Chicago Sun-Times: Green Party claims enough signatures for Ill. ballot

Article in the Chicago Sun-Times by Associated Press on June 26, 2006

SPRINGFIELD -- The Green Party said Monday it has collected enough signatures to earn a place on Illinois' ballot this fall, giving voters an alternative to Democratic and Republican candidates.

The party needed signatures from 25,000 supporters to appear on the ballot. Party leaders said they got more than enough, although they wouldn't provide a specific number.

Rich Whitney, the party's candidate for governor, said it would be a waste of time and resources for the established parties to challenge the signatures being filed with the State Board of Elections.

The Green Party mostly is known for its emphasis on protecting the environment, but Whitney said it also supports honest government, an end to the Iraq war and a lower tax burden on the poor.

The party stands for "a clean environment and clean government," he said at a Statehouse news conference.

Whitney, a Carbondale attorney, argued that having a third party on the ballot will give unhappy voters a way to register their disgust with politics.

"I think we could have quite an impact," he said, mentioning Jesse Ventura's surprise election as governor of Minnesota.