Author: gpututah

The Green Party of Utah (GPUT) is an inclusive political party promoting the Green Party's ten key values and the four pillars of Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, Ecological Wisdom, and Non-Violence.

We Fight Back! Inauguration Day, 2025

INAUGURATION DAY – UTAH FIGHTS BACK

On Inauguration Day, Jan 20th, people will come together in cities and towns across the country in a nationwide mobilization opposing Trump’s ultra-right, billionaire agenda. Join the organizers, Green Party of Utah, and others to say “WE FIGHT BACK” at the Utah State Capitol at 2pm!

This mobilization is only the beginning. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire friends’ agenda is to destroy worker’s rights, attack women, trans people, and our immigrant neighbors all while paving the way for a complete corporate capitalist takeover by ending regulations to protect the environment, firing thousands of public sector workers, and transferring ever-larger parts of the National Treasury to the military industrial complex.

We can defeat the destructive program of the Trump administration, but we must build a massive movement against the ruling class and the political system that gives everything to billionaires while impoverishing an ever larger section of the population.

🗓️ JANUARY 20

⏰ 2PM

📍 UTAH STATE CAPITOL (350 STATE ST)

Utah State Records Committee Supports Green Party’s Request for Voter Information

Image of two people holding a green party banner.

This release is online at https://greenpartyofutah.org/news/
For immediate release
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Contacts:
Russell Wagstaff, Green Party of Utah Co-Chair
Dee Taylor, Green Party of Utah Co-Chair greenpartyutah@gmail.com, (385) 275-6002‬

Utah State Records Committee Supports Green Party’s Request for Voter Information

Salt Lake City, UT – On August 26, 2024, the Green Party of Utah (GPUT) received notification from the Utah State Records Committee that their appeal to obtain voter registration records was granted. This decision underscores the critical importance of access to voter information for smaller political parties and raises questions about the necessity of high fees for such records. It highlights the need for reasonable accommodations within the democratic process.

Russell Wagstaff, a Co-Chair of the GPUT, commented: “The Green Party’s victory is a triumph for grassroots democracy in Utah. This success paves the way for greater political diversity in Utah and beyond.”

Initially, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office sought to impose a fee of $1,050 for the voter registration records specific to Green Party members in Utah. The Committee deemed this fee unreasonable, particularly for a small party with limited financial resources. Consequently, they ruled that the full dataset must be provided at no charge if it is not feasible to filter the records to include only Green Party registrants.

Lionel Trepanier, a Grassroots Coordinator of the GPUT, stated: “There are numerous barriers impeding democratic processes, especially for smaller political parties. With this decision, Utah is leading the way. The GPUT’s recent victory represents a significant step towards more inclusive and accessible elections in Utah.”

This case may establish a precedent for future disputes over record fees and could impact how government agencies balance revenue generation with the public’s right to access information essential for democratic engagement.

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Free Speech on Trial

GPUT co-chair, Russ Wagstaff, participated in the comment time during “Free Speech on Trial”, August 7, 2024. , featuring Jill Stein and others. This event was sponsored by the St. Louis Green Party and co-sponsored by the GPUT, among many others. Participants heard how the US government is writing new laws, twisting existing laws, and using lawsuits to target organizers that are fighting to end colonialism and oppression. Learn about the activists on the front lines of the fight to save free speech for all of us.
Introduction by Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party presumptive Presidential Nominee: on the right to resist 2 party corruption and on the Green Party standing up to protect free speech.

Speakers: 

Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party and one of the Uhuru 3. Revolutionary leader fighting for reparations and African self determination 

Tara Houska, Indigenous lawyer and activist, founder of Giniw Collective, water protector and organizer: on the collusion between law enforcement and corporations against those protesting for Indigenous land rights 

Renee Johnston, weekly show co-host for Black Liberation Media. educator, researcher, abolitionist, and organizer: on the expansions of cop cities and the surveillance state 

Rick Lass, Green Party Ballot Access Director for Jill Stein: on the Democratic party’s efforts to bypass and change existing laws to try keep Greens off the ballot