Written Testimony - Johns Hopkins University, MD

Democracy Matters coordinators have been working alongside Progressive Maryland (www.progressivemaryland.org) to help promote and try to pass a Clean Elections bill in the state of Maryland. Esther Bochner, campus coordinator at Johns Hopkins University, submitted the following written testimony to the state's House Ways and Means committee, urging them to pass the bill and send it to a floor vote. Her efforts proved successful!

Students at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, are plagued by the same illness affecting millions of students nationwide: cynicism. We are tired of seeing the same diluted pool of candidates dominate local, state and national elections due to incredible financial burdens. We are frustrated by the amount of qualified individuals incapable of making a difference because they are incapable of attaining the funds necessary to compete with wealthy candidates. We are unhappy with the current electoral system in which politicians are forced to spend more time and effort raising the money needed to run a competitive campaign than focusing on the issues and concerns of the people they aspire to represent. We are no longer content to sit by and hope for the best. That is why hundreds of students at the Johns Hopkins University have united in support of the Clean Elections Bill.

The bill provides us with hope for the future of Maryland politics. In recent years, campaign costs have increased exponentially, and the best candidates are unable to run for office or win elections because of the hurdles they encounter, not in effecting their policies, but in raising enough money. Clean Elections would allow qualified politicians who have proven themselves through collecting enough qualifying contributions to receive public funds for primary and general elections. This would help level the playing field between promising candidates and their wealthy opponents, and consequently produce elections that are about who would accomplish the most for the state, not who has the most money.

To students at the Johns Hopkins University, the Clean Elections Bill represents more than just a hope and excitement for the future of Maryland politics; it marks significant progress towards producing the ideals of equality our democracy strives to achieve. People of all races, genders and social classes will have the opportunity to run for elected office. Students who are jaded by the current, static process are invigorated by the possibilities that Clean Elections would introduce. The prospect of participating in a system where individuals are no longer inhibited by financial constraints, and all citizens possess equal opportunity to effect real change has revitalized the Hopkins campus. We are eagerly monitoring the progress of the state and federal bills for Clean Elections, and anticipate the bright, vibrant, optimistic future of our country.

-peace-

Daryn Cambridge
Eastern Regional Director

Political Spelling Bee - Hofstra University, NY

On Wednesday, April 11, from 8:00 pm to10:30 pm was the 4th Annual College Democrats Spelling Bee. My chapter of Democracy Matters, the Hofstra Democrats, and the Hofstra Republicans sponsored the event. I personally didn't come up with the idea. The fact that it was the 4th annual spelling bee means that it has been around for a while; all I did was co-sponsor it. In planning for the event, we needed to know which organizations would be sponsoring it with us, the projected amount of people in attendance, the room needed for the event, and the amount of food to buy. We raffled off new iPod shuffles and gift cards and provided free food, thus making for a respectable turnout. The words chosen for the event were all political in nature; as a way to educate the contestants and the audience about politics. I was able to pass out some Democracy Matters information to those in attendance of the event.
The Spelling Bee itself worked in the typical format, there was a judges table set up on stage, a host for the event (dressed like a bee) to call up each contestant and read them their respective word, and seats on stage for the contestants. The challenges faced by this event were, for the most part, technical in nature. Since the Spelling Bee was in an auditorium, equipment needed
to be set up and sounds checks had to be performed. Overall, there were minimal problems with the event.

Bradley Schloss
Campus Coordinator
Hofstra Democracy Matters

Campus Debate - SUNY Brockport, NY

On Tuesday February 17th 2007, The SUNY Brockport Democracy Matters chapter hosted a student debate between the College Democrats and the College Republicans. This was the biggest political activism event organized on campus. Many students felt that is was informative and very necessary because of the lack of civic engagement on campus.

We started to plan the debate two weeks before finals last year. It was at that time that we brain stormed ideas. We discussed varies topics including, abortion, the patriot act, The War in Iraq, inflation on tuition, clean money clean elections, and media bias. We decided that we were going to split the debate into three topics, which was between inflation of tuition in recent years, media bias and the War in Iraq. It was interesting how the topics unfolded during the debates because we didn’t want to follow traditional debate guidelines. In a traditional style debate the regulators assign positions and enforce the rules of the debate strictly. Our goal for the debate was simply to promote students to become involved with this issue. We wanted to advocate civic engagement and show how these political issues have an effect on everyone’s life.

We started to prepare for the debate in late January, when we got back from winter break. We reserved a room, and decided to table in our student union to promote the event. The student government and the American Democracy Project helped fund us by printing flyers and posting them on campus.

The day of the debate we set up the room so it would help invite guest. We posted some Democracy Matters flyers on the wall and positioned the tables so that I would it easier for a student to hear the speaker. The group also made introduction/itinerary packets for the students. In each packet there was a brief discussion about the topic, we found the information on the Internet. (i.e., for media bias we included the story about Obama and his accusations brought against him concerning attending a Muslim terrorist school).

