The People’s Party Registers in Washington State

Bellingham, WA, July 27, 2021 – Washington voters now have a viable choice for people-first representation at all levels of government

Washington State is now home to a new kind of political party:

The People’s Party of Washington (PPOW).

PPOW’s Offical Birth Date

On May 20, 2021, PPOW registered its charter as a 527 tax-exempt political organization with the Washington Secretary of State’s office.

Washington is State #6

Washington joins Oregon, California, Colorado, Maine, and Ohio in the National Movement for a People’s Party (MPP). Volunteers in the remaining states are actively working on doing the same. 

What makes PPOW a new kind of political party?

PPOW pledges not to accept money from big corporations or corporate-funded PACs, which means its policies and actions will not be influenced by these corporations. Instead, PPOW candidates will be influenced and financed by everyday Washingtonians.

Because PPOW is its own political party when their candidates get into office, they will not conform to corporate power, and they will keep the mandate of the people.

It is obvious and scientifically proven that corporations and monied interests already have two political parties in the US, and it is time the people have a party of their own.

Polls show that Americans clamor for a viable major third party. The latest Gallup poll from early 2021 shows support for a third party trending upward. 2 out of 3 adults say a 3rd party is needed because the 2 establishment parties fail to represent the American people.

The People’s Party of Washington encourages everyone who feels they have been betrayed by their elected representatives to push back and join PPOW.

The People’s Party of Washington will:

• Focus on policies and programs that help Washington residents, not corporate interests.
• Represent the interest of the 99% and create a system that values each person and supports economic and social justice for all.
• Is structured to make space for and actively solicit all voices to participate in a deliberative and dynamic democracy.
• Not be governed by a select few in party leadership as decision-making authority is shared among those working in the trenches.
• Vows to have no backroom deals and will maintain full transparency. 

No Corporate Funding

“The People’s Party gives voters a true choice to support a political party and candidates who pledge not to accept funding from big corporations,” said Marc Mixon, PPOW Chair.

“When our candidates run, they will represent the 99 percent, not the big money interests that have a stranglehold on the Republican and Democratic parties. That means we are fighting for basic human rights, such as universal health care because we do not owe favors to big pharma or health insurance companies. We will fight for living wages and paid time off, because we will not have Walmart or Amazon in our pockets.”

Join US!

Washingtonians interested in becoming a member of the People’s Party of Washington can sign up at peoplespartywa.org. PPOW is seeking volunteers to help develop the party platform, nominate candidates, and plan their inaugural convention toward the end of 2021. 

National Movement For A People’s Party (MPP)

As of June, the MPP has received about 350 candidate nominations from around the country, according to People’s Party Executive Director Zeynab Day. The Party is seeking individuals who are committed to building people-powered grassroots campaigns free of corporate money and influence and who have the courage to challenge the establishment parties.

“We believe the time is right for a third party, given surging mistrust of establishment politicians combined with unprecedented income inequality and a dysfunctional American safety net system,” said Mixon. 

“A platform that solves the problems of the people rather than protecting corporate profit can win. Only a new party built on the progressive views of the majority can inspire the turnout necessary to change the system that caters to the wealthy while leaving the rest of us struggling to make ends meet,” Mixon added. 

Affiliation with the major parties has been declining for a decade. There are now far more Independents than Democrats or Republicans. If even half of the progressives who are still tolerating the Democratic party and only half of Independents were to join the new party, it would be the largest party in the US.

Road To Become A Major Party

In order to become a major political party in Washington state, the party’s nominees for president and vice president must have received at least five percent of the votes in the previous presidential election.

With just under four million votes cast in Washington’s high-turnout 2020 election, that translates to about 200,000 votes in 2024. 

“The major parties will work to marginalize us because they do not want the competition. They understand that a party that truly represents its constituents will be a threat to the status quo and to their power,” said Mixon.

The two corporate parties will work diligently on multiple fronts to derail the PPOW because they know what the power of the people can do to their structure. PPOW vows to plow ahead and succeed because people deserve a political party that represents them.

Asked how the party can siphon votes from the two major parties, Jamin Mason, PPOW Vice Chair, points to a Fox News poll that shows 72 percent of voters want a government-run health care plan. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have pursued the transition to a cost-saving, single-payer universal health care system that can be found in every developed country except the US. 

“The major parties aren’t delivering what the people want,” said Mason. “They’re delivering what their wealthy donors want.”

Jamin Mason, PPOW vice chair

Like many other states, Washington is politically diverse. Washington state’s Cascade Mountain range serves as more than a geographical divide; it also divides the state politically, with the western portion of the state leaning Democratic and the eastern portion leaning Republican.

“We will bridge that divide with a platform that improves the lives of Washingtonians regardless of their political affiliation: a living minimum wage, universal health care, free public college, an infrastructure jobs program, and removing the influence of corporate money on our elected political representatives, to name a few,” Mason said. 

“We are building coalitions with organizations that share our vision, such as Whole Washington that recently filed Initiative 1362. We will take to the streets to show that Washington can make history with I-1362 as the first state in the US to provide a publicly financed, not-for-profit health care system, which at this point should be a human right, not a question of how big your pockets are. I am a firm believer in the saying ‘Don’t talk about it, BE ABOUT IT.’ And that’s exactly what I am doing by leading Washington towards being the spark that ignites an inferno that forces America to be great for the first time ever,” Mason said. 

Climate Crisis And Washington State

The PPOW platform will place a high priority on combating the effects of climate change because our economy depends on it. Washington is second only to California in the number of agricultural commodities produced. Over 40 percent of Washington’s agricultural exports are fruit crops. Washington produces 90% of our country’s red raspberries, 80% of hops, 70% of apples, and 60% of sweet cherries. These crops are highly susceptible to dramatic temperature changes and shifting weather patterns resulting from climate change. 

Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is home to the Hoh Rainforest, one of the largest temperate rainforests in the US, much of which has been logged in the past century, damaging critical wildlife habitats and endangering our salmon populations. 

“We need our representatives to take a stronger and more aggressive stance on climate change. The two major parties have failed to act with sufficient urgency to meet the climate crisis head-on,” said Mixon. “Our natural resources are at stake, along with their associated jobs and economic impacts. We must protect and improve conditions for future generations, the environment, and all its inhabitants.”

For more information about the People’s Party of Washington, or to volunteer, visit peoplespartywa.org/about.

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