NY State of Politics, April 17, 2018

The Erie County Green Party said local Republican operatives co-opted its line by circulating petitions in NY-27 for a candidate who does not represent party values. Green Chairman Eric Jones said it is the latest and most publicized implementation of the tactic, but it’s certainly not the first time this has occurred....

The situation is particularly sticky for the Green Party this year because its officials want to make sure their members vote in the gubernatorial race. Howie Hawkins is again running for governor – for the third time – and the party needs at least 50,000 votes to maintain ballot access under New York state law.

Jones said making sure people don’t continue to go down the line after checking the box for Hawkins will take a significant educational effort. He said the party is planning on sending direct mail to Green voters who live in NY-27, which, of course, will be costly.