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ILLINOIS VOTERS TO TAKE PART IN FIRST EVER GREEN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY
CONTACT:
Joe Futrelle
328-7853
futrelle@prairiegreens.org
Tom Abram
(847) 814-6947
tabram@gmail.com
On February 5th, Illinois voters will have the opportunity to vote in the state's first ever Green Party Presidential primary. Illinois will be among the first states to have a Green primary, making it an early predictor of the Green presidential nomination, much like Iowa is for the Democrats and Republicans. Four Green Party candidates for President will be on the ballot: Cynthia McKinney, a former Congresswoman from Georgia; Kent Mesplay, a substitute teacher and Air Quality Inspector from San Diego; Howie Hawkins, a long time Green activist running as a placeholder for Ralph Nader, who has not yet decided whether he will run; and Jared Ball, a professor at Morgan State University in Maryland. Since filing to run, Ball has decided to drop out of the race and urges his supporters to vote for Cynthia McKinney.
Locally, the Prairie Greens of East Central Illinois helped the petition effort to get these candidates on the ballot. "The people of Illinois deserve honest candidates who are independent of corporations," said Green activist Mark Mallon, who helped gather signatures. "Although there are differences of personality among the Democratic and Republican candidates for President, there are few differences of policy: they all take corporate money and do not have viable plans to address the many issues facing our country, such as the Iraq war and the healthcare crisis."
In addition to the Presidential candidates, nine Congressional candidates across Illinois filed to be on the primary ballot. Although there is not yet a Green candidate for the 15th Congressional District, several Greens running for local office in Champaign-Urbana will be on the ballot, including Joe Futrelle for Champaign County Board District 8, and Walter Pituc and Kostas Yfantis for Champaign County Board District 7, where two seats are up for election. "We need an independent voice on the board who will put aside two-party politics and lead on issues that matter, like urban sprawl and renewable energy," Futrelle said.
MORE INFORMATION:
Illinois Green Party
http://www.ilgp.org
Prairie Greens of East Central Illinois
http://www.prairiegreens.org
Joe Futrelle for Champaign County Board
http://www.joefutrelle.org
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