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As a third-party candidate running against a popular congressional incumbent, Ellen Jefferds knows she has little chance of winning an election in November. But with nothing to lose, Jefferds wants to inform the public about alternatives to mainstream American politics. 

Jefferds, a Natural Law Party (NLP) candidate, spoke at a luncheon Friday afternoon at the Berkeley City Commons Club about her party and about voting in the 2000 election. 

Jefferds, who is running for Congress in the Ninth District for the first time against incumbent Democrat Barbara Lee, said it was her first time talking as a candidate and admitted that she was a bit nervous. 

“I have all respect for Barbara Lee, and I think amongst incumbents she is good person,” she said. “Although I still think that she is part of an establishment that is holding a monopoly on the American public right now. I think we need to break that open, just for the sake of getting new voices in there.” 

Jefferds moved to the Bay Area in 1967 to attend UC Berkeley. She is a current Albany resident and a member of the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce. 

She began her speech, entitled “A Reason to Vote,” by explaining the importance of voting. She said that over half of the population and an astounding 89 percent of college students do not vote. Jefferds also offered that politicians today seem more interested in raising money for campaigns than improving the lives of Americans. 

Throughout her speech, Jefferds stressed the fact that voting for a third-party candidate isn’t necessarily wasting a vote. 

“Two-thirds of Americans say they are dissatisfied with their options,” she said. “What if they all vote for the same third party candidate? Then it isn’t a wasted vote.” 

Jefferds then discussed central issues for the NLP, including programs to improve health care, the education system, protecting the environment, and improving international relations. 

Most NLP candidates oppose the death penalty, but rather than supporting or opposing capital punishment laws, the party is trying to implement programs to improve crime rates. 

“Our emphasis is to shift people’s thinking away from punishment and towards preventing the crimes,” Jefferds said. “The idea is to shift the intentions from prosecution to prevention.” 

Similarly with abortion, Jefferds said that there should be a decrease in the number of abortions taking place – not because of legislation but because of education, as a result of birth control and more responsible behavior. 

In this year’s election, the NLP will have more than 1,000 candidates on the ballot in all 50 states, making it one of the largest third-party efforts in U.S. history. John Hagelin is running for president under the NLP, and three party members are U.S. Senate candidates. 

Jefferds admitted that she had little chance of defeating Congresswoman Lee in the November election, but said that she wants voters to be aware of third-party alternatives. Lee took 85 percent of the vote in the primaries. 

“Vote for what you believe in,” she said. “But look for new ideas. If you want to vote for the party you’ve been voting for for years, then do it, but not just out of habit.”