State Green Party Press Release

Rhode Island Green Party Rallies Voters for First Green Presidential Primary, March 02.

February 23, 2004

Contact:
Jeff Toste - Co-Chair, GPRI - (401) 751-5596
Linde Rachel- Co-Chair, GPRI - (401) 226-4342

(Providence) The Green Party of Rhode Island (GPRI) is calling out to all registered Rhode Island voters for their participation in the Tuesday March 2 presidential preference primary. However, Greens and unaffiliated voters have a unique and historic opportunity to help choose the Green Party's presidential candidate in Rhode Island's first GPRI Presidential primary.

Green Party Co-chair Linde Rachel noted, "The Republican and Democratic nominations are already sewn up, so we are especially encouraging unaffiliated voters to vote in the one primary where the race is wide open, the Green Primary. Green Presidential candidates David Cobb and Kent Mesplay, both of whom campaigned and debated in Rhode Island, offer voters a real choice in their strategies for getting out a message of bottom up democracy."

"Voters need to realize elections are won state by state due to the US's antiquated Electoral College voting system", Said GPRI Co-Chair Jeff Toste. "Therefore, Bush can't win RI votes due to his lack of popular support. Voters in RI who want to build real democracy can vote Green, build a grassroots democratic Party, and not 're-elect' an extremist president."

Green Party Secretary Greg Gerritt commented, "We know many voters are turned off by the corporate parties and their support for the war with Iraq, the Patriot act, corporate globalization, and the big money campaigns. This is a great time to vote your conscience, so if you can not stand the thought of voting for a candidate who supported the war or the Patriot act, vote in the Green Primary. If you support Single Payer health care, vote in the Green primary."

Go to the GPRI website www.greens.org/ri for more information on the Green Party and our Electoral College voting system.