[WestMALocals] Numbers of Greens growing in Maine

[kate harris]

front page of the Bangor Daily News
http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=116946

Numbers of Greens growing in Maine
Saturday, July 23, 2005 - Bangor Daily News

Third party boosts rolls, but lacks cash

BANGOR - While the grass might be greener elsewhere, voting lists in Maine 
are as Green as they come, according to the most recent voter registration 
totals from the Secretary of State's Office.

Statewide figures, released last week, found that as of November 2004 there 
were 24,155 registered Green Party voters in Maine - the highest percentage 
of any state and a 27 percent increase over the Maine party's January 2004 
enrollment.

Matt Tilley, co-chairman of the Maine Green Independent Party, on Friday 
was enthusiastic but a bit wary of the new total - a surprising jump of 
more than 5,000 registered Greens in less than a year.

"It's remarkable in a way, but we'll take it," said Tilley, of Bangor, who 
attributed at least part of the increase to more younger voters entering 
the party and some likely duplication among town voting lists.

Tilley also credited the presence of Mainer Pat LaMarche on the national 
party's 2004 presidential ticket, even though that ticket received less 
than 1 percent of the statewide vote.

"It seems like she raised some interest and enthusiasm," Tilley said of 
LaMarche, who is considering a run for governor in 2006.

Nancy Allen, a spokeswoman for the Green Party of the United States, the 
national affiliate of the Maine Green Independent Party, offered a more 
philosophical reason for the increase.

"It's a negative reaction to major parties," said Allen, who lives in 
Castine. "People want a party that represents values."

While Green membership remains a fraction of that of the major parties, as 
a percentage, the Maine Greens fared well. As of November 2004, there were 
319,198 Democrats - a 7 percent increase over January 2004 - and 287,452 
Republicans, a 5 percent increase.

Independents, or so-called "unenrolled" voters, again composed the largest 
group with 393,151 voters - a 7 percent increase.

Maine Greens, at 2.3 percent of the statewide electorate, boasted the 
highest percentage of Green voters anywhere in the country.

That distinction, however, is not surprising, Tilley said, considering 
Maine's relatively small electorate - only about 1 million people - 
particularly compared with places such as California, which has about 
158,000 Greens among the state's nearly 17 million registered voters.

Ranked in terms of total Green voters, Maine places third behind California 
and New York, the latter of which has about 38,000 Greens.

But even as the Maine Greens appear to increase their rolls, the party 
continues its financial struggle, recently finding itself homeless in a 
sense. The party already has shut down its Portland office and is in the 
process of closing its Augusta office, said Tilley, predicting the move 
will save the party about $5,000 a year.

Without a headquarters, the party - which last year operated on about 
$15,000 - will hold its meetings at different locations throughout the 
state, he said.

"We're going to take the show on the road," Tilley said.