Green Party of the United States - National Committee Voting

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Ranked Choice Vote Details

Ranked Choice Vote ID	1306
Ranked Choice Vote	2026 Election - Steering Committee Co-chairs
Type	Secret Ballot Revealed at Close of Polls
Number of Seats	3
Ranked Choice Vote Administrator	Holly Hart
Phase	Closed - 3 Elected
Discussion	07-01-2026 - 07-17-2026
Voting	07-18-2026 - 07-25-2026
Presens Quorum	Two Thirds of Active Accredited States/Caucuses
Candidates	Cassandra Lems, Green Party of New York Patricia Vener-Saavedra, Green Party of Connecticu Ann Link, Green Party of New York Charles Ostdiek, Green Party of Nebraska Kalia Fitzgerald, North Carolina Green Party No Other Candidate NOC Henry Pratt, Young Ecosocialist Caucus

Background

This ranked choice vote is to elect 3 Co-chairs to the Steering Committee. No write-ins are allowed. The choice of NOC (No Other Candidate) will be added at the time candidate bios are also added to this ballot.

About Steering Committee Elections:
http://gpus.org/bylaws/#06

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE STEERING COMMITTEE
GPUS Bylaws, Article IV. The Steering Committee:
http://gpus.org/bylaws/#04

GPUS Rules & Procedures, Article II, Steering Committee Duties and Responsibilities:
http://gpus.org/rules-procedures/#02

Candidate Information

Cassandra Lems, Green Party of New York
Cassandra Lems (she/her) is currently finishing her first term as Co-Chair of the national Steering Committee. She is running for a second term at the urging of Greens who believe she is making a valuable contribution to the party. She has attended every SC meeting and has been diligent in attending to the work of the SC. Cassandra is organized, reliable and thoughtful, and has acted to the best of her ability in the interest of GPUS.

Cassandra also serves as Program Committee Chair for the Green Party of Nassau County, as a New York State Committee member representing Nassau County, as a member at large of the Executive Committee of the Green Party of New York, and as a New York delegate to the National Committee. She also heads the state party’s Web Committee, and has run for office four times as a Green.

Patricia Vener-Saavedra, Green Party of Connecticu
Rather than lay out my bio as a time-constrained resume, I will instead offer my various experiences as a life long socialist. I am a Marxist of the same sort as Professor Richard Wolff. My socialism was especially nurtured by my paternal grandfather. My parents, even if they didn't call themselves socialists, certainly lived with obvious socialist principles.

I am a retired ballerina with a Masters degree in (astro)physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I've worked in the arts as well as in astronomic research and education. I was never comfortable or forgiving of the hierarchies surrounding these endeavors. I am still an artist with most of my work in the service of my activism.

At 73 I am considering another run for the position of Mayor of the Town of Hamden CT even though my first ever run for any office (again I started with Mayor) occurred when I was 71! I will bring the same abilities to get things done intelligently, determinedly, and creatively as all projects I take on.

I was asked to be a candidate for one of the three co-chair of the SC positions even though I have only (relatively) recently been made a delegate to the National Committee. I have never been on a "steering committee" before, but in fact I don't really think this matters. I bring characteristics and talents that are useful for any responsible position. I am intelligent, creative, skeptical, determined, and when I agree to take on a responsible position I act on my commitment.

The Steering Committee is much like the navigator or pilot of a boat trying to move through a narrow, white water river. There's a lot that needs to be cognizant of. The whole of the Green Party is dependent on a SC that is active and concerned with the evolution of the party as a partner in the evolution of Socialism in the world.

Ann Link, Green Party of New York
I’m putting my hat in to run for the Steering Committee because I want to make a more of a contribution at the national level. My experience in the local, state and federal levels of the Green Party has provided me with valuable experience to take on the many responsibilities of this position. I served as a delegate to the national committee twice from the Women’s caucus and I currently represent the caucus on the Media Committee. I’ve facilitated several SC meetings. My past leadership roles on the national level include Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus, Co-Chair of the Media Committee, and Secretary of the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee. I’ve also petitioned and campaigned for many candidates for local, state and national office. My full political resume follows. I’m retiring from full-time work in July so will have more time to fulfill the requirements of the position, and to that end I’ve been participating in the Toastmasters organization to improve my public speaking skills. Some of the goals I hope to accomplish are:
work with the other SC members to support our committees per our bylaws
work to get our annual budget presented and approved on time per our fiscal policy
foster an inviting environment for people new to the party
continue our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts
improve internal communication
improve communication with state parties
See Article IV of our bylaws and Article II of our Rules and Procedures for the Co-Chair duties and responsibilities and our fiscal policy for budget deadlines.

