Category Archives: ballot access

BREAKING: Georgia Ballot Access Law Stricken for Presidential Candidates

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(APN) ATLANTA — Georgia’s restrictive ballot access requirement that independent and political body [minor party] candidates for President of the U.S. gather the signatures of one percent of registered Georgia voters, in order to appear on the ballot in Georgia, has been struck down by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Story, Atlanta Progressive News learned.   Secretary of State Brian […]

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Jill Stein, Cornell West Visit Atlanta to Promote Green Party Ballot Access in Georgia

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(APN) ATLANTA — Jill Stein, who is seeking the Green Party’s nomination for President and who was the party’s nominee in 2012; and renowned academic Cornel West are pushing for third-party ballot access in Georgia.   The pair visited Atlanta on November 20, 2015 to stump for Stein’s campaign and work on collecting the required 50,000 signatures to get her […]

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Georgia Green Party Offers Progressive Alternative, Struggles for Relevance

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With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale.   (APN) ATLANTA — The Georgia Green Party, a chapter of the national Green Party of the United States, is facing many challenges as they gear up for next year’s Presidential election and a continued search for local candidates.   http://georgiagreenparty.org/   In our continuing coverage of the 2016 Presidential election, this article […]

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Georgia’s Ballot Access Case Advances to Trial, Judge Wants Evidence of Effort by Greens, Constitution Party (UPDATE 1)

green party and constitution party

(APN) ATLANTA — On May 19, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Richard W. Story issued an order denying summary judgment in the case of Green Party of Georgia and Constitution Party of Georgia v. Brian Kemp, Georgia Secretary of State, setting stage for trial.   Georgia’s ballot access laws, or petition requirements, for statewide candidates–that is, one percent of statewide […]

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APN Legislative Wrap-Up: Georgia General Assembly 2015

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With additional reporting by Anna Simonton and Matthew Charles Cardinale.  Photograph by Steve Eberhardt.   (APN) ATLANTA — The Georgia General Assembly wrapped up the 2015 legislative session on Thursday, April 02, 2015.  There were a few progressive highlights in the majority-Republican Legislature, including a solar power lease agreement bill; a limited medical cannabis bill; and more flexibility for MARTA […]

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Bill Would Reduce Minor Party Petition Requirements to Two Percent

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(APN) ATLANTA — State Rep. John Pezold (R-Fortson) has introduced HB 58, the Ballot Access Reform Act, of 2015.   The bill would reduce the number of candidate petition signatures required for independent and minor party (“political body”) candidates seeking non-statewide offices–such as U.S. Congress, State Legislature, and County Commission–from five percent of registered voters, to two percent of actual […]

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Bozarth Successfully Petitions onto Ballot in State House Race

(APN) ATLANTA — Bill Bozarth, the former executive director of Common Cause Georgia, has successfully used Georgia’s five percent petition law to get on the ballot in the State House District 54 race.     Jared Thomas, a spokesman for Secretary of State Brian Kemp, confirmed Bozarth’s accomplishment in an interview with Atlanta Progressive News.     Bozarth is running […]

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Georgia Presidential Ballot Access Case Returns to District Court

(APN) ATLANTA — A lawsuit brought by the Green Party of Georgia and the Constitution Party of Georgia challenging the State of Georgia’s ballot access requirements is back in federal court, Atlanta Progressive News has learned.     The lawsuit challenges the statewide petition requirement that requires one percent of the signatures of the registered voters across the State, in […]

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Interviews with Candidates for Secretary of State, Gerald Beckum and Doreen Carter

With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale. (APN) ATLANTA — In our continuing coverage of Georgia’s 2014 Primary Election, we interviewed Mayor Gerald Beckum and Doreen Carter, candidates for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State of Georgia.   Beckum has served as Mayor of Oglethorpe, Georgia, for thirty-two years.     Carter served one term as City Councilmember of […]

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Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Georgia Ballot Access Case

(APN) ATLANTA — The Green Party of Georgia and the Constitution Party of Georgia have secured what is so far an important procedural victory in a federal lawsuit regarding Georgia’s oppressive petition requirements for Presidential candidates who are neither Democrats nor Republicans.     http://www.ballot-access.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Georgia-hope.pdf     Neither party was able to secure enough petition signatures–one percent of statewide registered […]

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Bozarth, New Seek Georgia House Seats as Independents

(APN) ATLANTA — As election season shapes up for 2014, at least two Atlantans have announced their intent to seek access to the ballot as independent candidates for State House.     Bill Bozarth, a long-time activist and former Executive Director of Common Cause Georgia, is running for State House District 54, the seat being vacated by State Rep. Ed […]

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Georgia Presidential Ballot Access Case Stalls in Federal Court (UPDATE 1)

(APN) ATLANTA — A lawsuit challenging the ballot access requirements in the State of Georgia for minor party and independent candidates for President of the US was dismissed, and yet the judge has yet to rule for nearly two months on a motion for reconsideration, even with November’s Presidential Election coming up in about eight weeks, Atlanta Progressive News has […]

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Minor Parties Sue Over Presidential Ballot Access in Georgia (UPDATE 1)

(APN) ATLANTA — On Friday, May 25, 2012, the Green Party of Georgia and the Constitution Party of Georgia filed a lawsuit in US District Court against the State of Georgia and Secretary of State Brian Kemp challenging the ballot access requirements for independent and minor party candidates to run candidates on ballots in Georgia for President of the US. […]

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McKinney Campaign Announcement Expected Soon

(APN) ATLANTA — Former US Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) is expected to soon issue a formal announcement that she is running for her old seat in the Georgia’s fourth Congressional District, to challenge US Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) in the General Election as a Green Party candidate, Atlanta Progressive News has learned. Previously, on April 02, 2012, Atlanta Progressive News […]

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(IPS) US Voters Increasingly Alienated by Two Major Parties

This article first appeared on the Inter-Press Service website at: http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/02/u-s-voters-increasingly-alienated-by-two-major-parties/ ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb 27 2012 (IPS) – A new book shows there are now more U.S. voters who identify as independent than as Democrats or Republicans, despite the fact that the two major parties maintain their virtual stranglehold on U.S. politics and, so far, on the 2012 presidential election process. […]

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