The Green Party of the United States

Organizing and Resources Library
Who Really Spoiled in 2000?

The Supreme Court Spoiled:
Al Gore won the 2000 election. George W. Bush became President when a biased US Supreme Court allowed election manipulation by Florida Republicans.

Al Gore Spoiled:

Gore ran a weak campaign with no clear message. He failed to defeat Bush in the debates and even lost his home state of Tennessee. Millions of Democrats voted for Bush compared to the few hundred thousand who voted for Nader.

Democratic Senators Spoiled:
When the Black Caucus challenged Bush’s election victory in January 2001, not one Democratic Senator stood up in support. Senate Democrats failed to push for an investigation of the Florida vote debacle.

The Democratic Party Spoiled:
For many years, Democrats never objected when officials removed African American and other voters from the voter rolls in Florida and other states. Why didn’t the Democrats sue when 90,000 Florida voters were disqualified earlier in 2000? Why were Democrats (including Gore) silent about disqualified votes in the weeks after the election?

Don't Believe the Lies!

Lie #1: “This is a two-party system.”
Nothing in the US Constitution limits the number of political parties. Democracy means free participation, in the party of your choice.

Lie #2: “Green candidates steal votes from Democrats”
Greens will continue to affect election outcomes - and sometimes win. But Greens have no power to steal votes from Democratic candidates, because no candidate owns anyone’s vote except for his or her own.

Lie #3: “If Nader hadn’t run, everyone who voted for him would have voted for Gore!”
According to exit polls, Nader’s support came from Democrats, Republicans, independents, and many others. Many would not have voted for Gore if Nader hadn’t run, and some voters might not have voted at all.

Top Democrats Know That the "Spoiler" Charge is a Lie!

Al From, chair of the Democratic Leadership Council, wrote in Blueprint Magazine (1-24-01) that according to their own exit polls, Bush would have beat Gore by one percentage point if Nader hadn’t run in 2000.

Vote your conscience and your hopes, not your fears!
Democracy means joining the party of your choice, and voting for candidates who best represent your interests and ideals.

Support Fair Elections!

Support Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)!
IRV allows voters to rank their first, second, and third choices on the ballot. IRV ensures that whoever wins the election has the support of a majority of voters. Many cities and towns have adopted IRV because it allows voters a real choice. Read more about IRV, Proportional Representation, and other democratic ways to reform our spoiled two-party, winner-take-all system, which bars people from representation and participation, at FairVote.org.

Support public financing of election campaigns!
‘Clean Election’ campaign laws in Maine, Massachusetts, and Arizona help candidates who don’t take contributions from corporate lobbies.

Support free air time and inclusion in public debates for all candidates!
Voters have the right to know about all candidates whose names will appear on the ballot. Democracy means the power to make informed choices.

Repeal unfair election laws!
In many states, Democrats and Republicans have blocked other parties and candidates by passing antidemocratic ballot access laws. Some states have rules to disqualify voters whose votes they don’t want counted -- as we saw in Florida in 2000.

Join the party that fights for democracy instead of empire, peace instead of endless war, working people instead of corporations, and the health of our planet!

The Green Party and its candidates take no money from corporations.

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