Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein Gets Matching Funds From Federal Government

Ballot Access News had an interesting article on Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein who like all candidates not from the Democrats and Republicans, has been fighting against powerful forces to break the two-party system.  Recently, Stein has been able to achieve another milestone through the form of a check from the federal government for a nice sum of money. | Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

Richard Winger, who is the great mind behind Ballot Access News, gave the latest news, “On September 28, the Federal Election Commission asked the U.S. Treasury to send a second check to the Jill Stein campaign. The second check is for $160,389.13. The first one, received earlier, had been for $100,000.” Here is a press release from the FCC from September 28, 2012, titled, “Federal Election Commission Certifies Federal Matching Funds for Jill Stein for President”:

WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission has certified $160,389.13 in federal matching funds to Jill Stein for President for the 2012 primary election. The certified amount was in response to the first regular submission for matching funds made by Jill Stein for President. The Commission requested today that the U.S. Treasury Department transfer the amount certified.

This raises the total amount of federal funds certified thus far to Jill Stein for President to$260,389.13. Jill Stein for President is the authorized committee of Jill Stein, the presidential candidate of the Green Party.Stein is the third candidate to be declared eligible for federal matching funds in 2012. The Commission has certified $351,961.10 in federal matching funds to Charles E. “Buddy” Roemer III and $303,751.20 to Gary Earl Johnson for the primary.

To become eligible for matching funds, a candidate must raise a threshold amount of $100,000 by collecting $5,000 in each of 20 states in amounts no greater than $250 from any individual. Other requirements include agreeing to an overall spending limit, abiding by spending limits in each state, using public funds only for qualified campaign-related expenses, keeping financial records and permitting an extensive campaign audit. On August 23, based on Jill Stein for President’s initial threshold submission, the Commission requested that the United States Treasury make an initial payment of $100,000 to Jill Stein for President.

The presidential public funding program is financed through the $3 check-off that appears on individual income tax returns. The program has three elements: matching payments to participating candidates during the primary campaign, grants to parties to help fund their nominating conventions, and grants available to nominees to pay for the general election.

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. Established in 1975, the FEC is composed of six Commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Wikipedia has the following information on the Green Party of the United States that nominated Jill Stein for president:

The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is a national American political party founded in 1991 as a voluntary association of state green parties. With its founding, the Green Party of the United States became the primary national Green organization in the United States, eclipsing theGreens/Green Party USA, which emphasized non-electoral movement building. The Association of State Green Parties (ASGP), a forerunner organization, first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader’s United States presidential campaigns in 1996 and 2000.

Also interesting is this Wikipedia information on the international success of the Green Party:

The Green party is a formally organized political party in nearly 90 countries around the world and is based on the principles of Green politics, such as social justice, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, and environmentalism. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation for world peace. Green party platforms typically embrace social-democratic economic policies and forming coalitions with leftists.

And don’t forget to take a look at our Green Party page too!