I came to the Green Party in a roundabout way. I was so disgusted with the Democratic Party’s candidates for nomination for president in 1992 that I decided to volunteer locally on issues I cared about. That led me to the Green Party platform in 1995 and I have been involved ever since. Nothing that has happened since has made me regret my choice and the conditions now for the inhabitants of the world are worse than ever. The Green Party is the only party with a credible way forward but we must continue our work to present ourselves as a viable alternative to voters. I look forward to working in cooperation with the other SC members toward this end and hope you will consider ranking me first. Thank you – Ann Link

POLITICAL RESUME FOR ANN LINK
2022-2024 National Women’s Caucus Delegate to the Green Party National Committee
2020-2022 National Women’s Caucus Co-Chair
2018 GPUS Media Committee Co-Chair
2016-2018 National Women’s Caucus Delegate to the Green Party National Committee
2018 General assistance on Akeem Browder campaign for Mayor of New York City
2016 Organizer of National Women’s Caucus media tips workshop at Houston Convention
2011 Keynote speaker on Women’s History Month at Green Party of New Jersey Convention
2010 General assistance on Cecile Lawrence Campaign for nomination of Governor of New York
2010 Media assistance on Julia Willebrand Campaign for Comptroller of New York
2009-2010 Secretary of Green Senatorial Campaign Committee - outreach and fundraising
2008 Research and Surveys for Cynthia McKinney Power to the People Campaign
2007-2011 Set up web pages and fielded requests for Green Party Speakers Bureau
2006 Media Coordinator for Alison Duncan Campaign for Lieutenant Governor of New York, Researcher for Malachy McCourt Campaign for Governor – press releases; print ad buys; surveys and endorsements
2005 Media assistance on Gloria Mattera Campaign for Brooklyn Borough President – research; press releases; print, radio and TV ad buys
2004 Co-Organizer of "A Green World is Possible" festival in Washington Square Park during Republican Convention in NYC
2004 Co-Organizer of Region 2 Green Party (NYC) Presidential Nominating Convention
2002-2006 Green Party of New York State Committee Member representing enrolled Greens in the 52nd AD – developed platform and online voting proposals
1999-2000 Outreach Co-Coordinator for Park Slope Nader Campaign
1999-2026 New York State Delegate to the GPUS Media Committee (now representing the National Women’s Caucus), Media Committee liaison to the GPUS Annual Meeting Committee
1995-2018 Petitioned and campaigned for Green Party candidates in many elections from local and state to federal

POLITICAL ACTIVISM
2004-2009 New York State Against Genetic Engineering
1993-1996 Lower East Side Needle Exchange - JUNK TV video collective producing shows for public access promoting harm reduction
1991-1992 Pro-choice actions in Cincinnati and New York, including clinic defense during Democratic convention in NYC
1990 Anti-Gulf War protests in Cincinnati

Charles Ostdiek, Green Party of Nebraska
I have worked locally in Nebraska for over 30 years on many public power and environmental issues. My work was an integral part of the drive to have the Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Waste Generation Station decommissioned. This work is currently focused on shutting down two of the dirtiest coal plants in the U.S., located here in North Omaha.
I have been a vegetarian, organic, and natural foods activist for 32 years and am passionate about increasing awareness of food production systems and economies. My twenty years' work at McFoster's Natural Kind Cafe changed menus all across Omaha by encouraging other restaurants to add plant-based entrees and offerings.
I have extensive professional experience with video production including:
4 years as a live event videographer ('17-'20),
4 years as a studio and field producer for 5 public access shows ('01-'04), and
5 years of accountability documention of Omaha Public Power District Board meetings and Nuclear Regularity Commission oversight hearings ('11-'16).

Education:
I earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University ('93) where I studied philosophy of religion, ethics, and philosophy of science.

