We get you on the ballot.
And we keep you there.

Under my former name, Kat Swift, I wore many hats in the Green Party. In 2010, I was the ballot access coordinator for the Green Party of Texas. Prior to that I was the Co-Chair of the state party, before and after, a national committee member and held various other positions. In 2008, I was a PotUS primary candidate.

Texas is one of the most difficult states for ballot access next to NC and OK. To say Free and Equal under Christina Tobin’s leadership helped pull off a miracle in 2010 is no exaggeration.

It was a complex situation with an external funder who would not listen to those of us who understood the petitioning effort needed, and as such F&E had about half the time to complete the job — normally a 75-day window (65 for independents). Despite this time crunch they pulled off a stunning effort and succeeded in gathering 90,000 signatures in 45 days. [Note signers cannot have voted in the primary and must already be registered, so the pool is limited.]

The job really ended there, but per usual the Democratic Party sued me, the Party, Free and Equal, and several others. Christina remained in communication with me throughout the suit.

Most candidates have no inkling of the complexities and difficulties of petitioning, the unethical behaviors of those in power to prevent success even when you do succeed, nor the legal hurdles that will be put in front of them whether of validity or not.

In my experience, Christina understands all of this and honestly, I do not know of another petition company that does, nationally. If you want to succeed in a coordinated national ballot access effort, there is no one else.

Katija Gruene — FKA Kat Swift, formerly of the Green Party

I have known Christina Tobin for approximately 15 years. I know that she is passionately in favor of having alternative candidates on the ballot. Since she was a teenager, this has been a central force in her life. She watched the state of Illinois keep her father off the November 1998 ballot as the Libertarian nominee for Governor. Even though he had enough valid signatures, according to the staff of the state Elections Board, the members of the board kept him off the ballot. That got her interested in ballot access, and that interest in her is as strong as ever.

She and I drove around northern California in 2010, visiting editorial boards of newspapers, and Chamber of Commerce executive boards, fighting a California ballot measure that had the effect of keeping minor parties off the California general election ballot. She was persuasive and effective.

As the 2008 Ralph Nader ballot drive coordinator, she had great success in getting Nader on the ballot. Not a single petition drive failed. Nader was on in 45 states in 2008, the most he ever achieved. By contrast, in 2000, he was only on in 43. Nader wasn’t on in all 50 in 2008 because in 5 states the law was just too severe to even attempt. However, most of those states have since eased their requirements (North Carolina, Oklahoma especially).

Christina also shows her passion for fair elections by her sponsorship of general election presidential debates, something no one else has done so often as she has.

Many paid petition company organizers are motivated by the ability to make money. That is not the guiding principle for Christina.

Richard Winger — Ballot Access News

I’d like to provide a reference for Christina Tobin. She’s an experienced ballot access coordinator, very skilled with running large 3rd party operations and team building, as well as hosting debates and large events that cater to the independent sector. She was instrumental in getting Ralph Nader on the ballot and played a significant role in at least 2 LP national ballot access campaigns that I know of.

She will be an asset to the Kennedy campaign & I can’t think of anyone else who understands the challenges of 50-state ballot access better than she does. Please reach out if you’d like to chat about my reference.

Angela McArdle — Chair of The National Libertarian Party

Christina Tobin — Nader 2008 Ballot Access Coordinator Extraordinaire.

When Christina Tobin was hired onto the Nader 2008 campaign as Ballot Access Coordinator, several campaign staff people said, “If anyone can pull off this daunting task, it’s Christina!”

As campaign manager, I was continually impressed with Christina throughout the campaign. She took on our field coordination with tremendous skill and knowledge. She constantly contacted the D.C. office staff, ensuring her field team was entirely on track and supported.

She had an effective plan for 45 states, and because of leadership, Nader gained ballot access in all those states, the most he had ever achieved.

I wholeheartedly recommend Christina Tobin to you. She is tenacious, creative, and principled, and her colleagues hold her in high esteem. As well as having good ideas and sound analysis, she is also an activist working to build economic and social justice.

Sally Soriano — Ralph Nader’s 2008 Campaign Manager

My name is Randy Stufflebeam. In October of 2003, I discovered the Constitution Party and for over 18 years I was a part of its leadership in some way or fashion. During that time: I had been chairman of the party in the state of Illinois. I was chairman of the Midwestern region (which encompassed 12 states). For 4 years (2012–2016), I was National Vice Chairman. In 2006, I ran for Governor of Illinois (receiving 19,020 write-in votes). In 2010, I ran for Illinois U.S. Senate delivering over 32,000 signatures for a requirement of 25,000. For 2 years, I was on the Board of Directors for the Free and Equal Elections Foundation.

The reason for me listing those things is because in most of those circumstances I had direct or indirect contact with Christina Tobin and worked with her directly on several projects. While I was National Vice Chairman, I had the opportunity to work with her to put on the Presidential debate, in which our candidates were involved. In 2010, as a candidate, I was the recipient of being on the debate held in Chicago that Christina organized and produced. I worked with her on the presidential debates (specifically being the liaison between her and the candidates) in 2008 and 2012.

I had the privilege of working with Christina directly, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Free and Equal Elections Foundation.

Christina’s work under the Free and Equal Elections banner is legendary. She was the reason in 2006 that Rich Whitney of the Green Party was able to get on the ballot in Illinois against the draconian election laws that have kept the Republicans and Democrats in power without outside competition. Had she been working with me instead of the Green Party, I’d probably have been elected governor. Her work with the Nader campaigns is also of note, especially here in Illinois for the same reasons as when she was working with the Green Party.

I have continued to monitor her progress and involvement in trying to level the playing field against the entrenched two-party system and I marvel at her tenacity and success that she has accomplished over the years. Though I have personally scaled back my political involvement, I have continued to monitor her activity, for which she has no peer in her accomplishments and drive for success.

I enthusiastically endorse Christina Tobin as the person to get the job done in getting you on the ballot in every state within these United States of America.

Respectfully submitted, Randall C. Stufflebeam