GPUSA and the FEC.

• Author: Wood, Betty K.
• Position: Greens/Green Party USA; - Federal Election Commission

There have been many assertions about the filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) the Greens/Green Party USA. Much of it is untrue. As the person who raised the subject in 1996 and who actually created the Request for Advisory Opinion (RAO), I want to set the record straight.

I had spent considerable effort during my time with the Greens in reading past Bulletins, including minutes of all previous Congress and GNC meetings, serving on the Budget and Finance Committee, on the Greens National Committee, and on the Coordinating Committee. When I became Clearinghouse Coordinator I was specifically given great latitude in making the day to day decisions of the Clearinghouse. The decisions to be made fell well within the framework of previously established guidelines.

Until the beginning of 1996 the money received by the Clearinghouse of G/GPUSA was dues and contributions intended to support the Clearinghouse and general organizing. During the first three months of 1996 the Clearinghouse received funds that were clearly marked for electoral work. This was new territory. How was the money to be spent? If $1000 was raised or spent on a federal candidate, then we would have to report it to the FEC. Since there are several categories for reporting to the FEC, which one should we use? Who would do the reports? And so on. I took my questions to the Green National Committee (GNC) of the G/GPUSA which met the weekend after the California Primary.

The GNC gave my concerns serious consideration and deliberation with lots of debate on what should be done. The concern was that we handle the money coming in and the reports that might be required in a legal manner. They ultimately instructed me to follow the objectives laid out by the Congress when it adopted the name of Greens/Green Pary USA: file with the FEC as a political party. Note that this was in March of 1996, before the Draft Nader Clearinghouse, before the Association of State Green Parties (ASGP), even before Ralph Nader had agreed to anything other than running in the California primary. There was absolutely no discussion about receiving public funds. More about the public funding later.

The workload in the Clearinghouse exploded but, as additional funds earmarked for electoral activity came in, I prepared a 2-3 page draft of a RAO for the FEC and had it reviewed by Mark Dunlea. Mark indicated that since it was being reviewed by lawyers and lawyers like lots of words, you have to tell...