimes been accused of "spoiling" a Republican's chance.

Of course, we believe that a corporate party candidate has sometimes gotten votes that should have gone to us. The voter who only gets one vote per office may well decide to use it in support of an "electable" lesser-evil candidate rather than "wasting" it. Voting for a candidate who might lose, to protest against the selections offered by the corporate parties, is not a waste, but some voters see it that way.

With Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), whenever there are three or more candidates for one office, the voter can rank all the candidates in order of preference. If no candidate wins based on first-place votes alone, the second-choice votes on the ballots for the weakest candidate will be added to the totals of the other candidates, until one candidate gets a majority of the total votes.

IRV changes the rules for voters, and completely eliminates the possibility of "spoiling," by anybody's definition. We would rather have election results reflect the will of the voters instead of arguing over who spoiled who. Meanwhile, since that's how the rules are set up, we're willing to spoil as many elections as it takes to get IRV.

If you are ready to work at undermining the two-party system that's preventing peace, democracy, social justice and environmental stewardship, then we are ready for you. Take a look at our web site, www.migreens.org, for more information on our platform, on local contacts, on meetings and events.