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Elections

The Election's Over, Now What? -- November 7, 2003

If You Don't Vote, You Don't Get to Whine About the Outcome -- October 21, 2003 (see our election guide as well!)

Your Vote Does Count -- September 18, 2002

November 7, 2003

EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY TIP: THE ELECTION'S OVER, NOW WHAT?

Election? What Election?: Yes, I know it was an off-year, and no one can really expect you to know that there were elections… Hey, wait a minute, yes we can! That’s part of what living in a democracy is all about. Plus I went on at great length about this in the last edition of the tipsheet. So you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that on Tuesday, November 4th citizens in communities all around the country elected mayors, council members, governors, and passed billions of dollars in bond measures for everything from parks to roads to schools. Want to know what happened in your community and be better prepared for 2004? Here are some simple ideas

• What the Heck Happened? If you’re not entirely sure of the outcomes of your recent elections (or even if there were any), I have a couple suggestions. First, through the National Association of State Election Directors’ site, you can link to most state election pages in the country. Most of these pages have information on state ballot activity in 2003, and most have links to local initiatives. Check it out at http://www.nased.org/statelinks.htm. Local newspapers are another tremendous resource. You can found THOUSANDS of them at www.onlinenewspapers.com. To find out about Mayoral or Governor races, check out www.mayors.org and www.nga.org, the U.S. Council of Mayors and National Governors Association websites. Remember that members of the U.S. House and Senate were NOT up for re-election in 2003, but will be in 2004.

• Learn What the Outcomes Mean for You: If you have new city or state representation, after you figure out who they are, learn a little bit about them. You can do this by reviewing the local news or their campaign websites. Be sure, also, to learn about the initiatives that were passed in your community. Often, the local newspapers will offer insights into what groups and individuals were supporting or opposing particular efforts. Track down their websites and campaign information to figure out the impact of those initiatives on both your pocketbook as well as your quality of life.

• Develop a Strategy: There’s nothing more frustrating than finding out there was something really exciting on the ballot (or really atrocious) and you didn’t even know about it! Be better prepared next time by developing a strategy now. If you’re concerned about transportation in your district, and a really neat transportation initiative just failed, find the groups supporting it and ask them how you can help for next time. If you want to be more active in your community’s politics, develop a plan for reaching out to elected officials over the year or, heck, even running yourself if you’re not satisfied. Remember, whether it’s the city, state or U.S. government, it’s YOUR government.

• Resolve to be More Active: While this year’s elections have profound implications for communities across the country, next year’s elections may be even more dramatic. All 435 members of the U.S. House, 1/3 of the Senate, the President and thousands of local legislators will be up for re-election. Expect hundreds of citizen- and legislature-led ballot initiatives designed to identify funding for projects or change state laws. Don’t let next year’s election come and go without your full and active participation. There are a range of resources designed to help you achieve that goal, including: the League of Women Voter’s Voter Information page; Project Vote Smart ; the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and DemocracyNet. You can also do a Google search using the terms “Voter Information in [name of state, county, or city here]”. You’ll be amazed at what you find.

• Take the Citizen Participation Pledge: OK, I just made it up – but here it is!

Ok, now stop talking to yourself and go do it!

INTERESTING WEBSITES

A recent study found that “Fed Websites Lack Accessibility”. According to the report, 63 percent of federal Web sites have a 12th-grade average readability level, while the average American citizen reads at or below the 8th-grade level. Is it just me, or is the real problem here that the average American reads at or below the 8th grade level?

If you’re at all concerned about what’s going on outside of the United States (and American involvement), check out a new site from e-thepeople.org, the Packard Foundation, and PBS. The site is called “American Choices.” Billed as a foreign policy self-assessment, users are asked 12 questions regarding some of the fundamental trade-offs facing U.S. policymakers.

INTERESTING EVENTS

November 11th, 2003: Veterans Day. If you want to learn more about the history of Veterans Day, check out the VA’s site at http://www.appc1.va.gov/vetsday/

November 14th and 21st: The Advocacy Classroom is offering “Legislative Procedure and You: Or, How I Learned to Love the Legislative Process and Use it to My Advantage.” This is rescheduled from September.

