For Immediate Release:

January 17, 2015

The Maryland Green Party has once again retained its status as a political party under Maryland law and is once again qualified to nominate candidates for all offices statewide. The party's efforts in 2014 maintained its status for the 2016 and 2018 elections.

Under state law, the party was required for the fifth time in its history to submit 10,000 valid signatures of Maryland voters supporting the existence of the Green Party. The party had successfully submitted petitions in 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2010.

On December 30, 2014, the party submitted 17,828 signatures to officials at the State Board of Elections in Annapolis. On Friday afternoon state election officials posted public notice that at least 10,000 of those signatures were verified.

The Maryland Green Party is the twenty-first state affiliate of the Green Party to retain its political party status in anticipation of the 2016 national election. The party's success in maintaining ballot access nationally has improved significantly since the 2012 national election, when 14 Green Party affiliates were ballot-qualified at the end of 2010.

The Maryland Green Party intends to participate in the nomination of a Green Party candidate for President of the United States, as well as nominating candidates for federal, state and local office in 2016 and 2018. In 2012, the Green Party of the United States nominated Jill Stein as its Presidential candidate in Baltimore at its national convention organized by Maryland Greens.



