Op-Ed: “Arizona Voters Should Consider Voting Green in 2024”

The Green Party is back on the ballot in Arizona as of December 2023, and while Arizona voters may have forgotten about this third party's existence since it was last on the ballot in the 2018 midterms, the Greens may have the potential this year to shake up the 2024 election in a way that's never been seen before.

The Arizona Green Party first made its debut in 1990, presenting itself as a new kind of political party that was grassroots, free of corporate influence, and centered around their four pillars of Ecology, Democracy, Peace, and Social Justice. Through the years, the Arizona Green Party has maintained an organized presence in the state that ebbs and flows, and has run candidates for office in nearly every election cycle, both on the ballot and as write-ins, from local races all the way up to U.S. Congress and President.

The Green Party's platform is extensive, and among many other policies, it calls for progressive reforms such as ranked choice voting, single-payer universal healthcare, tuition-free public education, cancellation of student and medical debt, LGBTQIA+ and gender equality, decriminalization of drugs, an end to U.S. wars, and its flagship policy program- the Green New Deal- which puts forth a detailed plan to decarbonize and democratize our economy while promoting socio-economic equality and mitigating the worst effects of the climate crisis.

The 2024 election marks the 8th time in the party's 34 year history where the Greens have achieved statewide party recognition and ballot status, and it comes at a time when the possibility of a third party breakthrough in American politics is potentially the closest it has ever been. In recent Gallup polling from October of 2023, support for a third U.S. political party has reached 63% nationally amongst all registered voters, and has even risen to highs of 75% amongst independents- one of Arizona's largest voting blocs.

With the State Legislature currently split almost evenly in both the State House and State Senate between Republicans and Democrats, as well as several legislative seats currently going unopposed or under-opposed in various districts throughout the state, the Greens have a unique and fleeting opportunity to get a foothold in the Legislature in 2024 and truly make themselves the changemakers of next year's legislative session. If only a few Greens get elected to the AZ Legislature, the Arizona Green Party could make themselves into the deciding votes in one or both chambers.

What would that mean for Arizona? Well, for starters, it’s highly unlikely that any of the recent Republican-sponsored bills attacking immigrants, LGBTQIA+ youth, and the integrity of our elections would ever reach the Governor’s desk. Additionally, a minor Green presence in the legislature could force the Democrats to move further left on several policy issues than they’ve been comfortable with up to this point, both to maintain their own base of grassroots left-wing supporters, as well as get any of their proposed bills passed in a split legislature with Greens acting as the deciding votes. Policy areas the Greens would be sure to take an active interest in would include water conservation, renewable energy, election reform, public health, worker’s rights, criminal justice reform, and many more issues central to the Greens’ platform and Key Values.

In all likelihood, any elected Greens in the legislature would probably struggle to get their own bills passed through committees and both chambers of the legislature. However, they could still serve as the solitary voices of reason that speak up and fight against both major parties for the interests of diverse working families and our planet, a perspective that has long since been missing in the State Legislature.

If Arizona voters are truly sick of the current political gridlock and the two-party system continually failing to prioritize their needs, the Green Party may be just the electoral answer that they’ve been waiting and hoping for.

Cody Hannah is a student, activist, and organizer running for Arizona House of Representatives in AZ's 13th Legislative District. He is the currently elected Chairperson of the Green Party of Maricopa County and Co-Chairperson of the Arizona Green Party.