At Howard, a community of students is grappling with the challenges faced by the Green Party and its candidate, Jill Stein. A long-term advocate for environmental sustainability and social justice, Stein has struggled to gain mainstream recognition in a political landscape dominated by two major political parties.
As the 2024 Nov. 5 presidential election approaches, some Howard students expressed both support for her vision and frustration over the barriers that keep third-party candidates like Stein from breaking into the national political area.
Isaiah Thompson, a senior chemical engineering major from Washington D.C., said he has “always” been passionate about climate change but is often criticized when voicing his support for Stein.
“Every time I tell somebody I’m a part of the Green Party, they always say that’s a waste of a vote,” he said. “It’s disheartening because I believe people should vote for a candidate or platform that resonates with them, rather than simply choosing based on who they think will win.”
His insight underscored a growing theme for those who want to vote outside the two-party system.
In the 2016 election, the largest segment of young voters ages 18 to 29 supported third-party candidates, with around 10 percent of this demographic backing them, according to Catalist. The Green Party website indicates that third-party candidates are once again attracting significant numbers of young voters this year, particularly those who previously backed Biden in 2020.
Founded in 1984, the Green Party has run a national ticket for every presidential election since 1996 and is now entering its fourth decade and has yet to secure a victory in a presidential race. The Green Party of the United States promotes environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice, participatory grassroots democracy, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-war and anti-racism.
Stein, a physician and former two-time candidate for governor of Massachusetts was selected as the party’s presidential nominee in 2012. The Stein-Honkala campaign received nearly 470,000 votes, three times the Green Party’s total from four years prior. This marked the highest number of votes for a female presidential candidate in a general election, according to the Green Party’s website.
In her 2024 campaign, Stein is advocating for a range of initiatives designed to meet the pressing needs of college students, and marginalized communities, including tuition-free public college, reparations for Black Americans, opposing U.S. financial and military support to Israel
and a comprehensive national healthcare system that provides free care at the point of service.
The Hilltop reached out to Stein for comment, but she was not available.
Despite his support for Stein’s platform, Thompson acknowledged the difficult political landscape for third-party candidates.
“Jill Stein doesn’t have the same visibility as candidates like Kamala Harris, who can draw from deep connections to institutions like Howard,” he said. “It makes it hard for voters to see her as a viable option.”
This sentiment is echoed among students who feel that while Stein’s politics align with their values, the lack of media coverage and institutional support creates significant obstacles.
Amar Ahmed, a sophomore political science major, expressed his frustration. “I believe in Stein’s vision, but it’s disheartening to see how little attention she receives compared to major party candidates,” he said. “It makes it hard for us to rally support for her.”
Thompson expressed similar sentiments and recommended that Stein consider different strategies for her campaign.
“It would be great if candidates like Jill could reach out directly to students through college tours or events. That connection could make a difference in how we view their candidacy,” he said.
James Fauntleroy, co-press director for Stein’s multi-board campaign said in an interview, “One of the big issues that Jill Stein is spearheading is tuition-free college for all public colleges and universities for all citizens of the United States. This would be a huge economic boom, freeing up a lot of money for the poor and working people within the United States.”
Fauntleroy highlighted that the burden of student debt is increasingly forcing students to reconsider their educational paths.
By eliminating tuition fees, the candidate’s People’s Economy plan promises to help students pursue their educational and career aspirations without the looming fear of insurmountable debt.
In addition to educational reforms, Stein’s healthcare campaign focuses on economic justice, including a commitment to “a complete nationally improved health care for all.”
“This would usher in or be the precursor to a national health system, which would make it so that everybody across the board has health care free at the point of service,” Fauntleroy said.
Stein also addressed social justice issues, advocating for “reparations for African-American descendants of slavery.”
“Jill Stein recognizes that this is a debt owed, and she wants to make sure that the stain and the sin of slavery is answered. A nation is only as good as it takes care of its most marginalized,” Fauntleroy said.
Through these initiatives, Stein’s campaign seeks to engage young voters and those from marginalized backgrounds by proposing concrete solutions to longstanding issues in education, health care and social equity.
One of the key areas where Ahmed feels Stein stands out is her stance on foreign policy, especially regarding the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
He points out that she is advocating for a cease-fire in Palestine and opposing U.S. financial and military support to Israel.
“She’s one of the only people saying that,” Ahmed said.
Arianna Gonzalez, a sophomore architecture major from New York, doubts the Green Party’s viability.
“Voting for the Green Party feels like a lost opportunity because they have a slim chance of winning, so I feel like I’m choosing the lesser of two evils,” she said.
While she agreed with some of the Green Party’s policies, she added,“I don’t think they have a chance of winning this particular election.”
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
