Thank you everyone for getting out and voting today. Though most of the work for change is done between and outside of elections, it’s important for everyone who is eligible to come out and let the country hear all your voices and know your hopes and vision for a new direction for the people.

My fellow Greens, some of our duopoly-supporting friends may question you for voting your values. It’s important to remember that this country is supposed to be for all its people, not just the red and the blue.

Remember too, that the more votes that third parties get, the more chances they will have in future elections. These are not “wasted” votes, but filled with powerful potential for change. They help our parties achieve or maintain ballot access. We can start appearing in polls. We can start getting media attention. Our message can start to reach more people.

We know that voting for who is going to win instead of who we want to win will never get us a government that works for us.

We must fight back against any effort to blame Green (or other third-party) voters for not playing the establishment’s game. We need to pressure the people who refuse to do anything to change the game. We need to stand up to the establishment and hold them responsible for the voter suppression, gerrymandering, propaganda, silencing of independent voices, and other ways they block democracy.

Even if our candidates don’t win this election, today is a step toward wins in future elections and, more importantly, to wins for the people and our own access to power and decision-making in this country.

So thank you again to everyone for voting today, but especially I want to thank the third-party and independent voters and candidates for your courage. If you all stepped down and left it to the establishment, there would be no hope of democracy, justice, peace, or health left.

I also hope everyone will work with us after the election in the fight to remove money from politics, to move power from politicians to the people, and to switch to a more fair system of voting. Stay tuned for a local forum here in Morris County, New Jersey on Ranked Choice Voting and other options, and then join us in our 2019 campaigns to make these things happen.

#itsinourhands

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