Lost in the shuffle of the filing deadline was the Green Party’s continued effort to get the recognition it deserves from the state of Arkansas. Its lawsuit challenging its failure to get automatic ballot status because it fell below the required 3 percent vote in the presidential race in 2008 (though state candidates easily exceeded that threshold) won’t be tried in time to help ballot access this year.

The party will begin March 20 gathering 10,000 signatures on petitions to certify the party for the ballot, said Green Party state treasurer Mark Jenkins of Little Rock. It has 90 days to obtain the petitions. It has succeeded twice before. Once certified, the party will hold a nominating convention, probably the last weekend in June.

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Two Green candidates have announced — John Gray for U.S. Senate and Ken Adler for 1st District Congress. Jenkins said the party would field a number of other candidates, including a challenger to Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, who is currently unopposed for re-election.

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