Submits 16,500 Signatures for Ballot Access in South Carolina

When the Labor Party embarked on its campaign to gain ballot access in South Carolina, its first major foray into the field of electoral politics, its organizers faced the task of building an organization capable of gathering 10,000 valid signatures of registered voters. And in the middle of the summer they made it.

On July 11, organizing committee members Willie Legette, Donna Dewitt and Linda Houck submitted 16,500+ signatures to the state election commission. Voters from every county in the state signed the petition.

"This was a major hurdle, but we cleared it with a healthy cushion to spare because of the commitment and dedication of the South Carolinians who see the need for a clear working class politics in the state," says Willie Legette, professor of political science at SC State University. "Now we can turn our attention to broadening and deepening our statewide base and building a strong, fighting organization that can enter the electoral arena on our own terms."

"I am excited," says Donna Dewitt, president of the SC AFL-CIO, "that we have submitted the signatures and am encouraged by the enthusiastic reception from union members and from the general public. And it especially means a lot to me as a trade unionist that the campaign is generating support all across the country. We are well on our way to being the first state in the nation where workers can vote for a real party of our own."

"We need to raise substantial funds to see the party-building process through to completion and to solidify a deeply rooted South Carolina Labor Party that will be strong enough to contend seriously," said National Organizer Mark Dudzic. "This will take hard work and great care, but all of us involved in this process, from both the national party and the Palmetto State, are more excited than ever about the potential of what we're doing."

To find out more about the South Carolina initiative and the Labor Party, go to .