WASHINGTON - Jill Stein and the Green Party filed their petitions for ballot access in 3 more states this week: Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Utah. The campaign is confirmed on the ballot in 28 states, and awaits state government confirmation in 7 others where we have filed in the last month. 12 more states have pending deadlines where we will be filing between now and September 9.

"The response to our petition drives have been heartening and inspiring," says Jill Stein. "People are so fed up with the corrupt two party system, and every day Trump's pronouncements turn off more and more voters. And they aren't turning to Clinton, whose ties to the 1% are so obvious and so repulsive."

In Connecticut, state Green Party leaders turned in 14,500 signatures. State law requires 7500 to be valid. In New Hampshire, over 7000 were turned in and 3000 need to be valid. The signatures in Utah had already been certified at the county level and the filing with the state was just a formality - 1000 valid signatures were submitted.

All three states have arcane election laws that require each county, town or municipality to validate signatures, forcing petitioners to carry separate petitions for each local government, and then to turn in the petition sheets to each municipality. In New Hampshire and Utah, organizers then have to go back to the clerks' offices, pick up the certified petitions, and turn them in again at the state capitol.

Campaign chair Gloria Mattera adds, “The enthusiasm for and success of our petition drives is proof that everyday Americans want more options on the ballot. It is time for us to demand open debates, not a rigged one sponsored by a commission controlled by the two major parties. Any candidate on the ballot in enough states to win the election needs to be in the debates."

Jill Stein is well on her way to having ballot access in at least 45 states. As of this writing, she is confirmed in AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, DC, FL, HI, IL, IA, LA, ME, MD, MS, MI, MA, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, SC, TX, UT, VT, WA, WV, and WI.

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