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| AK Green Party Re-Gains State Recognition. |
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Green Party of Alaska GREEN PARTY RE-GAINS STATE RECOGNITION A victory has been won for ballot access, all political parties and voters in Alaska," said Green Party Co-Chair Jim Sykes. The Green Party of Alaska was granted a preliminary injunction that requires the Alaska Division of Elections to stop discriminating and to provide the Green Party the same rights and privileges enjoyed by other Alaska political parties. Sykes added, "This injunction protects the 2004 elections against the State's efforts to artificially limit participation." The Green Party challenged the current law that says only the Governor's race qualifies to demonstrate a statewide "modicum of support" to be a recognized political party. The State decertified the Green Party because its Governor candidate did not receive 3% of the vote in 2002. In that same 2002 election, Green Party candidates for U.S. House and U.S. Senate each received more than 6% of the statewide vote-more than double the number required to demonstrate a "modicum of support." The court recognized that "modicum of support" writing, "Because such support for the Green Party does exist, the State may be treating the Green Party differently from other similarly situated political organizations in violation of the state and federal constitutions." [p7 PI] The court said went on to say that "The Green Party, therefore, has raised serious and substantial question that goes to the merits of the case and is not frivolous." In meeting the other parts of the legal test for a preliminary injunction, Judge Reese wrote that the Green Party could be harmed ".in a way that could not be compensable in a court of law." [p. 5 PI] The court stated that there would be no financial harm to the state since the state had, for the past decade, ".absorbed the cost of having a Green Party candidate on the gubernatorial ballot." [p. 6 PI] Co-Chair Sykes said that "As a result of this preliminary injunction, the Green Party and its candidates will be able to focus on the important issues facing Alaska's voters, and continue to work for fairness in Alaska's election laws." Green Party of Alaska
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