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OCTOBER 21, 2003

EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY TIP: IF YOU DON'T VOTE, YOU DON'T GET TO WHINE

Hey, your elected officials can't hear you if you're not talking, right? And one of the loudest ways to talk is at the voting booth! Even though it's an "off" year, on November 4th most communities around the country are asking citizens important questions at the ballot box. From local government offices to citizen-led initiatives, the outcome of these elections may have a dramatic impact on your neighborhood or state. Don't you want to be a part of the changes that will take place in your community? If so, then read on, because this week's effective communication tip offers insights and resources for learning about the candidates and issues in your area.

First of all, if you aren't registered to vote, you should check to see if it is still possible to do so in your state at www.beavoter.org. From this site, you can search for voter registration deadlines by state, and, if you're still eligible to register, find out how to do so!

To find out more about ballot initiatives in your area, try the Ballot Initiatives Strategy Center at www.ballot.org. They have a tremendous state-by-state listing of ballot measures in all 50 states. Note that this site focuses on citizen-led initiatives and "progressive" politics.

In addition to ballot initiatives, a range of other measures may come up during your local elections. To prepare yourself to be an informed voter, I recommend a couple of options:

• First of all, there's nothing like a good old-fashioned "Google" search to find what you're looking for. Try typing in a phrase like "information on the November 4th elections in [fill in name of city/county here]." Often, you'll find that some level of government has posted information on the upcoming elections

• Another good resource is the National League of Cities (www.nlc.org). From the front page of the site, you can access the web sites of state chapters of the NLC. Through these sites you can track down individual home pages for individual cities. Try links that read "Board of Elections" or "Elections" or "Ballot Box" to find out what's going on in your neck of the woods

• Finally, many local newspapers are great resources for election issues. Try a site like onlinenewspaper.com or newspaperlinks.com to access local papers, many of which will carry ballot information starting one to two weeks before the election.

And, if you're already looking ahead to 2004, get the full scoop on the Washington Post's "On Politics" site at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/politics/elections/2004/ . Or you can access E-Democracy.org's Presidential Launch Pad. This new Election 2004 section lists the top 50 "deep links" and search queries conveniently organized by candidate.

INTERESTING WEBSITES

Wondering what Americans think about the war in Iraq? How about consumer confidence? Health care? Find all the answers at the Washington Post's one-stop shop for polling data

My friends at the Dirksen Congressional Center have a really wonderful online Congressional classroom. At the site you can take a range of course from background on representative democracy to understanding the basics of lawmaking.

Nonprofit Basics is a great new site to help all nonprofit organizations be more effective in their work. The site provides resources in a range of areas, from fundraising to yes, you guessed it, advocacy. Check it out!

How could I have forgotten? One of my readers contacted me looking for a site I had listed in one of my previous tipsheets. It didn't ring a bell at the time, but once she tracked it down (no thanks to me), I remembered it. Check out stateline.org for news and information at the state and local level.

INTERESTING EVENTS

October 31, 2003: The recently passed "Continuing Resolution" (which covers spending for all the appropriations bills that were not completed before the start of the fiscal year), runs out on October 31st. If Congress does not complete its work by then, you guessed it, they'll have to pass another CR.

November 4th, 2003: Many communities around the country are holding elections on a range of important issues - everything from transit to taxes to local government. Be sure you're up to speed on the electoral issues in your neck of the woods.

November 14th and 21st: The Advocacy Classroom offered "Legislative Procedure and You: Or, How I Learned to Love the Legislative Process and Use it to My Advantage." It's not too late to buy the Legislative Process 101 and Legislative Process 401 on CD-Rom.

