Ballot Access Drive Jane Elioseff The Green Party of Texas, formed in May 1999, held its second state convention on March 11 in Houston. Ralph Nader, founder of Public Citizen, and Ronnie Dugger, founding editor of The Texas Observer and now at the head of the Alliance for Democracy, were both present to rally the troops. Third parties in Texas face a daunting barrier to ballot access. Between March 16 and May 21, the Green Party must garner between 50 and 60 thousand signatures to be assured of having the approximately 38 thousand signatures needed to place Green candidates on the November ballot. To be valid, the signatures must come from registered Texas voters who did not vote in the March 15, 2000, primary election. North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia have the nation’s most stringent ballot access requirements. Nader will seek the Green nomination for president of the United States at the party’s national convention in Boulder in June. At the state level, Charlie Mauch and Gary Dugger are running for two of three positions on the Texas Railroad Commission. In recent years, the Railroad Commission has become such a Republican stronghold, the Democratic Party is not fielding candidates in 2000. Also standing as Green candidates for high office are attorney Ben Levy, founder of the Houston regional ACLU, now seeking a position on the Texas Supreme Court, and attorney Doug Sandage, who will attempt to unseat Kay Bailey Hutchison in the U.S. Senate. Green candidates must pledge to support the party’s “Ten Key Values”: ecological wisdom, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, respect for diversity, social justice, decentralization, community based economics, feminism, global responsibility, and future focus/sustainability. Anyone wishing to sign a petition or help with the ballot access drive may contact Nathalie Paravicini, 713-880-9929.