Petition Drive - Vanderbilt University, TN

The 2006 mid-term election for the Tennessee Senate was extremely competitive. Both Bob Corker (R) and Harold Ford, Jr., (D) raised huge sums of money in an attempt to gain the upper hand in such a tight race. Bob Corker, who ended up raising more money, eventually won. To raise awareness about money in politics, Democracy Matters at Vanderbilt University decided to welcome our new Senator with a petition drive. In the midst of a major ethics reform in the Senate, our goal was tell our newly-elected Senator Corker to keep an eye on the issue of money in politics and work toward Clean Elections. We set a goal of 250 signatures and began planning.

With the fall semester closing and finals week near, our group had to make the most of our time. My Staff Link Daryn Cambridge and I discussed various strategies to get as many signatures as possible in as little time. Although it would have been nice to go around as an entire group and get signatures, we though there would be a lot of dead weight and only one or two people doing the talking. Instead Daryn suggested each member take a half hour after lunch or dinner during the week and go around the cafeteria gathering signatures. We thought this strategy would be most effective since everyone was on different finals schedules, our members had to eat sometime during the day, and the cafeteria was a gathering place for hundreds of potential signers.

Although I think we picked the best strategy, our group hit some bumps along the road. Some members understandably put finals before the petition drive, gathering few or no signatures at all. Also since members were on their own, some put it off to the last minute, gathering only a small amount. A particularly successful group of three gathered over sixty signatures just going around to dorm rooms that had their doors open. They said they were so successful because they had a couple people to socialize with, which made the tedious work more enjoyable. I made an announcement about the petition in my American Government class and also carried the petition around in my backpack throughout the week.

When the semester ended, we had about ninety signatures. After a relaxing winter break, we resumed our petition drive, striving for that 250 signature mark. At the first meeting back, however, only about five members showed up. I think everyone was busy getting settled in and preparing for the semester ahead. Also, Vanderbilt has a huge Greek scene and rush week was in full force. I tried to take advantage of this busy week by passing the petition around at a meeting for my fraternity. My roommate and I also went around the cafeteria once more. Ultimately, however, we fell short of the 250 mark by about 110 signatures. Considering the circumstances, maybe 250 signatures was out of reach, but it is better to challenge yourself and fail than to have an easy goal and succeed. Hopefully, Senator Corker will write back, possible starting a continuous dialogue with Democracy Matters. If not, 140 more people know about Democracy Matters and Clean Elections.

Tom Byrne

Democracy Matters Campus Coordinator

Vanderbilt University

Democracy Week - Colgate University, NY

Although DM has been a constant and known presence on the Colgate campus for years, it is easy for many people to ignore us. So at the end of last semester we decided to make it nearly impossible for anyone on campus to ignore our group by hosting an entire week of events. And three months later, in late September, everyone on campus knew it was Democracy Week. With a crowd of almost 300 at our big event, democracy week was a huge success. We received the Campus Life Award for our work registering voters and the events of Democracy Week. The week was the product of a lot of hard work, but it was also a lot of fun and a great way to get the word out about clean elections. Here are some tips for planning a week of Dm events:

1. Start Early
• Because we began planning early for this week, we were able to step back and set the dates in a strategic way. We planned the week for a time early in the semester to catch the eye of incoming freshman, but late enough not to get encompassed by welcome back activities.
• You can also make sure to avoid other big speakers or events by getting your events on the calendar first!
• By giving members important tasks from day one you retain membership much better.
• When you are planning such a large-scale operation there is no way you can pull everything off in a short period of time. Giving yourself a lot of time enables you to make all the appropriate contacts and reach out to many facets of the community.
  

2. Create a Focus to the week or Big Event
• In order to draw attention and crowds, center your week around one main event. We were lucky enough to have Adonal come speak. But looking for a well known speaker or any event that would be sure to illicit a lot of attention in the media and community.
• Because of Adonal’s speech, faculty and administration will be drawn to the week. Will the support of these groups you can receive extra funding
• Also, a big speaker draws the attention of the media. Your school paper and hopefully local media outlets will want to cover you big event providing an outlet for you to talk about Clean Money and the rest of the events in your week.
  

3. Outreach to other groups
• The support and cosponsorship of other groups is key. By reaching out to other groups you will get more diverse and higher attendance at events.
• Outreach is another reason the big event is important. Other groups will be attracted to a big name and then you can talk to them about the smaller events.
• Take advantage of other groups at your school and incorporate them into the week. For example, we asked the debate team to put on a debate about Clean Elections. We also got the Activities Board to show The Tom Delay Movie in a big Auditorium. By engaging other groups in the week, you create a broader appeal and decrease your own workload.
  

4. Outreach to the Community
• The support of the community was an invaluable addition to Democracy Week.
• We contacted local media outlets, gave presentations in the high school, and invited the community to all of our events.
• The local community showed high interest in our issue, and through these events made more contacts with people who want to get involved.
  

5. Seek guidance from experienced faculty and administrators
• When we confirmed that Adonal would speak, we contacted the President of the University. She signed on as a copsonsor, offered to aid in funding, and put us in touch with key administrators.
• Meeting with Deans is a very helpful tool in learning how to put on large scale events. The dean I met with gave me a long list of people to contact within the University that would help in advertising, publicity, catering, and scheduling. He also told me which professors to contact.
• If you have a big event, let professors know early so they can put it on their syllabus.
• We were also able to get cosponsorship from a center on campus that brings speakers. This center was instrumental in the planning and funding for the big event.
• Use people who have planned these type of events before, and look for funding everywhere!
  

