Kenneth C. Crowe II is reporting for the Times Union Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins September 12 addressed supporters at Townsend Park in Albany, in an effort to get out the vote in November so his party can meet the new state requirements and maintain its place on the state ballot. The Greens need at least 135,000 votes or two percent of ballots cast, whichever is greater, in the presidential election to keep their ballot line, an increase over the traditional 50,000 votes previously required. Hawkins and other Greens stressed their positions can only be heard by drawing voters to the line to have an impact on policy decisions. The Greens have been in the national news these past few days as the Wisconsin Supreme Court stopped the mailing of ballots until it could be decided if the party would be on the ballot. “When they talk about Greens spoiling the election, it’s not us. It’s Black voter suppression,” Hawkins said. The Greens have been viewed as siphoning away Democratic voters in elections since 2000 when Ralph Nader was the party’s presidential candidate. Read the full story in the Times Union.