[candidate-development] Advisory Ballot Working next meeting Wed 6/18
Mike Heichman
mikeheichman at verizon.net
Tue Jun 17 13:24:21 EDT 2008
>ADVISORY BALLOT WORKING GROUP
>
>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>TELECON INFORMATION
>
>Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2008
>Start Time: 8:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time
>Duration: 1 hour
>Dial-in Number: 1-605-475-4150 (Midwest)
>Participant Access Code 56702
>
>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>TENTATIVE AGENDA
>
>• Approval of agenda
>• Approval of minutes
>• Approval of two new ABWG publications:
> (1) "Which District Am I In? - advice on determining voter districts
> (2) "Get Those Sigs!" - tips on effective petitioning
>• Report from Secure Green Future
>• Report from Health Care
>• Request from CSGF for lists of GRP members in target districts [Can the
>ABWG move promptly to provide lists of GRP members in targeted districts so
>that they can be asked to help in signature collection?]
>• Further ABWG support for signature collection (Distribute outreach
>letters? See models below.)
>• Next meeting
>
>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
>
>===== READING MATERIAL - ITEM 1 =====
>
>DRAFT TEXT OF "GET THOSE SIGS!" TRAINING MATERIAL
>
>
>Get Those Sigs!
>Tips for Gathering Signatures for Public Policy Questions
>
>(From the Advisory Ballot Working Group, Green-Rainbow Party,
>adapted from an article by Jim Lindsay)
>
>1. Try to find spots where is a lot of foot traffic. Going door-to-door is
>way too slow! Post offices, supermarkets, and even town dumps can be good
>petitioning spots. Keep your eyes out for events such as concerts, town
>meeting, or charity events where crowds gather. Remember not to block foot
>traffic or stand in places where traffic safety is an issue.
>
>2. Carry multiple clipboards – while one person is signing, you can get
>others to sign. At a table, you way want to have 6 or more clipboards! You
>also need to bring a notebook, lots of pens, some light literature, and a
>waterproof place to store extra petitions.
>
>3. Have one or two very fast "stopper" lines – lines you can use to get
>people to stop. For example: "Hi! We're trying to get a question on the
>ballot about global warming and green jobs. Would you sign a petition to
>put it on the ballot?" If you are collecting signatures from only one
>district, this is the time to find out if they qualify. If they aren't
>sure, you should collect the signature anyway and let the town registrar do
>the checking.
>
>4. The registration option: If they aren't registered to vote, you can say
>"Well, that's OK, I can register you to vote right now." You register them,
>then get their sig on the petition. Check with your petitioning coordinator
>to see if they want you to do this.
>
>5. Now you have about 30 seconds to make your pitch. You show her (or him)
>the petition while you give an extremely brief explanation of the petition.
>After you give your pitch, then hold a pen out to her, at about chest level,
>inviting her to take the pen. If your petitions are divided by town, make
>sure you give them the petition for the correct town.
>
>6. Once they take the pen, you need to give them clear instructions on what
>to do – you'd be shocked at how many signatures are lost if the petitioner
>doesn't do this. E.g. "First sign here, then carefully print your name
>underneath your signature just like you are registered to vote. Then put
>your street address over here. Don't bother with the precinct line."
>
>7. When the person is done signing, they'll typically want to give you the
>petition and pen and be on their way. Take only the clipboard, and leave
>them with the pen for the moment. Then check to make sure they signed
>correctly – you'll be quite surprised to see how many people screw up. For
>example, they forget to put their address, or forget to print their name.
>When this happens, I typically say something like, "Hmmm… what is your
>address, please?" Then I write it in for them.
>
>8. Once you've verified the signature, you take the pen back, and politely
>thank the person.
>
>9. You must be unflinchingly polite, no matter what kind of yahoos you run
>into.
>
>10. Don't be distressed when you get a series of refusals. These things tend
>to run in streaks. You'll probably get a whole bunch of sigs in a row pretty
>soon.
>
>11. On the other hand, if you regularly feel like you should be doing much
>better, try something different. Ask a fellow petitioner how you could
>improve. Maybe your wording or your technique could be improved.
>
>12. Don't get caught up in long conversations or arguments. You should be
>trying for 15 or more signatures an hour in a normal petition campaign. You
>just can't afford to spend several minutes convincing a single person to
>sign. If he (or she) wants to argue, or ask questions forever, give them a
>copy of your literature and suggest they to read it and then decide if they
>want to sign. Tell them the website has more information.
