{news} (Chicago Tribune) Green Party winners seeing red

[Green Party-CT]

ELECTION 2006
  Green Party winners seeing redNew committeemen allege confusion, cite lack of paper ballots

By Joseph Ruzich
Special to the Tribune
Published April 12, 2006

  Green Party candidate Rita Bogolub ran for Berwyn Township committeeman in the March election. She received one vote, and won.

Tim Curtin, also running under the Green Party, received four votes for Oak Park Township committeeman. He also won.

Although Bogolub and Curtin were happy for their victories, both said voting confusion and procedures on March 21 did not do their party any favors.

The Green Party, under which Ralph Nader ran in his quest for the presidency in 2000, is known for its grass-roots base, strong environmental stance and belief in decentralizing money and power. Both Bogolub and Curtin said they were surprised that Green Party paper ballots were not available in Cook County on Election Day.

Bogolub, Curtin and Arthur S. Kazar, who ran for Proviso Township committeeman, were the only Green Party candidates to appear on the March ballot in Cook County. All ran unopposed, but Kazar lost because he couldn't garner a single vote.

Voters were only able to select Green Party candidates by using the touch-screen method. Cook County provided a limited number of electronic touch-screen machines, primarily for disabled voters, but the machines could be used by other voters.

Scott Burnham, a Cook County spokesman, said third-party candidates were only available on touch-screen machines because "we didn't want to overload the polling workers with too many paper ballots.

"With the low voting turnout, most voters should have had the opportunity to use the touch screens," Burnham said.

Bogolub, 54, who had never run for office before, said it was "a misunderstanding on our part.

"We made the assumption that everyone in the township would have the opportunity to vote for committeemen. But it was only people in the 8th [Illinois House] District who were able to vote."

In fact, Bogolub, who lives outside the 8th District--which encompasses areas in Chicago, Oak Park, Forest Park and the north end of Berwyn--wasn't even able to vote for herself. She said she didn't know who provided her the "winning" vote.

The Green Party became a recognized party in the 8th District after Julie Samuels received 5 percent of the vote when she ran for 8th District state representative in 2002 and 2004. Samuels is currently running for the lieutenant governor seat on a slate of state Green Party candidates in the November election.

Curtin claimed a lot of people "were denied the right to vote that day." He said he contacted the elections office after realizing that paper ballots for the Green Party weren't available. "It was just ridiculous," he said. "When I called, [the election office] told us the paper ballots were on the way, but they never came."

Bogolub and Curtin will each serve two-year, unpaid terms as members of their party's committee.

Curtin said the Green Party offers an alternative in government. "There are a lot of issues that nobody is talking about," he said, naming mass transit. "Look at all the money being put in highways. The Blue Line [CTA elevated train], for example, should be extended out to the western suburbs where the jobs are."

Bogolub said she was attracted to the party because she feels strongly about the party's key values. "I am very concerned about the environment, social justice, equal opportunity and respect for diversity."

She said she thinks there's a great possibility that the Green Party will continue to grow, but the current structure of the government "makes it difficult for third parties to run for office."






  Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune 


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