Green Party political offices held:
Steering Committee Co-Chair of the Green Party of the United States, '12-'14, '14-'16, '24-'26
Interim GPUS Treasurer, '26
GPUS Finance Committee member, '13-''26 (as Finance Co-Chair '24-'26)
Nebraska Green Party Co-Chair, '10-'12, '14-present
NGP Secretary, '12-'14
NGP Delegate to GPUS National Committee, '08-present
NGP State Council Representative, '00-'10

GPUS Committee work:
Steering Committee Co-Chair (3 terms: 6 yrs.), Finance (13 yrs.), Fundraising (2 yrs.), BRPP (6 yrs., including a term as Co-Chair)
SC Liaison work with Finance, International, Eco-Action, BRPP, Outreach, BAC, BMRC, ARC, and Dispute Resolution Committees
SC Liaison to Legal Counsel, '15-'21 (2 lawsuits, GPUS, et al. v. the Commission on Presidential Debates)

NGP Committee work:
Founding member, '00
Executive Committee work listed above
Nebraska BaseCamp organizer, '26
Legislative Issues (Co-Chair), Materials and Publications (Co-Chair), "Green Focus" Newsletter (Editorial Review Board), "The Green Tea Party" Public Access Show (Co-Executive Producer)
Liaison to GPUS CCC and Platform Committees

Work on Campaigns for Public Office:
Campaign volunteer for all Nebraska Green Party electoral races, '00-present -- https://www.gpelections.org/states/ne
Campaign work as GPUS Co-Chair for all 3 Jill Stein for President campaigns, '12, '16, & '24
Campaign volunteer in Nebraska for all other GPUS candidates for President: Ralph Nader '00, David Cobb '04, Cynthia McKinney '08, Howie Hawkins '20
Campaign volunteer, Anthony Rogers-Wright for Omaha City Council, '25
Campaign Manager, Tonya Ward for Douglas County Board of Commissioners, '20
Campaign volunteer, Tonya Ward for Learning Community Board of Directors, '18
Campaign Manager, LaVerne Thraen for Omaha Public Power District Board of Directors, '14
Campaign volunteer, Krystle Craig for OPPD Board, '14, and Collin Smith for OPPD Board, '14
Media Director, LaVerne Thraen for OPPD Board, '12
Campaign volunteer, LaVerne Thraen for OPPD Board, '08, '10, and Tom Foster/Frances Mendenhall for OPPD Board, '02

In service,
--Charles Ostdiek

Kalia Fitzgerald, North Carolina Green Party
Kalia Fitzgerald
Wed, Jul 1, 3:17ā€ÆAM (12 days ago)
to me

IĀ’m deeply grateful for the trust this party has already placed in me. Since joining the North Carolina Green Party in 2022, IĀ’ve had the privilege of learning from so many dedicated members. I currently serve as Co-chair of the NCGP Black Caucus, on the NCGP Coordinating Committee, and on the Candidate Endorsement Committee.

In my time in leadership, IĀ’ve focused on the nuts and bolts of effective organizing. IĀ’Ā’ve worked to put standard operating procedures in place for every position, because no one should step into a role without the tools and knowledge to succeed. This leads to more effective turnovers and the ability to pass on the torch of knowledge.

As Campaign Manager for Michael DublinĀ’s congressional campaigns, IĀ’ve organized phone banking, community/mutual aid events, and virtual town halls. This election is a historical run as he is the 1st Black person to run for US Senate on the ballot as a 3rd party/independent candidate in NC. It's my firm belief that candidates should leave their constituents with something to build, win or lose. True public servants leave a community impact that last longer than an election cycle. I plan to bring that belief, win or lose, to the SC.

I also host Green Party Tea on YouTube, Sundays at 6pm. My show is dedicated entirely to the Green Party and our candidates. I've successfully launched the NC Corner session of my show that reminds delegates that discussions and votes are taking place. IĀ’m so thankful for everyone who watches, shares, and shows up.

My service on GPUS committees such as the ANMC, National Media Committee, and Dispute Resolution Committee has given me a good look into the needs at the national level. I've seen this community grow, even with growing pains. I've seen the burnout that a lot of people talk about however, I can assure you that I'm up to the challenge. I appreciate the mentors who have guided me and given me confidence.

