When we think of American politics our minds usually go to two places, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. However, The United States also has some smaller political parties, one of which is the Green Party. 

Rafael Ramos, U.S. History teacher at Middle College High School said, “It is very difficult for smaller parties to exist. There are several reasons. First and foremost, the Democratic and Republican parties have a stranglehold on American politics that they maintain by spreading misinformation, constantly attacking smaller parties, and preventing the passage of laws that would make it easier for smaller parties to campaign and promote their party.”

Justin Paglino, a retired MD/PhD, is running in Connecticut’s 3rd District Congressional race in 2022 as a Green Party candidate. 

“I chose to run for Congress as a Green, rather than as a progressive Dem, because I believe a 2 party system is inadequate.  In a two party system you only have two choices, and you can only pick your least unfavorite. You don’t get to pick your favorite. You don’t get to vote your values,” Paglino stated.

The Green Party of the United States got its start in Maine in 1984. Then it was called Green Committees of Correspondence. The Green Party platform is built on four pillars and ten key values. 

Peace, ecology, social justice, and democracy are the four pillars. The ten key values consist of: grassroots democracy, social justice and equal opportunity, ecological wisdom, non-violence, decentralization, community-based economics, feminism and gender equity, respect for diversity, personal and global responsibility, and future focus and sustainability. 

Some of the Green Party’s positions include the abolition of the death penalty, single payer healthcare, and healthcare for transgender people. 

The Green Party also has a few Caucuses including the Black Caucus, Latinex Caucus, Lavender Greens Caucus, National Women’s Caucus, and Young Ecosocialists. 

A Twitter post from the Green Party’s account displays a quote from Margaret Elisabeth the National Co-Chair, which said, “I am Green because The Green Party is the only party which affirms gender identity and gender expression in its platform.”

On the Green Party’s platform under II. Social Justice in A: Civil Rights and Equal Rights, it states, “The Green Party recognizes the full civil rights of sexual and gender minorities. The existing civil rights act prohibits discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, and disability. We will work to add sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression to the existing civil rights act.”

The Green Party of the United States also has a strong stance on many economic issues in our country. 

The Green New Deal has been talked about in the Democratic party very recently, however, the Green Party has been calling for a Green New Deal since 2006. 

In the Green Party’s platform under III. Ecological Sustainability in A: Climate Change it states that the Green Party favors to, “Enact an emergency Green New Deal to turn the tide on climate change, revive the economy and make wars for oil obsolete. Initiate a WWII-scale national mobilization to halt climate change, the greatest threat to humanity in our history. Create 20 million jobs by transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, and investing in public transit, sustainable agriculture, conservation and restoration of critical infrastructure, including ecosystems.”

Education is also an extremely important issue for the Greens. They have many ideas about how we can improve our educational systems in the United States. 

They state that, “We must stop disinvestment in education and instead put it at the top of our social and economic agenda. Effective schools have sufficient resources. Too many of our teachers are overworked, underpaid, and starved of key materials.”

In the Social Justice Section under E: Education and the Arts it says the Greens work towards, “Dismantling white supremacy in our schools, represented in curricula, discipline, teacher recruitment and more, by seeking to end the school-to-jailhouse track.”

While the Green Party and the Democratic party agree on some things, there are tensions between the two. Many people believe that the Green Party is responsible for the losses of Democratic candidates in elections. 

“Vote splitting, spoiler candidate effect, etc are central problems in the way we structure our ballot, which is called ‘first past the post’ voting, i.e. you vote for one candidate only on the ballot, and do not get to indicate your second choice,” Paglino stated.

Palino also said, “The solution to this problem is Ranked Choice Voting, currently being used in Alaska and Maine and several US Cities.  In Ranked Choice Voting you rank several candidates on the ballot in your order of preference.  If your first choice is a green you can indicate that, and if your second choice is a Dem you can indicate that, and if your first choice candidate comes in last, your vote goes to your second choice.  It solves the spoiler effect which would remove the ‘vote stealing’ stigma that third parties face.”

“We have been conditioned to believe that we only have two options and that third parties do not stand a chance. People believe the big lie that a vote for a third party is a wasted vote,” Ramos said.

When it’s time to vote, don’t wave off third-party candidates just because they are from a third party. Take time to listen to what they have to say. 

You can find the Green Party platform here: https://www.gp.org/platform