PRESS RELEASE: 
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1996
(updated to add Rhode Island to ballot list, 9/9/96)

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 Green Party of Michigan
 548 S Main St.
 Ann Arbor, MI 48104
 313-663-3555
 http://ic.net/~harvey/greens
 harvey@ic.net
==============================

Write-In Votes for Nader/LaDuke in November 
Will Be in the Competition For Michigan's 18 Electoral Votes

The Green Party of Michigan has submitted the names of 18 presidential
electors for Ralph Nader (president) and Winona LaDuke (vice-president)
to the Michigan Bureau of Elections.  This means that election officials
must prepare a statewide tally of all the Nader write-in votes, which is
not the case for normal "scattering" write-ins.  And Michigan's 18
electoral votes could go to Nader if he gets enough write-in votes, even
though he is not on the ballot. 

Unlike many other states, Nader will not be on the ballot here because
of Michigan's burdensome petitioning requirements -- 31,000 signatures,
compared to other states like New York - 15,000, Ohio - 5,000, New
Jersey - 800. 

Ralph Nader's presidential candidacy so far has qualified for the ballot
in 21 states with a total of 243 electoral votes: Alaska (3), Arkansas
(6), California (54), Colorado (8), Connecticut (8), Hawaii (4), Iowa
(7), Louisiana (9), Maine (4), Minnesota (10), Nevada (4), New Jersey
(15), New Mexico (5), New York (33), Ohio (21), Oregon (7), Rhode Island
(4), Tennessee (11), Utah (5), Washington (11), Wisconsin (11), and
Washington D.C.(3). He is expected to qualify for the ballot in a few
more states and be a write-in candidate in most other states.

Nader's recently announced running mate, Winona LaDuke, is an Ojibwe
activist from the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota.  She
has joined Nader in his challenge to the "two-party duopoly". 

LaDuke, 37, is a graduate of Harvard University and is founder of the
White Earth Land Recovery Project, dedicated to recovering land within
the White Earth reservation; she also founded the Indigenous Women's
Network, which she led to last year's U.N. Conference on the Status of
Women in Beijing. She has been an active organizer for Native American
issues in South Dakota, New Mexico, and Arizona, and was a leader in the
successful opposition to the James Bay hydroelectric projects in
northern Canada. She is on the board of directors of GreenPeace USA, and
organized and hosted the recent "Honor the Earth" national tour by the
popular folk/pop group, the Indigo Girls, raising over $250,000 to aid
grassroots organizations.  In March of 1995 Time Magazine nominated
Winona LaDuke as one of "50 Leaders for the Future".

LaDuke says of the Nader candidacy and the Green Party "It is time that
the people had a choice, not only those with privilege. It is time to
talk about the FUTURE issues of this country, not just the next
election. The Greens and Nader promise to open the dialog."

Nader says: "This campaign is to build a progressive party for a
progressive democracy that both respects all people and provides them
with the instruments for democratic action that produces a just and
happy society - a society that stresses balance and creativity, and
possesses a sense of humane legacy for future generations. These are the
objectives that Winona LaDuke has worked so vitally for. If there is
ever a grass roots candidate, it is Winona LaDuke, who returned to her
indigenous roots in Minnesota. She has worked, organized, written and
taught locally, regionally, nationally and wherever indigenous peoples
are struggling to protect their homes, their lands and their future. Her
chosen course of justice for humanity galvanizes as it inspires and
leads by example and commitment. We welcome her."

A number of prominent Green activists, mostly women, have served as
stand-in vice presidential candidates for Nader in states conducting
petition drives. The Green Party women's caucus proposed that these
candidates should be included in the vice-presidential nomination as a
mark of respect for their contributions, an expression of the diversity
of issues they represent, and as an example of the Green values of
cooperation and decentralization. Nader and Green Party members agreed
to accept these candidates as advisors to the vice president.

Nader believes that the Green Party philosophy is in harmony with
positions he advocates.  The Green movement is based upon "Ten Key
Values": Ecology, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, Non-violence,
Community-based Economics, Feminism, Respect for Diversity, Personal &
Global Responsibility, Sustainability and Decentralization. The Green
Party is active across the U.S., as well as in 75 countries around the
world. 

Nader is a long-time champion of public interest and safety, democracy,
individual and community empowerment, and human rights and the
environment. His civic leadership has resulted in numerous state and
federal laws and programs, including the Freedom of Information Act, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental
Protection Agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Safe
Drinking Water Act and Meat and Poultry Inspection Laws. 
Nader has also been effective in building social movements - he's
responsible for establishing numerous non-profit public interest groups
including Public Citizen, the Public Interest Research Groups, the
Center for Responsive Law, and the Pension Rights Center. In recent
years, Nader was among the first U.S. activists to recognize and expose
the threat of the North America Free Trade Agreement to American workers
and the environment.

Besides Nader, the Green Party of Michigan is also supporting the
write-in candidacy of Mr. Gaia Kile for Washtenaw County Sheriff.

Interviews with Winona LaDuke and Green Party representatives may be
arranged through the contacts listed above and below.

Telephone interviews with Ralph Nader may be arranged by calling (202)
387-8030.

Draft Nader for President Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 15120
Washington, DC, 20003
888-NADER 96 (toll free)
nader96@vais.net
http://www.vais.net/~nader96