New York’s Working Families Party (WFP) is urging voters to choose the Harris-Walz ticket on their ballot line in the November 5 election.
Created in New York in 1998, the WFP has advocated for progressive politics for several years now. “[We’re] a political party that gives voters the option on the ballot line to vote their values,” said NY WFP Co-Director Jasmine Gripper. “So, yes, we run and win elections, but beyond that, we also fight for policy changes that really improve the lives of working families.
“From fighting for minimum wage increases, to fighting for investments in quality childcare, we are the political party that is rooted and grounded in centering families and centering workers, expanding rights and protections, and making sure that our government works for all of us and not just the 1%.”
The predominance of the two-party system in the United States means only a few other political parties can substantially impact the operations of government. New York state currently recognizes only four political parties: the Democratic, Republican, Conservative Party, and Working Families Party.
New York’s WFP has a history of backing successful candidates, with Attorney General Letitia James having been the WFP’s first citywide office holder in 2003. That year, James was elected to the New York City Council solely on the Working Families Party line. This year, the party is supporting Democratic Socialist Claire Valdez’s campaign to represent Western Queens in the New York State Assembly. A union organizer, Valdez advocates for green, union-based job opportunities, a $25 minimum wage, and the idea that everyone has a right to “a safe and affordable place to call home.”
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Recent rule changes have increased the requirements political parties must meet to maintain their ballot status in the state. The WFP used to only need 50,000 votes every four years in gubernatorial races, but now it needs 130,000 votes or 2% of the total vote every two years, whichever is higher to keep its name on the ballot. “Because the presidential year has a higher turnout, we are striving to get 250,000 people to vote for Harris and Walz on the Working Families ballot line this year,” Gripper told the AmNews.
Harris and Walz will appear on both the Democratic Party and WFP lines, so a vote for their ticket can be cast and counted equally under either party. For this election, the WFP is aligning with the Democratic Party. But voting for the Harris-Walz ticket under the WFP ballot line means endorsing the policy platforms this political party promotes.
The WFP has endorsed Harris-Walz, but that doesn’t mean they support every part of their candidacy. “This is about strategy. This is about the conditions we want to organize in,” Gripper said. “We know that it is more beneficial for working families for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to be in the presidency than for Trump. And we are making a strategic decision to say this is important in this moment.
“When she gets into office, we will hold her accountable, we will make sure she continues to fight for families. I’ve heard her make commitments around childcare and we’re really excited about that. That’s an important fight for New Yorkers. Whether you’re low income or middle class, the rising costs of childcare is now more expensive than CUNY and SUNY tuition.”
Gripper says the WFP is out campaigning during these final weeks before the Nov. 5 election. They have phone banks going every Wednesday and Sunday and are out doing door-knocking across the state. “When I talk to voters, I explain to them that fusion. That, like, Donald Trump is running on two lines in New York, the Republican and Conservative. And Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are running on two lines, the Democratic and Working Families. And I say, at Working Families, we fight for workers, we fight for families, we fight for jobs here, and we fight for higher wages. And people are like, yeah, that’s me: I’m a working family, that’s important to me –– I’m glad someone’s fighting for us. And they’re like, I’ll be happy to vote on the Working Families ballot line.
“The more people who vote Working Families, the more people who get behind and support the party, the more power we have and the greater leverage we have to hold elected officials accountable at every level of government.”
I was a Republican for almost 3 decades until I left and I would have never thought the Republicans who always maintained they were so patriotic to allow Fmr. President Trump to just sell us out. The fact he has already said if elected he is going to give Elon Musk the job as Czar to audit the federal government giving him access to every Americans information is beyond nuts! This man already has too much power and way too much security clearance to be giving all access to every American citizen. What’s he going to do sell it to Russia and BRICS? How do the Republicans remotely speak on illegal immigration while allowing Musk who is a foreigner (don’t give me that he’s a U.S. citizen so what he’s also a Canadian and South African citizen claiming citizenship in all 3 countries) to have access to our government and all US citizens. I absolutely cannot believe as a former Republican that the Republicans are selling us out like what the?
And then I found out Musk is suing the Coastal California Commission because they told him no he cannot and will not increase SpaceX launches to 50 a year because it will harm the coast and oceans and the air. Now he is suing them. If you young people do not stand up and go vote for the good of our precious environment then never speak of climate change again!
Yes, I voted for Fmr. President Trump in 2020 but I’m a Christian and the fact now he is selling us out now to Musk a foreigner who wore a behemoth outfit with inverted crosses and proudly displayed it on social media makes me ask are we dealing with the anti christ and the beast? Like what the Fmr. President Trump? Have you lost your mind? Or has Musk bribed you? And the fact the Republicans are going along with this makes one ask are they really down for us Christians? Or our country? There’s no way! My Holy God we have to stop this we have to! I don’t agree with many of the Democrats policies but this is one time every American must stand together to stop this!