OH: State Legislature Wages "Attack on Democracy" Say Greens

From the Cincinnati Beacon:

This past week, according to the Green Party of Ohio, the State Senate passed a revision of Ohio’s election law that is nothing less than an attack on Democracy itself. “It’s highly ironic that on the Fourth of July, when we are supposed to be celebrating our political freedoms, the Legislature has passed a law that effectively eliminates our ability to peacefully assemble as a political party,” said Dennis Spisak. Spisak was the Green’s gubernatorial candidate in 2010. He established the Party’s current legal standing by receiving more than 50,000 votes.

HB 194 requires Parties to receive at least 5% of the vote for either Governor or President in order to maintain their status as a political party. This means that the Greens would have to receive approximately 200,000 votes. However, since they may have lost their status before the election in 2012, they would have to do so without the ability to raise money, name candidates, hold primaries, or establish membership.