I accepted this nomination because I wanted to continue to give. In my temporary time as a SC co-chair, I've learned a lot and have adjusted to being a sounding board for GPUS members. If elected as a Steering Committee Co-chair for a full term, I will continue to use this time wisely to be more productive and be a voice of reason.

I respectfully ask for your vote. Thank you in advance for considering me. Keeping the doors open and the lights on is hard work. I believe we can keep the Green Party growing.

~Kalia J. Fitzgerald (she/her/hers)
GPUS Steering Committee Co-chair
Black Caucus of NCGP Co-Chair
NCGP Coordinating Committee Member
Spokesperson for the NCGP
Campaign Manager for Michael Dublin- NC02
GPUS Steering Committee Coā€‘chair
National Delegate, NCGP
GPUS ANMC Member (NCGP)
National Media Committee Member (NCGP)
National Black Caucus Member
CCC NC Liaison/Volunteer (NCGP)
Presidential Campaign Support Committee Member (NBC)
Credentials Committee Member (NBC)
Dispute Resolution Committee (NBC)

No Other Candidate NOC
NA

Henry Pratt, Young Ecosocialist Caucus
GPUS Co-Chair Candidate Statement | Henry Pratt

The job of a Co-Chair only has two bullets in our Rules & Procedures (https://gpus.org/rules-procedures/#02):

2-1.1 | Serve as the principal spokespersons of the GPUS.
2-1.2 | Be responsible for oversight and coordination of GPUS committees using a Committee Liaison system as described in the Steering Committee Rules, Policies and Procedures.

What is more interesting is what this role implies or does not. The Steering Committee's Rules & Procedures (https://gpus.org/committees/steering/steering-committee-rules-policies-procedures/) detail an internal beating heart of coordination—one that uplifts work, intervenes when momentum stalls, and referees the changes made by the National Committee (NC), both setting the pace of implementation and ensuring that all proposals brought before the NC are factually accurate. Over time as gaps emerge, GPUS Co-Chairs fill them. This can range from the management and HR of staff to the internal communication of the financial and electoral health of GPUS.

In a harmonious relationship, the Co-Chairs can flow, amplify, and better channel our collective ambitions for this party.

Where understandings diverge, Co-Chairs can become the default managers, and the roles can reverse until the pace and tone of work (and our ambition itself), becomes set by Co-Chairs. Even if our political party (yes, it is that—not an issue-based movement) benefited from that interventionist leadership, it is hardly a model of ‘Grassroots Democracy’ or ‘Decentralization.’ Steering should challenge the NC to do better and work furiously to empower it to answer definitively the philosophical and strategic questions that get endlessly relitigated.

We are at an inflection point for our party, where we either step up to fill the gap left in our democratic conversation, or we continue to cede power away from ourselves and look inward... basking in an illumination of ideals we are forever unable to share. It's not a choice of theory or praxis; it's a choice of agency or exhaustion. And agency is what I have proven to be all about.

We are a political party, and like Chekov's gun, we have introduced ourselves as a change device, one America has placed its aspirations into. We must either go off or suffer forever the indignity of being a disappointment.

Like me, this party is nearly 30. As an activist, I have a successful history with both Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA), operational professionalization, and electoral victories. Simply put, I want the Green Party to learn from NVDA, undertake professionalization, and embody electoral success.

I first became political growing up as a ‘gifted kid’ and mixing with many peers who are now dead, in jail, or are in a basement on drugs. I can tell you where each one was systemically failed and where each one had an inflection point where they could have gone on to radically redefine our current paradigm of science or music or art or technology, etc. (Particularly clarifying for me as a teenager, was a conversation with a younger adult in the hospital who quit a $100k+ job because it was more affordable to be unemployed and qualify for Medicaid, than pay the remainder of his medical bills after insurance.)

Relevant to our moment, these experiences taught me that beyond race, gender, sexuality, and class, it is our conscious expression of values, that makes our existence political.

The first campaign I participated in was Bernie 2016, where I launched canvassing events for the campaign in Poughkeepsie, NY. Seeing how the students from my college were integrating themselves into the local area through this electoral vehicle, I vowed to take over the moribund 'College Democrats' club on my campus and turn it into a vehicle to continue that civic work.