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September 18, 2002

EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY TIP: YOUR VOTE DOES COUNT

In this edition, I want to offer resources for those of you interested in becoming more involved in the elections. With 2002 being an “off-year” election (meaning no presidential race), history tells us that over two-thirds of eligible, voting age U.S. citizens will likely decide not to vote in November. Hey, that's no way to run a democracy! If we're going to have government “by the people,” then the people should actually be involved in selecting their elected officials, right? In fact, in my opinion, anyone who forfeits their right to vote loses their right to whine about the outcome. So if you want to complain about politics, go vote…

On November 5th, Americans will select some new members of the U.S. House of Representatives, which may switch leadership, and, in some states, members of the U.S. Senate, which, although not likely, may also switch leadership. In fact, the combination of reapportionment, retirement, running for another office and, well, expulsion in the case of Mr. Traficant, has led to a whopping 88 open U.S. House seats. With few incumbents running in these seats, this means around 80 new members will be coming to Washington, DC in January 2003. At the same time, residents in 36 states will be selecting a Governor.

You may find that you have new state and local representatives, or that a new ballot initiative will have dramatic impacts on your community and state. Don't you want to be a part of the changes that will take place in your community? If so, then read on, because this week's effective communication tip offers insights and resources for learning about the candidates in your area, from federal to state to local.

• Register to vote: First of all, if you aren't registered to vote, you must go to www.beavoter.org. In fact, stop reading right now and go to that site. Go on, I'll wait. From this site, you can search for voter registration deadlines by state, and, if you're still eligible to register, find out how to do so!

• Find your candidates: To find out more about federal, state and local candidates, go to the Democracy Network at www.dnet.org. The Democracy Network has teamed up with the League of Women Voters to provide a comprehensive list of federal, state and local office candidates, as well as detailed information regarding their views on the issues. All you have to do is plug in your zip code. There's also information on ballot measures, as well as voter registration guidelines. You can even post the dnet button on your own site! So plug in to get all the information you need!

  If you aren't sure which House district you reside in, go to www.congress.org, which allows you to search by zip code. If you aren't sure which state you live in (for the U.S. Senate and governor's races), well you have bigger problems than just figuring out how to vote!

• Volunteer: If you want to go the extra mile and volunteer with a campaign, whether it's an individual candidate or a ballot initiative, usually the best approach is to find the webpage for the candidate/issue and contact them directly. Many sites can be found pretty easily using a search engine like google (www.google.com). You can also go to the party sites at www.dccc.org or www.dscc.org for the Democrats or www.rnc.org for the Republicans. All kinds of volunteer opportunities are available through these sites.

• Win Fabulous Prizes: Roll Call, a newsletter on Capitol Hill, is holding a contest asking participants to guess at the date of adjournments. Not much information on the site, unfortunately, but you can call (202) 824-6800 for more information (www.rollcall.com).

• General Background: If you're looking for general news and information, check out www.politicsonline.com and www.purepolitics.com. All of these sites have their own useful content as well extensive links to the news organizations. For online Election Day coverage, www.c-span.org and www.washingtonpost.com/onpolitics are good bets.

INTERESTING WEBSITES

Want to know where your local jurisdiction's website ranks in relation to others? Check out the winners in Government Technology magazine's “Best of the Web” contest at http://www.govtech.net/news/news.phtml?docid=2002.09.06-3030000000021818. A panel of judges evaluated entries based on innovative use of Web technology to improve citizen service and access to government, the ability to boost efficiency and the delivery of cost savings.

Sometimes I still think I'm young, which is why I like to check out the sites oriented toward the younger generation (you know who you are). A couple great sites to check out are: the Young Dems at http://ydemscan.net and the Campaign for Young Voters at www.campaignyoungvoters.org.

INTERESTING EVENTS

Sept. 21, 2002: The primary season ends with Hawaii's “saving the best for last” primary. On to the general election!

Sept. - Oct, 2002: Wondering what AdVanced Consulting is up to? Where the workshops are? Who's lobbying who? Check out the AdVanced Consulting schedule at www.advocacyguru.com/schedule.htm.

Sept. 30, 2002: End of the current fiscal year. Expect a series of Continuing Resolutions as Congress seeks to reach agreement on contentious budget issues while struggling to leave Washington, DC in time to campaign for reelection. Many observers are also discussing the possibility of a “lame-duck” Congressional session to be held after the November elections.

Nov. 5, 2002: Election Day. Make your plans now to vote in person or via absentee ballot – your vote matters!