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The Green Party of the United States is having its strongest run towards the White House ever with approximately 3.5 percent of the popular vote falling upon the party’s candidate, Jill Stein, according to the political news website The Hill. This is the second time Stein has spurred her party’s popularity to new heights. Her first was when she won 0.36 percent of the nation’s heart when she ran in the 2012 Election, which was the most votes any female presidential candidate had ever received in the general election until that election, according to greenpartywatch.org and jill2016.com, Stein’s official campaign page. Her official campaign website reads, “Jill was born in Chicago and raised in Highland Park, Illinois. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1973, and from Harvard Medical School in 1979.” After finishing her education, Stein practiced medicine for a number of years before eventually aligning herself with the Green Party. The Green Party is a progressive political group driven by environmentalism and is built around what it refers to as “The Four Pillars” and “The Ten Key Values.” The Green Party is often considered an alternative voting choice by Americans, such as Jared Wilbur from Sandy, Utah. Wilbur said, “If both parties are producing unsatisfactory candidates for many citizens, voting for independent parties like the Greens can let politicians know that they need to retool their platforms if they want to retain their power.” The party’s website,gp.org, says everything the Greens do is based upon the Four Pillars, which are peace, ecology, social justice, and democracy. The Ten Key Values are as follows, according to the Party’s website:1. Grassroots democracy- the Green Party intends to work on increasing public participation at every level of government and to ensure public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them.2. Social Justice and Equal Opportunity- “All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment.”3. Ecological Wisdom- Protect the environment by, “[practicing] agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.4. Non-Violence- “It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments.”5. Decentralization- “Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system.6. Community-based economics- “Restructure our patterns of income distribution to reflect the wealth created by those outside the formal monetary economy: those who take responsibility for parenting, housekeeping, home gardens, community volunteer work, etc. Restrict the size and concentrated power of corporations with- out discouraging superior efficiency or technological innovation.”7. Feminism and gender equality- Reduce the feeling of being in a “social system based on male domination” and help create a society where both genders are seen as equals. 8. Respect for diversity- The Green Party believes it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines9. Personal and global responsibility- The party seeks to encourage people to “improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony.”10. Future focus and sustainability- The party intends to put focus in long term plans to reduce waste and how waste is managed. People and organizations will be held accountable for the waste they produce to ensure quality of life for everyone in the future. One setback hit the Green Party on Aug. 5, when a federal judge tossed out a lawsuit made by the third party that would allow both Stein and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson a seat in the televised presidential debates, as reported by the Washington Post. There is a rule that a candidate must have at least 15 percent in the polls in order to join the televised presidential debates, said the Post. Neither Gary Johnson nor Jill Stein have hit that number, and while their lawsuit argues the rule is a threat to the First Amendment, U.S District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer saw the argument as invalid. “Plaintiffs’ alleged injuries are wholly speculative and are dependent entirely on media coverage decisions,” wrote Collyer. “The alleged injuries — failure to receive media coverage and to garner votes, federal matching funds, and campaign contributions — were caused by the lack of popular support of the candidates and their parties sufficient to attract media attention.” In response to this, Ron Nielson, the campaign manager for Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson, said, “We are exploring our options, with the firm resolve that this case and the larger issue of fair debates are too important to simply allow such an arbitrary dismissal.” David Weigel of the Washington Post contributed, “The legal setback does not eliminate the third parties’ options for debate access, but it displays how long their odds are. In the relatively short history of televised presidential debates, only one third-party candidate ever shared a stage with the Democrat and Republican. That was in 1992, when businessman Ross Perot appeared and occasionally shined in face-offs with George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.” Lorenzo San, one of Stein’s supporters, posted on her official Facebook page, “I know you are thinking Jill Stein will never win, but hey! In Italy, everyone kept saying ‘The Five Star Movement will never win. They are populist and say unrealistic things.’ Well, they have become the first party for popular vote and have exposed the under-table arrangements between the supposedly ‘left’ party and ‘right’ party. That’s what America also needs, a third major party. A new voice that reveals the corruptions of the Republican and Democratic Parties.” Myles Chance, another supporter of Stein’s posted on Facebook, “While I still want to believe there’s hope for Jill in this election, I think we’re going to have to wait till next time for America to go green.”