12/3/19 - Green Party officers today said they will have no choice but to pursue litigation against the draconian ballot access thresholds threatened by the Public Campaign Finance Reform Commission if the Legislature fails to remove them. 

“These ballot-access thresholds and independent signature requirements are patently unconstitutional and we are confident the courts will strike them down,” said Green Party of NY Co-Chair Gloria Mattera. The party co-chairs said the Democrat-controlled legislature’s failure to convene a special session to shut down the commission’s proposal before the December 22 deadline means they will be forced to seek remedy in court.

"The Democrats are disgracefully using their control of the Governor's office and legislature to suppress democracy. Instead of attempting true campaign finance reform, they have protected the influence of large donors while hustling to decapitate any third party or insurgent challengers. This is a blatantly unconstitutional attempt to assassinate third parties and independent campaigns in New York. The state Democratic leadership signed off on this attempt to deprive New Yorkers of democratic choice at the ballot box, so it will be left to the courts to correct that," said Mattera.

"Rank-and-file lawmakers need to stand up for democracy and reject Cuomo's Trumpian power play out of hand. We need real campaign finance reform and a ballot that gives voters more power. Instead of emulating the bad old days of Boss Tweed and killing any possible challenge to the establishment, let's improve upon and expand reforms like NYC’s adoption of ranked choice voting to statewide and general elections. Let's end the raids by major parties on smaller parties by ending Opportunity to Ballot. Let's empower more people to be able to vote, not strengthen the power of moneyed interests as Cuomo and legislative leaders agreed to do. Otherwise, we will be forced to have the courts strike down this terrible piece of legislation as a package," concluded co-chair Peter LaVenia.