Outside Spotlight, Greens On the Go

Maria Allwine is backed by two other Greens hopefuls, Greg Hemingway, center, and Paul Dibos, in her Senate race. (Photos Kevin Clark -- The Washington Post)

But winning, they said, isn't the point. Their names on the ballot give voters a choice, they said. And their appearance on the campaign trail allows them to talk about issues other candidates won't touch.

"My goal is to let people know there is a Green Party," said Greg Hemingway, who is challenging U.S. Rep Roscoe G. Bartlett (R) in Maryland's 6th Congressional District.

An accountant with Ernst & Young in Baltimore, he said he has been heartened by the reception he's gotten from voters. He's thankful -- and somewhat surprised -- that he's been invited to so many candidate forums. But he acknowledged that could be because no one thinks he poses a threat to Bartlett.

Still, he's hopeful his presence on the ballot could inspire people like him who aren't satisfied with the Republican or Democratic parties to get involved.

The idea is to get more people voting and more people running, said Patsy Allen, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) in the 3rd Congressional District.

Allwine, a legal secretary, also has no illusions about unseating Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D). But the peace activist, who doesn't own a television and relies largely on the foreign press for news, was so upset with President Bush's policies that she said she had to do something.

She called the war in Iraq "criminal" and said the troops "should come home now. Not tomorrow. Not in six months. Now."

She plans to vote for Cobb, the Green Party presidential nominee, but realizes the problem that third-party candidates can pose. In 2000, Ralph Nader, the Greens' presidential nominee, was accused of siphoning votes from Vice President Gore, allowing George W. Bush to win the election.

To prevent that from happening again, the Green Party in Maryland is pushing for what's called "instant runoff voting." It is supposed to allow voters to cast their ballots for whom they want without having to worry about taking away votes from someone else.

Under the system, voters rank their choices of candidates from first to last. If none of the candidates wins a majority of the first-place votes, the second choices are added to the candidates' tally. The votes are continually retabulated until someone wins a majority.

It's an idea that Allwine thinks could catch on and expand the party's base.

"I really believe the Green Party will grow in this country," she said.