Texas Democrats sue to boot Republican-funded Green Party from ballot
Democrats head to court in effort to stop Greens
Group that helped party gather signatures to get on statewide ballot has several ties to Republicans.
By Jason Embry
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:53 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Democrats will try today to block the Green Party from fielding candidates for governor and other statewide offices this November.
The Greens appeared to qualify for this year's statewide ballot by submitting 92,000 petition signatures to the secretary of state's office in May. But the Texas Democratic Party will try to persuade a state district judge in Austin to block the Greens from the ballot because, Democrats claim, an outside group illegally paid for the gathering of those signatures.
Take Initiative America, a Missouri-based group with several ties to Republicans, paid $532,500 to gather the signatures for the Green Party, according to court filings. Democrats contend that Republicans are behind the effort because a Green candidate likely would pull votes away from Democrat Bill White, who is challenging Gov. Rick Perry.
....continued at the source.
Group that helped party gather signatures to get on statewide ballot has several ties to Republicans.
By Jason Embry
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:53 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Democrats will try today to block the Green Party from fielding candidates for governor and other statewide offices this November.
The Greens appeared to qualify for this year's statewide ballot by submitting 92,000 petition signatures to the secretary of state's office in May. But the Texas Democratic Party will try to persuade a state district judge in Austin to block the Greens from the ballot because, Democrats claim, an outside group illegally paid for the gathering of those signatures.
Take Initiative America, a Missouri-based group with several ties to Republicans, paid $532,500 to gather the signatures for the Green Party, according to court filings. Democrats contend that Republicans are behind the effort because a Green candidate likely would pull votes away from Democrat Bill White, who is challenging Gov. Rick Perry.
....continued at the source.