The Green Party of the United States strongly disagrees with the decision by Judge James P. Reynolds to remove the Montana Green Party from the November ballot. In his decision, Judge Reynolds sided with the Montana Democratic Party which had filed an emergency injunction in April, challenging some of the petition signatures.

Montana Green Party spokesperson Danielle Breck stated "He (Judge Reynolds) managed to throw out exactly enough (signatures) to get us off the ballot".

Green Party of the United States

http://www.gp.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 13, 2018

CONTACT

Ann Link, Co-Chair, Media Committee, ann.link@gp.org

Justin McCarthy, Co-Chair, Media Committee, justin.mccarthy@gp.org

Danielle Breck, Montana Green Party Coordinator, 406-274-3212, greenpartyofmissoula@gmail.com

Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, whose office certified the petition signatures and granted the Greens ballot status, said on Wednesday that his office will appeal the decision. "This has never been a legal case, it's always been a political case," Stapleton said.

During the hearing, Trent Bolger, the Chief Financial Officer for the Montana Democratic Party was quite clear why the Democrats wanted the Greens off the ballot; they would have to work harder and spend more for to convince Montanans to vote for their candidates.

“We would have to spend resources in numerous ways. We would have to put more -- calibrate our voter file differently. We would have to put more resources on the ground to knock on different doors than we normally would. We would have to put out more expensive, more complicated polling. We would have to -- we would have to hold more fundraisers, spend more resources trying to gather more money to pay for all of these things.” Bolger said.

Bolger went on to state “We would have to have additional advertising, both to try and retain voters that we normally would, but also to educate the voters about the difference between the parties.’

“If there is a better example of how our current political system is ruled by money, I haven’t been able to find it.” stated Green Party Secretary Jody Grage.

Doug Campbell the Montana Green Party Candidate for U.S. Congress said "Disqualification of just 43 petition signatures based on subjective handwriting comparison or on errors in complex and ambiguous clerical procedures, and to order the removal of several earnest and qualified candidates from the public ballot, is truly an insult and an injury to the thousands of Montana citizens who took a stand and asked their government for a new solution" (i.e. a chance to cast a vote beyond the two major parties).

"While this door has been closed with locks that I have not the keys for, I can not wait to see which window opens next" said Adrien Owen Wagner, Green candidate for Montana House of Representatives, District 15.

Resources:

Judge boots Green Party from Montana ballot in boost to Tester

Judge orders Montana Green Party removed from November ballot

'Scared': Montana Democrats sue to stop Green Party from spoiling Tester's re-election

Montana Green's Legal Counsel to Face Dems' Out-of-State Firm

Montana Green Party Stands Up To Democrats' High-Powered Legal Counsel