Running for President is like running fifty-one state-wide campaigns simultaneously. And it all starts with gaining access to the ballot. Its a big task. Its much bigger than any one woman can deliver on her own -- even a woman like Cynthia McKinney who brings to the task more backbone and courage than most. It will take the commitment of folks like the Greens of Illinois who just successfully petitioned to place Cynthia on their Presidential Preference Primary ballot.

If the voters of every state and the District of Columbia are to have an opportunity to vote for Cynthia McKinney on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, it will be because ordinary people everywhere get involved and engaged right now in making that possible.

For all its pious talk about exporting democracy, the United States has a lot to learn from the rest of the world about the process of opening its public elections to broad participation by the people of this nation. In fact, the ballot access barriers in the United States are on average more prohibitive than those of any other nation which holds elections. In fact, in Cynthia's home state of Georgia, she will face the most draconian ballot access barriers in the world. To place Cynthia before the voters of Georgia, the Georgia Green Party will require over 44,000 valid signatures on its ballot access petitions. But Georgia is not alone in imposing such restrictions on its citizens. Voters in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, North Carolina and Arizona face similarly draconian barriers. And most other states in the nation impose at least moderately difficult barriers as well.

We do not start from scratch. Due to the hard work of Green Party activists in past election cycles, the Greens begin the 2008 election cycle with twenty-two ballot lines. In fact, in California, Illinois, Massachusettes and the District of Columbia Greens are well organized enough to have earned a place on their state's Primary ballots. Even so, in Illinois, we have a narrow window in which to deliver sufficient ballot access petition signatures to ensure Cynthia a place on the Illinois Presidential Preference Primary ballot. That deadline is November 3rd and your help is needed now.

Your help is urgently needed to surmount these barriers and place Cynthia on the ballot before the people of this nation. Please take a few minutes now to pledge your support in two ways. Please visit our donor form and make as large a contribution as you can afford. Then visit our volunteer form and pledge your support for our ballot access work, primary campaigns and other essential campaign work.

Cynthia brings to this Power to the People campaign, six terms of experience in the the U.S. Congress, as well as the courage and backbone to have survived that service with her consience and integrity intact. But to reach the voters of this nation, she needs your help now. Please give generously of your money, time, energy and skills. Then invite your friends to do the same.

There is no power like the power of the people, because the power of the people won't stop.