“This isn’t a crusade:" Forming a new minor party in Washington State
Bonafide Band playing at Ray’s Golden Lion
The spokesperson and presidential nominee* (more on that later) for the Cascade Party is Krist Novoselić, founding member of seminal grunge band Nirvana. Novoselić spoke recently to around 40 people at local entertainment hub Emerald of Siam about how he and others are forming a new minor political party.
Novoselić has been on the stump since March. Novoselić explained:
If you want to be recognized by the state of Washington as a bonafide minor party, you have to run a presidential ticket. You only have the opportunity to qualify as a bonafide minor party once every four years.
*So, since the only time a minor party can be formed is during a Presidential primary year, the Cascade Party did have to have a presidential ticket. Reluctantly, Novoselić agreed to lead the ticket.
They needed to collect 1,000 valid signatures from Washington voters, and they had to publish legal notices that go in the paper of record ten days before any signing events.
They also had to have 100 registered voters attend their conventions.
“It’s been haphazard; we rushed it,” said Novoselić.
But he wanted the audience to know:
It's not a crusade. We’re just trying to do the best we can; and if anything, it’s a demonstration… like an example of what the possibilities are with new forms of political association.
The Cascade Party started with events in Seattle and Tacoma. Then, in July, they held six events which Novoselić referred to as ‘conventions’. Novoselić and company headed to Eastern Washington, stopping in Yakima, Richland, and Walla Walla to collect the necessary signatures to deliver to the Secretary of State before the deadline of August 2nd.
The filing period is short for minor parties to get their signatures. They only have from May 4 to July 27. The 16-page document from the Secretary of State lays out the rules for the minor parties, with strict deadlines.
By August 2nd, the minor party must have:
● Affidavit(s) of public notice of convention
● Pledges signed by each elector (×12)
● Petition with at least 1,000 valid signatures
● Certificate of Nomination
● Consent to Nomination (President), Consent to Nomination (Vice President), and Voters’ Pamphlet statement & photos
In Richland, Novoselić spoke during the day to explain all about the Cascade Party, and a rock show followed in the evening. At other events in Western Washington, the signature pages were at the shows, with people taking time to talk to individuals about what they were signing.
When he was asked how it was going, Novoselić didn’t want to say whether they had enough signatures yet. But he did smile and say, “We are in good shape.”
Of course, a lot of people just came to see Novoselić. He was the co-founder of the band that changed the music industry, after all. Questions from the audience and autographs followed his 40 minute talk.
Novoselić’s Bonafide Band played at Ray’s Golden Lion the evening after his convention at The Emerald. With him was Mark Pickerel from the Screaming Trees as his drummer, along with Kathy Moore, whom Novoselić described as Washington’s premier shredder on guitar. Rounding out the band were vocalists Jillian Raye and Jennifer Johnson, both members of grunge supergroup 3rd Secret.
The band was put together to support the Cascade Party. As the acting chair of the party, Novoselić had to think about what his resources were. “[I thought:] ‘I’m a musician. How do I pull people in?’ said Novoselić. “So I put a band together.” He explained that the band gets people to the conventions, where signatures can be gathered. Novoselić also brings postcards with him to give out, with a QR code on the back that links to the Cascade Party.
Novoselić said that as a band, Nirvana was thoroughly independent. And that’s how he views the Cascade Party.
[With Nirvana,] we made our own way. We put on our own shows in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia… We had our own magazines, fanzines — we would photocopy things, this was before the internet — we distributed things. So we just made our own communities and made our way.
Novoselić said one of the ways they are maintaining independence is by using their own social media platform. They promise not to track or sell people’s data. They run it off their own server, and users directly interact with each other. By joining the social media platform, users become active members in the party. Novoselić explains:
Basically, you declare that you’re a member of the Cascade Party when you press agree. And [as] a party member, you have all the privileges of membership — you can vote on our officers, you can help ratify our platform.
They still need to ratify their bylaws, as well. Currently on the draft platform, the issues listed are Social Good, Agriculture, Judicial Reform, Transparency, Environment, Good Government, and Healthcare.
Novoselić has said he’s personally very involved in his community, including being a member of his local Grange with his wife for 30 years. The Grange is non-partisan and he wants it to remain separate from the Cascade Party. On the Wikipedia page about Novoselić, much is written about his interests in politics, including running for public office and his membership in the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.
The process for becoming a bonafide party is complicated, and Novoselić explains that the Cascade Party has protested to the state that the rules are “terrible”. The state replied to his concerns, saying: “We will consider this as a petition for a rule change… and these things take time.”
Currently in Washington, Democrats are in the majority in the legislature and all statewide offices are held by Democrats. The U.S. Senators for the state are also Democrats. But in other parts of the states, Republicans have the majority.
Novoselić said that having a new party is giving people more options:
We just need more choices. And you can do that in Washington State with our election system. We have a two-phase system. …You get all the candidates in the primary, and then the top two … go to the general election. So the goal of the Cascade Party is to at least get into the top two and offer a choice to the voters.
The Secretary of State verifies the signatures needed to run as a political party. In 2020, seven minor parties submitted nominating petitions. According to the Secretary of State’s Office, these were: Alliance Party; American Solidarity Party; Constitution Party; Green Party; Libertarian Party; Socialism and Liberation Party; and Socialist Workers Party. Derrick Nunnally, Deputy Director of External Affairs from the Office of the Secretary of State said that they will likely issue a press release to announce any new minor parties in August once they get past the deadline for certifying candidates for the November election.
The platform will be set by the people that join the party. “It’s people with shared needs and values coming together and amplifying their voices,” said Novoselić. “That’s what we’re doing with the Cascade Party.”
A lifelong resident of Eastern Washington, Dori enjoys the outdoors, her family, and making good trouble. She has worked for many years in broadcasting and reporting and believes in the value of the 4th estate. She is a true community advocate that loves Washington.