In the years following, I worked with local activists in Poughkeepsie to help start what would later become NY Progressive Action Network (NYPAN); pass Poughkeepsie's ‘Sanctuary City Resolution’; almost sue my school twice to get buses to the polls; help start a mid-Hudson DSA chapter; work on dozens of local campaigns both Democrat and independent; and (after paying dues to YES, and not hearing back) getting elected as the local member of the Dutchess County Democratic Committee, where I learned the ins and outs of how the ‘Democratic Machine’ works (and why it is so effective).

Eventually, I got a scholarship to work in the UK House of Commons, sponsored by the UK Parliament's Hansard Society. I found people from everywhere in London who were audaciously political in every aspect of their lives, met Caroline Lucas and Jeremy Corbyn, and vowed to work to bring the same success that this sense of politics, as conscious expressions of values woven into the everyday, overseas to the US.

I had grown up hearing of Jason West and voting for Howie Hawkins. But every form I filled out on GPNY or GPUS.org seemed to disappear into the ether. The Green Party, I was told by a wonderful Newburgh, NY Mayoral candidate I advised (we got nearly 30% of the vote on Row G of the ballot, running on senior public housing, violence interruption programs, and changing school bus routes to avoid potholes), were: “no longer a thing.”

I built a career in Democratic politics, managing a relational organizing project for Mikie Sherrill in 2018, volunteering for AOC in that first campaign, speaking about the importance of non-partisan civics at the national College Democrats Convention (did not go well), and managing the Central Northern Virginia's operations office for Joe Biden (after doing an intro call with Howie's campaign to volunteer and not hearing back).

I expressed my politics primarily in different ways. I was part of the #ShutDownDC coalition in 2019, became a lead facilitator for Extinction Rebellion (XR) DC (and later XR NYC when I moved there in 2021), and working with the international professional association for Sociocracy (the main form of nonhierarchical decentralized governance used by Cooperatives & Ecovillages in the US), writing case studies on these 'next-gen' expressions of values, earning a Practitioner certification, and working with amazing groups like Downtown Crenshaw on how to make Staff/Volunteer dynamics more egalitarian.

Part of my work with XR in DC culminated in the successful cancellation of a multi-billion-dollar Washington Gas methane infrastructure project, by the DC city government.

I quit working in Democratic politics after many bad experiences in early 2024, became a leadership development consultant for local candidates, and started helping a biodiversity startup in Singapore with an activist friend I met after XR had parked its pink and yellow boat on K & 16th St. NW. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/climate-activists-plan-to-block-busy-dc-intersections-on-monday/90963/

I have managed and hired teams of full-time staff, spoken on environmental justice and youth civics at the American Conservation Film Festival, and done interviews with magazines like Dazed and Digiday; attended multiple ‘White House Press Briefings’ as a photojournalist; given activism trainings to radical groups in off-grid art studios, and to Stanford University students; landed stories in the New York Times, Washington Post, and AP Newswire. Collectively, I have worked on over 50 campaigns, and a majority of them (including electing challengers to City Councils in Toledo, Jackson MS, & Atlanta) were successful.

Not all of this is relevant to the work of GPUS Steering, but it is relevant to the work of empowering the NC in the way I see a need for. It is relevant for getting the Green Party into the broader conversation, and it is relevant for building the HR and professional operational processes that allow us to enact rather than just perseverate on our values.

In GPUS, I am the Co-Chair of the Bylaws, Procedures, and Rules Committee; I give candidate training workshops and work directly with Green Party candidates on messaging; and I am a former Delegate for the Young Ecosocialist (YES) Caucus, where I was best known for:

· Working with Sam Chance to break open the GCCC fundraising case

· Working with Aly Schmidt and Rose Roby to provide the NC with the accurate information about fundraising totals

· Working with Dave Mulinix to jumpstart a strategic planning process

I can be contacted anytime at henrybpratt@gmail.com. Send me an email or Basecamp DM if you want to talk on the phone. My Green Party memberships more broadly are with the YES Caucus, Green Party of NY, Lavender Caucus, and the still-to-be-formed Disability Caucus.

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