GreenEarthAl
08-25-2004, 09:39 PM
Just posting this because Rachel Treichler is cool and we've emailed back n forth a bit so it was cool to see her name (honestly the only reason I read this in the first place)
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TREICHLER STATE ASSEMBLY PETITION CHALLENGED
Rachel Treichler from Hammondsport announced today that a challenge has been filed to her independent nominating petition. Treichler is running on the Green Party line as a candidate for the 136th Assembly district. She is the only candidate running for the seat, other than the incumbent, James Bacalles, a Republican from Corning.
General objections to her petition were filed on Monday by William O. Hatch from Canisteo, chairman of the Steuben County Republican Committee. Specific objections must be filed by next Monday.
Because the Green Party lost ballot status in 2002 when their gubernatorial
candidate failed to get 50,000 votes, Treichler was required to collect signatures on an independent nominating petition. This meant that any registered voter in the district who had not already signed for another candidate for the same seat could sign her petitions. Many did so.
Treichler's campaign is the first major petitioning effort by Green
Party members in Steuben and Yates counties. "We learned a lot about the
technical rules of how to collect signatures," Treichler said, "and now,
thanks to the Republican challenge, we are about to learn even more! People learned that petitioning isn't that difficult, and can even be fun." As her campaign progressed, more and more people turned out to help petition. Almost 30 people helped Treichler collect signatures.
Treichler said that petitioning as an independent candidate is very interesting because it gives an opportunity to approach registered voters
in all parties and learn more about their views. Most registered voters
were willing to sign her petitions, Treichler said, even if they did not
agree with all her positions, because they thought it would be good for voters to have a choice on election day.
All her encounters were instructive. Treichler recalls one angry Democrat who said he would not sign her petition. "You are just helping the Republicans," he said. Treichler asked how she was helping the Republicans by running against a Republican candidate, whom no Democrat was challenging. He said, "You are showing people there is an alternative to the Democratic Party."
Treichler is a member of the Steuben Greens, a group that has been working to build the Green Party in Steuben County since 2002. Since the group was formed, Green Party enrollment in the county has increased from 140 to 206, an increase of 40%. Treichler says that people should not be confused by the fact that although the Green Party has lost ballot status, people can still register Green. She was a plaintiff in a successful lawsuit Green Party members brought in 2002 against the Board of Elections. The decision in this lawsuit gives Green Party and other third party supporters the right to register in the party of their choice, even if that party does not have ballot status. The new voter registration forms have a blank line upon which a registrant can write in the party name of his or her choice.
The next meeting of the Steuben Greens is Monday, September 20 in Hornell. For the location of the meeting and other information about the Steuben Greens, visit their website at
http://www.steubengreens.org.
Treichler is campaigning on a platform of strengthening local
production in Steuben and Yates counties, particularly organic food and renewable energy production. "For long-term economic sustainability," Treichler says, "We need to return production and economic decision making to the local level. Local production and local ownership need to be acilitated and local communities need to be given effective oversight of local production." For more information about Treichler's platform, visit her website at
http://www.voterachel.org
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TREICHLER STATE ASSEMBLY PETITION CHALLENGED
Rachel Treichler from Hammondsport announced today that a challenge has been filed to her independent nominating petition. Treichler is running on the Green Party line as a candidate for the 136th Assembly district. She is the only candidate running for the seat, other than the incumbent, James Bacalles, a Republican from Corning.
General objections to her petition were filed on Monday by William O. Hatch from Canisteo, chairman of the Steuben County Republican Committee. Specific objections must be filed by next Monday.
Because the Green Party lost ballot status in 2002 when their gubernatorial
candidate failed to get 50,000 votes, Treichler was required to collect signatures on an independent nominating petition. This meant that any registered voter in the district who had not already signed for another candidate for the same seat could sign her petitions. Many did so.
Treichler's campaign is the first major petitioning effort by Green
Party members in Steuben and Yates counties. "We learned a lot about the
technical rules of how to collect signatures," Treichler said, "and now,
thanks to the Republican challenge, we are about to learn even more! People learned that petitioning isn't that difficult, and can even be fun." As her campaign progressed, more and more people turned out to help petition. Almost 30 people helped Treichler collect signatures.
Treichler said that petitioning as an independent candidate is very interesting because it gives an opportunity to approach registered voters
in all parties and learn more about their views. Most registered voters
were willing to sign her petitions, Treichler said, even if they did not
agree with all her positions, because they thought it would be good for voters to have a choice on election day.
All her encounters were instructive. Treichler recalls one angry Democrat who said he would not sign her petition. "You are just helping the Republicans," he said. Treichler asked how she was helping the Republicans by running against a Republican candidate, whom no Democrat was challenging. He said, "You are showing people there is an alternative to the Democratic Party."
Treichler is a member of the Steuben Greens, a group that has been working to build the Green Party in Steuben County since 2002. Since the group was formed, Green Party enrollment in the county has increased from 140 to 206, an increase of 40%. Treichler says that people should not be confused by the fact that although the Green Party has lost ballot status, people can still register Green. She was a plaintiff in a successful lawsuit Green Party members brought in 2002 against the Board of Elections. The decision in this lawsuit gives Green Party and other third party supporters the right to register in the party of their choice, even if that party does not have ballot status. The new voter registration forms have a blank line upon which a registrant can write in the party name of his or her choice.
The next meeting of the Steuben Greens is Monday, September 20 in Hornell. For the location of the meeting and other information about the Steuben Greens, visit their website at
http://www.steubengreens.org.
Treichler is campaigning on a platform of strengthening local
production in Steuben and Yates counties, particularly organic food and renewable energy production. "For long-term economic sustainability," Treichler says, "We need to return production and economic decision making to the local level. Local production and local ownership need to be acilitated and local communities need to be given effective oversight of local production." For more information about Treichler's platform, visit her website at
http://www.voterachel.org