Green Party earns spot on Arizona ballot. How could that affect 2024 election?

Arizona voters now have a fifth official political party from which to choose.

The Arizona Green Party succeeded in its signature-gathering effort, sampling by counties shows. The party qualifies for federal, statewide and legislative races in the 2024 primary and general elections, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes announced Thursday.

The party also received recognition for county races on the 2024 ballot in Pima and Coconino counties.

County recorders' offices and the Secretary of State's Office examined thousands of voter signature samples from the roughly 63,000 turned in by the party in late November, discounting roughly one-quarter. In the end, the state estimated the party had 45,124 valid signatures, exceeding the 34,127 minimum required.

The party didn't file in time to appear on the March Presidential Preference Election ballot, according to Fontes' office. Supporters of Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who ran for the country's top political office in 2012 and 2016, can vote for her in the general election.

The Green Party and its state chapters advocate environmentalism and social justice as top issues.

Eduardo Quintana, a facilitator who helps with candidate recruitment for the Green Party of Pima County, said party supporters are "ecstatic" over the qualification as a statewide party in 2024. Party officials are prepared to vet good, "honest" candidates for many different offices, he said.

"We're going to beat the bushes and find the best ones," Quintana said. "This is a great opportunity for us right now when the two major parties are dueling with each other to see who can alienate the public faster."

Quintana said he understands that some people may call Green Party candidates "spoilers" who take away votes from other parties' candidates but said the planet's environmental ills and pervasive violence demand action.

The 2024 primary and general election races now are likely to include more competition, as Green candidates will be listed along with candidates from the Democratic, Libertarian, No Labels and Republican parties.

The Greens' presence is likely to increase wariness from Democrats, who historically have viewed the Greens as siphoning votes from their candidates. That could be crucial in what is expected to be a close presidential vote in Arizona.

Without ballot status, Green candidates could have run as independents, which requires significantly more voter signatures to qualify for an individual race. They also could run as write-ins, but their name would not be listed on the ballot.

The addition of the Green Party and the No Labels Party to the 2024 ballot highlights Arizona's growing status as a swing state.

A conservative group that could have proven a spoiler for some Republican candidates, the Patriot Party of Arizona, missed its shot to be an officially recognized party this year by turning in too few valid signatures.

In 2020, Green Party presidential write-in candidate Howie Hawkins drew 1,557 votes, or 0.05% of the vote in Arizona.

In 2016, Green Party presidential candidate Stein drew 34,345 votes, or 1.3% of the votes cast for president. Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Arizona that year by nearly 100,000 votes, so the Stein vote didn't deprive Clinton of winning the state.

Reach Stern at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.

Reach Pitzl at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com, 602-228-7566 or Threads and X @maryjpitzl.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Green Party earns spot on AZ ballot in federal, statewide, other races