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2000: The Maryland Green Party qualified as a recognized political party in August 2000, and qualified for statewide ballot status for the 2000 presidential election only.

There are two sets of criteria regarding ballot access and political party status in Maryland. First is political party status recognition. To be recognized as a political party, a party must either field a gubernatorial or presidential candidate who receives at least 1% of the vote, or submit a petition with 10,000 signers supporting the party.

In June and July 2000, Maryland Greens submitted over 17,000 petition signatures. In August 2000, the Maryland Green Party was recognized as a political party by the State Board of Elections. This status made it possible to register as a Green in Maryland.

It also qualified the Maryland Green Party for 2000 presidential election ballot. It did not however, guarantee ballot access for any other race.

Only parties with 1% or more of the state's voter registrations have a guaranteed place on the ballot. All other recognized parties must conduct a separate petition drive for each of the party's nominees. For each race, petition signatures must be submitted from 1% of the all eligible voters for that office - not just registered - one of the highest requirements in the country.

The only exception to this is for president. In that race, all recognized political parties are entitled to ballot access for their nominees.

Maryland Greens challenged the petition requirement after the Maryland Board of Elections ruled that David Gross, the Green's first nominee for U.S. Congress, could not appear the November 2000 ballot.

Maryland Green Party v. Maryland Board of Elections was heard in Anne Arundel Circuit Court. The judge ruled that Maryland's candidate signature requirement was constitutional. In July 2003, the Maryland Green Party won the case on appeal to Maryland's highest court, the Court of Appeals.

Ralph Nader received 2.7% and 53,768 votes for president in November 2000. His 2.7% surpassed the 1% needed to qualify the Maryland Green Party as a recognized political party. However, the Nader result did not change the party's status, because the August 2000 petition had already qualified the Greens as a recognized political party through 2002.

As of December 2000, the Maryland Green Party had 1,205 Green registered voters - 0.08% of the statewide total - short of the 1% needed to qualify for ongoing statewide ballot status.

As of December 2001, the Maryland Green Party had 2,796 Green registered voters - 0.18% of the statewide total - short of the 1% needed to qualify for ongoing statewide ballot status.

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To have run for governor in 2002, Maryland Greens needed to submit approximately 28,000 valid petition signatures to qualify for the ballot - almost three times as many as the party had to submit to qualify as a recognized party in 2000.

Under Maryland law, if the party then didn't finish first or second, it would not have gained any additional future ballot access. Only 'principal parties' in Maryland are guaranteed ballot access. Principal parties as defined as the party whose candidate receives the most votes for governor - the 'majority party' - and the party whose candidate receives the second most votes - the 'principal minority party.'

Given these circumstances, the Maryland Green Party chose the party petition route to requalify for political party status.

Maryland Greens submitted 13,571 signatures to the State Board of Elections in November 2002. On December 12th, 2002 the Board certified 11,264 valid signatures. This re-qualified the Maryland Green Party as a recognized political party through 2006.

As of December 2002, the Maryland Green Party had 4,850 Green registered voters - 0.31% of the statewide total - short of the 1% needed to qualify for ongoing statewide ballot status.

If the Maryland Green Party reaches the 1% threshold, it will still nominate by convention rather than primary, unless/until it becomes a princpal party in Maryland. Only principal parties in Maryland nominate by primary - effectively the Democrats and Republicans.

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