Kat Swift
Encyclopedia
Kat Swift is a United States
political activist, former co-chair of the Green Party of Texas
, and spokesperson for the Green Party's National Women’s Caucus. She announced her intention to seek the 2008 Presidential nomination of the US Green Party
at the 2004 Green Party National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. She is one of the youngest candidates to seek the office in 2008, meeting the age requirement of 35-years-old only months before Election Day in 2008. In 2007, Ms. Swift ran for City Council, District 1 in San Antonio, Texas
finishing second of three candidates with 1,630 votes for 29.48% of the total vote. On July 12, 2008 she finished third on the single ballot for the party's presidential nomination
with 38 out of 532 delegate votes cast. She later endorsed the winner of the presidential nomination Cynthia McKinney
. Ms. Swift is currently a 2010 candidate for Bexar County Commissioner in Precinct 2
Ms. Swift is a critic of electronic voting machines, and during a 2008 interview said:
"The people must have precedence over corporations and political machines! Think about who is counting [votes] and paying for the candidates to run for office. Are they people who are acting out of duty for an egalitarian society, justice, and liberty…or are they in it for other reasons?”
Ms. Swift responded to Democrats' claims by explaining that the effort was not just about the governor's race, and that the party is running statewide candidates for the purpose of meeting state requirements to gain ballot status in order to run viable candidates for local offices. Ms. Swift stated that such legal challenges serve mainly to "close down democracy."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political activist, former co-chair of the Green Party of Texas
Green Party of Texas
The Green Party of Texas is the state party organization for Texas of the Green Party of the United States.-History:The Green Party of Texas began to organize a serious, statewide, grassroots effort in the late 1990s...
, and spokesperson for the Green Party's National Women’s Caucus. She announced her intention to seek the 2008 Presidential nomination of the US Green Party
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...
at the 2004 Green Party National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. She is one of the youngest candidates to seek the office in 2008, meeting the age requirement of 35-years-old only months before Election Day in 2008. In 2007, Ms. Swift ran for City Council, District 1 in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
finishing second of three candidates with 1,630 votes for 29.48% of the total vote. On July 12, 2008 she finished third on the single ballot for the party's presidential nomination
2008 Green National Convention
The 2008 Green National Convention took place on July 10-14, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois at the Palmer House Hilton and Symphony Center. This served as both the venue for the Presidential Nominating Convention and the Annual Meeting of the Green Party of the United States.-Venues:The convention was...
with 38 out of 532 delegate votes cast. She later endorsed the winner of the presidential nomination Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia McKinney
Cynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States...
. Ms. Swift is currently a 2010 candidate for Bexar County Commissioner in Precinct 2
Ms. Swift is a critic of electronic voting machines, and during a 2008 interview said:
"The people must have precedence over corporations and political machines! Think about who is counting [votes] and paying for the candidates to run for office. Are they people who are acting out of duty for an egalitarian society, justice, and liberty…or are they in it for other reasons?”
Texas Green Party ballot access (2010)
Ms. Swift served as the public spokeswoman for the Texas Green Party in the 2010 legal battle over ballot access for the party. In late June 2010, the Democratic Party of Texas sued to block certification of Green Party candidates, claiming that illegal out-of-state corporate donations had funded the party's petition drive to get on the Texas ballot. District Judge John Dietz agreed and issued an order blocking the Green Party from certifying its candidates, citing the limitations of Texas laws on the use of corporate money, that it could only be used for routine and convention expenses, not for ballot petitioning. But on July 2, 2010, the Texas State Supreme Court lifted the lower court order blocking the party, and the Texas Green Party certified four candidates for the general election.Ms. Swift responded to Democrats' claims by explaining that the effort was not just about the governor's race, and that the party is running statewide candidates for the purpose of meeting state requirements to gain ballot status in order to run viable candidates for local offices. Ms. Swift stated that such legal challenges serve mainly to "close down democracy."
External links
- Kat Swift for President official web site
- Kat Swift for President MySpace page
- Candidate profile at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Presidential campaign FEC disclosure report
- Speaking to delegates at 2007 annual national meeting of the Green Party Reading, Pennsylvania. July 13, 2007
- Minnesota Green Party Presidential Candidate Forum