6. Use your staff link
• Don’t forget to ask your staff link for help. They have experience in planning these events too and will make sure you are covering all your bases.

7. Delegate tasks
• Planning this type of event takes A LOT of time and energy. Get your members involved early or you will be sorry later!

8. Advertise, Advertise, Advertise
• One of the most important aspects of a week like this is advertising. Because there will be a series of events you can create posters listing all the events.
• Explore other forms of advertising as well: We spray painted sheets, sent out emails, went to groups and clubs, hung up tons of posters, passed out flyers, and tabled.
• We also used events earlier in the semester to advertise as well. For instance when we registered the freshman class during orientation, we were able to speak to all of them about the upcoming week of events.

9. Recruit New Members
• Don’t forget to use this opportunity to recruit new members. Put sign up sheets at every event.
• Mention meeting times at every event and give people a way to take action!
  

Colgate Democracy Week Events:

Voter Registration all week long

Monday – Kicked off the week with a “splash on campus” – We put condoms with clean elections facts in the dining halls.

Tuesday – Debate Team debated the merits of a federal CMCE bill.

Wednesday – Brown Bag lunch panel of Professors and Students “Student Activism: Then and Now”

Thursday – Adonal Foyle talk “Playing the game of democracy: an NBA player speaks out” with reception to follow.

Friday – Adonal Foyle visit to Colgate Bookstore – talk on banned books

- Colgate Activities Board presented “The Big Buy: Tom Delay’s Stolen Congress”

Op-ed Media Campaign - Kenyon College, OH

Op-eds and other forms of mass media are a great way to educate the public and deliver a message. All the East Coast college coordinators wrote op-eds about the mid-term election, corruption, and clean election reform and submitted them to their school paper and a local/community paper. The following op-ed was written by Karl Stark, campus coordinator at Kenyon College in Ohio. Enjoy!

According to the pollsters, newspapers, candidates and any radio show host, this year’s midterm elections were a “referendum on Iraq.” That may very well be. Approval ratings dropped without any policy change from the White House or the Hill, and challengers made it the nucleus of their campaigns.

But this year’s elections were about more than just Iraq. They were about more than rising health care costs, high unemployment and environmental concerns. The midterm elections were, quite simply, a referendum on accountability. It might have all started with Tom Delay, but it probably went back further than that, further than Verizion eavesdropping and Jack Abramoff. It goes back even further than Katrina. It started, ironically, with the Republican Party’s own: Newt Gingrich.

In 1994, Gingrich and the GOP took back the House for the first time in 40 years. Gingrich proposed his “Contract with America,” which promised the American people a smaller, more efficient, and more accountable government run by the Republican Party. “Tired of the pork-barrel politics?” Gingrich asked, “Give us a shot.” From then on, the public has held a watchful and disapproving eye over its politicians.

The events of the last two years have shown what happens when power is taken as an entitlement. As the Republican Party was able to pull off political victory after political victory, it became, in the eyes of its own members, more and more indestructible. And with House reelection percentages above 90% and the President having just wrapped the last campaign of his political career, there seemed to be little threat to the seats of power. This is exactly where the problem lies. The campaign cycles are kicking off earlier and earlier, to the point that many members are building their 2008 campaigns as we speak. Policy is secondary to fundraising. Instead of meeting with the National Education Association or the United Auto Workers, politicians are booking lunches with lobbyists and fat-walleted donors.

You’re thinking, “This isn’t news, so what’s the big deal?” Here’s the deal: I’m going to tell you how we fix it.

Currently in Maine and Arizona, and selected other races nationwide, public financing is the norm for political campaigns. Candidates, instead of being backed by affluent individuals, Political Action Committees, and lobbyists, are instead only financed through public contributions, each of which is capped to a predetermined per capita limit. On current national tax forms, individuals can select to have $3 placed into a national pot to help fund presidential candidates (FYI-the first candidate to ever refuse any public funding is…President Bush). The system of public financing for local and congressional races works similarly. That amount might be raised to $5 or $10, and would then be divided up between candidates who wished to use it. It is this optional nature which makes the system constitutional.

Public financing’s positive effects are staggering. For one, it levels the playing field for campaigns. It really makes the campaigns about the issues, as candidates cannot rely on hefty donations from Special-Interest groups to pay for high-profile TV commercials and mass mailings. Each candidate’s campaign is tied tightly to the public. In addition, politicians who are elected don’t have to worry about fund-raising once they’re in office, meaning that they can get down to business. Candidates who have run these “clean money” campaigns see their approval ratings jump.

Public financing isn’t just another “only in theory” campaign finance solutions. It is THE solution. It is being implemented nationwide. Last year, Connecticut passed new public financing legislation, and in Maine over 70% of the state government was elected through public financing. It can work, it will work, it DOES work.

Want more information on how to change politics in America? I’m Kenyon’s coordinator for Democracy Matters, a nationwide institution whose goal is to implement public financing across the country. It was, in fact, a Democracy Matters chapter that helped change Connecticut’s system. Reform is not just an election-year necessity, for real reform takes time, energy, and people. Email me at starkk@kenyon.edu, or visit www.democracymatters.org. Kenyon’s chapter will be showing a recent PBS documentary on clean elections, and we also hold regular meetings, so contact me to get involved!