[fgp-chat] Fwd: Petition turn-in completed, & Successful!

[Dr. Christopher Fink]

The message below was sent August 25, and since then we've heard word 
back from the VA Dept. of Elections that we have passed the threshold of 
valid signatures.  So Jill Stein will be on the ballot in Virginia in 
November.  Thanks to all who gathered signatures, and to all who signed!

- Chris Fink, FGP Coordinator

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Dear Fellow Ballot Access Coordinators and Volunteers,

I am pleased to announce that today we completed our final turn-in of 
our ballot access petitions and associated paperwork to the Dept. of 
Elections of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

We turned in a total of 2189 petitions sheets totalling more than 11,000 
signatures. Of those, at least 6,000 were obtained by you and our other 
volunteers, and the remaining were gathered by paid petitioners hired by 
the Stein campaign.

Our validation rate on signatures turned in three weeks ago was 70%. 
Provided our validation rate on the remaining signatures is comparable, 
or even just 50%, we can be confident that Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka's 
names will be on the November ballot in the Commonwealth. I anticipate 
that the state will take at least a couple weeks to finish validating 
our petition signatures. I will of course let you know the minute I hear 
anything.

At least 70 distinct volunteers are recorded as having collected at 
least some of the signatures among those turned in. I will be making an 
announcement shortly on our state FB page, and I would like to invite 
all of you to share the announcement widely. In addition, because I'm 
sure I cannot gather together all of the email addresses, please forward 
this email to all of the volunteers with whom you have worked.

You have my heartfelt thanks and sincere admiration for this 
achievement. I believe that everyone involved should feel a sense of 
profound accomplishment at having exercised, on behalf of our millions 
of fellow Virginians, our right and obligation of self-government. 
Virginia itself owes you a debt of gratitude.

After we take a few days to collect our wits, we will be turning our 
attention to the remaining 2+ months of campaigning. It isn't enough to 
be on the ballot; we need folks to actually vote for us! We will be 
getting literature and buttons and bumper stickers and yard signs, and I 
will be asking every local to take on the task of organizing in their 
districts to educate Virginians about the Stein campaign and their 
option to vote for a fundamental change.

I firmly believe that if even half of the voting public knew about the 
Stein campaign and its platform, we would easily make 5, 10, or even 15% 
in this election. Doing so would have a transfomative effect on Virginia 
politics, and on the nation. This should be our goal this year. Getting 
the information out to actual voters is Job 1.

Thank you again,

Yours,

Sid

********************
B. Sidney Smith
GPVA, Co-chair