I believe that we need to better achieve open democracy and peaceful security in order for us to move forward on all of the other issues that are important to us. Our eternal war-footing and corporate owned government harm the economy and prevent social justice.

The reason I am running is that the two major parties, the Democrats and Republicans, have attempted a hostile takeover of the United States and are failing to deliver on the promises of our Constitution. We are supposed to be a democracy, yet the vast majority of Americans feel completely disconnected from their elected officials. We cannot be a true democracy unless we reconnect and take responsibility for our own governance. I want to be a part of that.

The Green Party is the perfect springboard for the re-emergence of our democracy. With Rich Whitney leading the charge, many people put together a fantastic effort to get on the ballot and secure established party status. This is no small feat! The two parties in Springfield set overly restrictive ballot access rules in place, all in an attempt to prevent Illinois citizens from feeling they can take part in the government without pledging allegiance to the Republicans or Democrats.

I don’t believe that any one party can truly represent everyone. That’s why we need to open up the system to allow everyone a voice, and multiple parties can work together to deliver those voices. This can be accomplished through various methods including: instant runoff voting (IRV), abolishing the electoral college, decreasing the size of Congressional districts, and many more.