Libertarian Party and Green Party File Petition to Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court in Ballot Access Case 3/13/23 -- The Libertarian Party of New York and the Green Party of New York have filed a petition for an appeal in their ballot access lawsuit to the Supreme Court of the United States.  The petition challenges the increase of New York State’s ballot access thresholds instituted in 2020 as part of then Governor Andrew Cuomo’s emergency COVID budget. The threshold for a party to maintain recognized party status and ballot access was increased from 50,000 votes to 130,000 votes or 2% of the vote in the previous gubernatorial or presidential election, whichever is higher. In addition, the signature threshold for getting an independent candidate on the ballot was increased from 15,000 signatures to 45,000 signatures. In 2020, four parties lost ballot access: the Libertarian Party, whose candidate Jo Jorgensen received over 60,000 votes; the Green Party, whose candidate Howie Hawkins received over 32,000 votes; the Independence Party, whose candidate Brock Pierce received over 22,000 votes; and the SAM Party, which did not run a candidate for President. In this election, only the Libertarian Party received over 50,000 votes, which was enough to maintain ballot access under the old thresholds. Continue reading

---- For Immediate Release Peter LaVenia | [email protected] |518-495-8001 Gloria Mattera | [email protected] | 917-886-4538 2/22/23 - 2023 has started off with a bang - literally - with 39 mass shootings in the first 3 weeks of the new year. “On the eve of the 5th year anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman High School mass shooting, Michigan State University campus became the next scene of carnage,” said Gloria Mattera, GPNY co-chair. “While elected officials from the Democratic and Republican parties pat themselves on the back for passing the feeble Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the killing continues,” added Peter LaVenia, GPNY co-chair. Continue reading

For Immediate Release December 7, 2022 Green Party says NYS draft Climate Plan locks the planet into climate collapse “We’re out of time” say the Greens The Green Party today urged the NYS legislature to return to Albany in January ready to enact a far more ambitious climate plan than is being prepared by the Hochul-dominated Climate Action Council, staffed by many holdovers from the Cuomo administration. The Greens said that the draft plan, which the Governor has refused to share with the public, has far too many examples of corporate greenwashing. A draft plan was reviewed by the Council members at the State Capitol complex on Monday, with the vote to adopt it set for Dec. 19. “The plan being proposed by the Climate Action Council does an adequate job of laying out many of the challenges facing NY in enacting a rapid transition to 100% clean renewable energy. We might have applauded much of it – 15 years ago. It is up to the legislature to now make the critical policy decisions and investments. The UN keeps shouting that we can no longer afford incremental changes. They must put the needs of future generations ahead of the donations of the 1%,” remarked Gloria Mattera, State Party co-chair. The Party says that the state must commit to raising at least $15 billion a year to immediately begin financing the transition to clean renewable energy, such as subsidizing the costs to enable residents to decarbonize their buildings. The Greens expressed alarm over the plan's support for a so-called “Cap and Invest” which seems very similar to the cap-and-trade program opposed by environmental justice groups and Pope Francis.   Continue reading

Opposes Halt to Gas Tax or Criminal Justice Reform, Opposes Public Funds for Buffalo Sports Stadium The Green Party today said that the accelerating climate crisis calls for the state to enact the Green New Deal as part of this year’s state budget, with at least $30 billion devoted to the state building out renewables and enactment of an economic bill of rights including universal single payer health care, a guaranteed living wage job and income, universal child care, affordable housing and tuition-free public education from pre-K through college. Continue reading

2/4/22 - The Green Party of New York announced today that they plan to run candidates for state and federal offices in 2022, starting with Governor. The party is looking for candidates who embrace the Green Party agenda including strong climate action, ending mass incarceration, economic democracy, single-payer health care, and social justice. “Even though Governor Cuomo and the Democrats rammed through legislation under the cover of COVID to strip the election rights of alternative parties like the Greens, we are not just going to roll over and die. America is in a dark moment, where basic democratic, economic and civil rights are under increasing assault. We all need to stand up and demand another world that puts the common good ahead of the greed of the 1%,” Continue reading

1/18/22 - Green Party leaders today said that Gov. Hochul’s proposed $216.3 billion FY 2022-23 executive budget falls far short of what is needed. The Greens stated that Hochul continued the failed budget priorities of ex-Gov. Cuomo, and that her proposed budget would enrich the 1% and campaign donors rather than working class New Yorkers.  Continue reading

Green Party Says “State of the State”  Dire on Climate, Grassroots Democracy, Social and Economic Justice in New York Continue reading

12/2/21 - Green Party leaders today called on the Legislature and Gov. Hochul to enact a “Gold Standard” ballot access bill that would expand voter choice in New York State. Continue reading

8/3/21 - Green Party officers demanded that Speaker Carl Heastie move immediately to impeach Gov. Cuomo and Leader Stewart-Cousins to remove him from office in light of the shocking findings contained within Attorney General Letitia James’s investigation. They stated Cuomo’s violation of state and federal laws indicate that he and his administration are deeply corrupt, and that he cannot credibly lead the state. Party leaders concluded that Cuomo’s refusal to resign indicates that, like a rotten autocrat, he will never leave without being forced to do so. Continue reading

3/31/21 - Green Party officers celebrated the passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) as the culmination of a decades-long struggle by activists and communities to allow for legal sales of cannabis and to begin the process of rebuilding spaces ravaged by the failed Drug War. Party leaders said the organization had always proudly been on the front lines of the struggle for marijuana legalization. Party spokespeople also said they hoped the flaws of MRTA would be addressed soon, and that New York would follow Oregon’s lead and decriminalize all drugs. Continue reading