Green Politics in Ohio & Putting Nader on the Ballot.

• Author: Dumouchelle, Paul

The very definition of a "swing" state, Ohio has a record of backing Presidential winners. The state's varied population and economic base reflect a rough approximation of the nation as a whole and its politics typically reflect national trends. Though every statewide elected office has been held by Republicans for several years, President Clinton won the state in both of his elections. Ohio's majority swings from one party to another, depending on the strength of the candidate and the hot issues of the day. This is similar to the split evidenced currently, where the Whited House and Congress are held by different parties. In many ways, the fledgling Green movement here reflects national trends.

In the early 1990's the Greens were a growing force with a strong core organized around opposition to a planned low-level radioactive waste dump backed by then Governor, now US Senator, George Voinovich. Though the nuclear dump was defeated, the Greens' momentum for further political or social activism foundered on the rocks of political controversy. The group splintered over the 1996 election and what to do with Candidate Nader. This split reflected the national division between those who favored a strict adherence to Green principles--translated as a total avoidance of a corrupt political process--and those who sought to work within the system to advance the Green cause (the former typically associating themselves with the Greens/Green Party USA [GPUSA] and the latter with the Association of State Green Parties [ASGP]). As a result, the Ohio Greens disintegrated.

The 1996 Nader Campaign in Ohio was a microcosm of the national result. The campaign energized many, drawing new blood into the Green effort. Yet the campaign embittered experienced Greens on both sides. To this day, those who supported Nader in 1996 blame their compatriots for undermining the ballot-petition effort and causing the failure to get Candidate Nader on the ballot. Supporters thought they had submitted enough signatures to get Nader on the ballot as an independent, but many signatures were invalidated by the Secretary of State, something which always happens. The final count of "valid" signatures fell just a few hundred short of 5,000. If we had had the enthusiastic support of all Greens throughout Ohio Nader would have surely appeared on the ballot.

Ohio's Greens have not held a statewide meeting since the 1996 election. The inability of GPUSA and ASGP to overcome their own...