From the Green Party of Rhode Island:

PROVIDENCE, RI (September 12, 2012) — The Green Party of Rhode Island learned on Tuesday that its nearly 2,000 petition signatures have been validated by Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis.

The secretary of state’s certification means Green presidential candidate Jill Stein, and running mate Cheri Honkala, will appear on Rhode Island’s ballot this November.

Michael Narducci, Deputy Director of the state’s Elections Division, told the Greens on Tuesday that far more than the required 1,000 signatures had been certified as of September 11, with the count only partially completed. “The number will grow,” he said, “as more cities and towns bring me their papers.”

Party activists said collecting signatures this year was easier than ever.

“We were surprised how eagerly folks signed the petition to get Jill Stein on the ballot,” observed John Gallagher, who helped spearhead the successful signature campaign. “People are real unhappy with their other choices.”

Nick Schmader, the Greens’ vice chair for peace and diplomacy, said having a Green presidential slate on the Rhode Island ballot will once again “give voters an alternative to the dysfunctional, two-party duopoly.”

Cynthia Osorio Florez, Green Party treasurer, said petitioning was easier because “Lots of Rhode Islanders know that both the Democratic and Republican parties are paid for with corporate sponsorships and millionaires’ donations. Greens don’t take corporate money, period.”

Green Party vice chair Greg Gerritt agreed. “Those parties are dependent on money from the 1%, for their very existence,” he said, “They will never represent millions of desperately poor Americans, nor defend an environment facing unprecedented catastrophe.”

As of September 12, the Stein/Honkala ticket has qualified for the ballot in 33 states and the District of Columbia—far surpassing the minimum number of states for an Electoral College majority.