The debate began with an introduction about democracy matters and the clubs. We showed the Public Campaign video so students could understand the basics about our club. Then after the video I gave the structure about the debate. Our chapter decided that we were going to have three separate rounds with an opening and rebuttals with the two organizations. We limited the opening speech to 5 min, and each rebuttal was three minuets. During the debate over the War in Iraq, I stood up after the teams had exhausted their rounds and ask the two teams to continue for another two rounds because it was a hot topic with many students becoming happy or angry. The emotion drawn form each student showed the success of the debate.

When the debate was over we had a question and answer session so that we could, open the floor to the audience and get them involved. It was shocking with the level of interest the students had. The crowd at the peak of the debate reached nearly 100 people. For the most part most students where their for their personal interest, however some professors at the college awarded extra credit, for attending. This, in combination with the flyers and word of mouth promotion, proved to be an effective way.

Some advice for any chapter that might want to set up a debate on their campus would be, had an official timekeeper. It was hard for me to keep time while concentrating on the regulations. I would also think of a way to get pizza or food to the debate. I believe that puts the extra motivation in students, to attend any event. Over all, the debate gained the attention of the whole campus and as a leading organization we plan to continue this success by hosting another debate in late April before finals.

Randall Franklin
DM Campus Coordinator
SUNY Brockport

A Different Kind of Numbers Campaign - St. Lawrence University, NY

St. Lawrence University's chapter of Democracy Matters recently organized a different kind of numbers campaign. We decided to focus on the number one billion, the estimated campaign cost for the 2008 presidential election. Instead of just posting flyers around the campus, our group brainstormed a new way to communicate this information to the student body.

Last year, a display in our student center attempted to raise awareness for rape and sexual harassment by stringing lines ofcolored T-shirts across the atrium, right where students walk everyday to eat, check their mail, attend events, or socialize with friends. With this idea in mind, our group came up with the idea of hanging strands of Democracy Matters bills across the student center atrium.

During one club meeting, we taped one thousand bills to strings, with the idea that each bill equaled one million dollars. This meant that the bills in our display represented one billion dollars. Our club spent some extra time that night hanging up the bills in long, drooping lines across the student center. The finished product was striking, obvious to anyone who walked through the student center. This display was accentuated with posters saying ONE BILLION, an explanatory sign in the student center, and emails
explaining the display.

Our goal was to educate people about the extravagant campaigning that is in our near future for the 2008 presidential election and the purpose of Democracy Matters. It seemed to spark an interest in some people, as many club members had discussions about the display with friends. One new person came to our meeting because of her interest in the display.

Altogether, the campaign was a success. We accomplished our goal of educating the campus about the existence of dirty money in politics. If we were to do it again, we could try to engage the campus more by holding campus discussions or a speaker on the subject of clean elections. We also could have more explanatory signs that were even more noticeable to the people passing through. However, for our first attempt at a different kind of numbers campaign, we are extremely pleased with the results. We would encourage other campuses to give it a try!

-Erin Griffin
St. Lawrence University

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 Matters at Hawaii

Democracy Matters is an organization that allows progressive minds, at perhaps their greatest effectiveness, to successfully focus their talents and skills for a positive change that will significantly influence the world in which we all live. Working inside this group lets individuals have a strong voice in our society because you gain the ability to educate yourself on the importance of “Clean Elections,” educate others on its importance, and become part of the larger portrait that is demanding voter owned elections in our country.

The number one key to becoming an effective campus coordinator for Democracy Matters is education. The first step is trying to fully understand the importance of taking special interests out of our politician’s pockets. You don’t have to know all the details of our political process, but it helps to do some research on how campaign donations from corporations have swayed our representatives’ votes for far too long. The “special interests” that campaign contributions have led to means an increase in social and economic inequalities and a decline in our society’s safety net for the majority of the population. Almost any way you look at it, publicly financing campaigns would decrease political corruption, allow for more progressive legislation to pass, and increase democratic decision making processes in our country.

With a little education under my belt, I have been able to go out into my community and educate others on the importance of clean elections. This is not an easy task, but like they say, there’s many ways to skin a cat. Some of the tactics that I used this past year were holding weekly meetings on campus and drawing other students into my Democracy Matters group, then holding events with my group like “Call in Days” where we encouraged various people on campus to call our Reps to support the “clean election” cause. Plus, we also did “class-raps” because they’re a great way to educate a big group a people at one time about the importance of this movement.

Lastly, but just as importantly as educating yourself and others, is to form coalitions with various local organizations, and those dedicated to working on this project are especially helpful. I personally worked hand in hand with Voter Owned Hawaii (VOE) and they were wonderful, but one could go to almost any NGO in their community for assistance. Kory from VOE helped me with physical, mental, and emotional support for my events that I desperately needed at times. I can almost guarantee that anyone else working events will feel the same way; the more help, the better. Or to quote an old striker’s song, “The more we get together the happier we’ll be”.

This is the trinity of knowledge that I have gained from working this past semester with Democracy Matters, I hope it helps because the sooner we get this progressive legislation passed the sooner we can get on with saving our world.

Jenny Knippling

Democracy Matters Campus Coordinator, Hilo, Hawaii

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”