BY MARGRETHE SIEM

NEW YORK - The fight to place the presidential ticket of James Harris and Laura Garza on the ballot in ten states in 1996 got a big boost in July. Petitioning was completed in Minnesota July 14, with more than 6,200 signatures gathered for the Socialist Workers presidential and congressional candidates.

In New York, supporters began a petition drive July 11. More than 60 campaigners petitioned in the streets of New York and Brooklyn the first Sunday of the effort, collecting 2,000 signatures from people who support the right for a working-class ticket to be on the ballot.

Eleanor García, Socialist Workers candidate for the 12th Congressional District here, explained, "We are turning these undemocratic election laws into an advantage. This is an opportunity to reach tens of thousands of youth and working people, and to get out the socialist program, including selling revolutionary literature such as the Militant and Pathfinder books. Our goal is to recruit to the Young Socialists and to the Socialist Workers Party."

Youth from Seattle, Des Moines, and as far away as Iceland and France decided to go to New York to volunteer for the campaign after participating in the International Socialist Conference at Oberlin, Ohio. Abby Tilsner is the Socialist Workers candidate for Congress in the 14th Congressional District in New York, and she is leading a team of full time volunteer petitioners. "Lots of young people are interested in being part of the campaign and are signing up to go out with us," she explained while campaigning and selling books along with the international volunteers.

"Our tables had signs focusing on opposition to youth curfews and scapegoating immigrants, and demanding troops out of Ireland. A few people questioned why we opposed the youth curfew, but signed the petition after we explained how what we need is more youth on the streets and fewer cops," she said. "Youth are not the source of crime, but the capitalist system is."

Campaigner Candace Wagner in Washington D.C. reported that the two first days of petitioning in that city had been very successful, thanks to a good show of volunteers. More volunteers are invited to join the campaign to collect 4,500 signatures there by August 12.

Over the past six weeks supporters of the Socialist Workers 1996 election campaign have collected 6,000 signatures to get Harris and Garza on the ballot in Alabama. The state requires 5,000 signatures, and campaign supporters have taken a goal of 8,500. Campaigners are getting a great response to the working- class issues of a livable minimum wage, defending Black churches, opposition to Washington's war moves around the world, and defense of the Cuban revolution. The socialist petitioners report a lot of interest when they explain that workers in Cuba have fought to increase production as they have maintained the social gains of the revolution.

The Socialist Workers Party has run candidates and been on the ballot for federal, state, and local positions in Alabama for more than 15 years. In several cases campaign supporters have run into people who say, "This is for the Socialist Workers Party? I'll sign that. They're for working people."

Volunteers are still needed to help the petition drives in New York, Alabama, and Washington, D.C. Call The Socialist Workers Campaign office in New York for more information: (212) 328-1501.

Nancy Boyasko from Birmingham contributed to this article.  
 
 
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