>
>13. For enthusiastic people, ask them if they'd like to help gather
>signatures or make a donation. If so, take their contact information. If
>they want to donate cash on the spot, you should write them a receipt.
>
>14. If you have any problems, call your petition coordinator for advice.
>
>Remember, you are doing people a favor by giving them a chance to vote on
>your question. This is democracy in action
>
>===== READING MATERIAL - ITEM 2 =====
>
>DRAFT TEXT OF "WHICH DISTRICT AM I IN?" TRAINING MATERIAL
>
>Which District am I in?
>Tips for determining a voter's district
>when collecting signatures for public policy questions.
>
>Signatures for each House district must be placed on a separate petition
>sheet. Often voters do not know which district they are in. Here are
>suggestions for how to determine this.
>
>PREPARATION FOR PETITIONING
>
>• Decide which district or districts you are targeting. You don't want to
>waste your time collecting a scattering of signatures in a large number
>districts. Check to see if there is activity in a neighboring district. If
>there is, you can exchange signatures with the district action group in that
>district.
>
>• Consult the district definitions provided by the campaign (This can be
>sent to you as an email attachment.). Find out which precincts (or wards)
>of which town are in your targeted districts.
>
>• Find out the name of the districts and who is the current incumbent
>representative.
>
>• Ask the town clerk where each precinct votes (Sometimes this information
>is available on the town website.). Normally each precinct will have its
>own voting place. Rarely, two precincts will vote at the same place.
>
>• See if the town clerk can provide you with a precinct map showing the
>boundaries of each precinct.
>
>• Make out a table such as this one:
>
>======TOWN OF BELMONT
>VOTING PLACE PRECINCT REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT
>Town Hall 1 Harris 7th Middlesex
>Fire Station 2 Harris 7th Middlesex
>High School 3 Nelson 8th Middlesex
>Bowman Elementary 4 Nelson 8th Middlesex
>Clark Elementary 5 Harris 7th Middlesex
>===== TOWN OF ARLINGTON
>VOTING PLACE PRECINCT REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT
>McMillen School 2 Harris 7th Middlesex
>DPW Building 3 Harris 7th Middlesex
>
>ON THE STREET
>
>• Ask people "Which town do you vote in?"
>• Ask them "Where is your polling place?"
>• Look up the polling place and find their district.
>
>If they don't know where they vote (possible for new voters), then look up
>their address on the precinct map.
>
>If nothing works, just have them sign for the most likely precinct. This
>can result in a certified signature if you guess right.
>---------
>Prepared by the Advisory Ballot Working Group of the Green-Rainbow Party.
>806617a
>
>
>===== READING MATERIAL - ITEM 3 =====
>
>SAMPLE OUTREACH LETTERS
>
>
>---------------------------------------
>
>MODEL EMAIL TO MEMBERS OF AN ORGANIZATION
>Version 90616a
>
>Dear [[Organization]] Member,
>
>Would you like a chance to vote on a ballot question that instructs your
>local legislator to support a more vigorous effort to address global warming
>and create a healthy green economy?
>
>This November, voters in many places in Massachusetts will have such a
>chance. A Secure Green Future (SGF) public policy question will call for
>legislation that sets a goal of 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by
>2020. It will also call for transforming our failing oil-addicted economy
>into a sustainable green economy based on conservation, renewable energy,
>and recycling.
>
>We thought you might be interested in helping assure that this question is
>on the ballot in your community. Promotion of the SGF question could be a
>useful part of your overall [[Organization]] work in the community.
>
>[[Organization]] may formally endorse the SGF question at a later date. For
>now, we just want to encourage you to make sure that it appears on the
>ballot in your community. To help, you should contact the Committee for a
>Secure Green Future, sgf-info at masschc.org, and offer to work with other
>local volunteers who are collecting signatures in your community. Please
>act now because signatures must be collected by July 9. More information
>about the Secure Green Future question can be found at
>http://masschc.org/Secure_Green_Future.php.
>
>Good luck!
>
>[[Signature]]
>
>--------
>
>---------------------------------------
>
>MODEL EMAIL TO FRIENDS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
>Version 90617a
>
>Dear Friend,
>
>We have an opportunity to place a public policy question on the November
>ballot that will call for a more vigorous effort to address global warming.
>It will also call for transforming our failing oil-addicted economy into a
>sustainable green economy based on conservation, renewable energy, and
>recycling.
>
>It is called the Secure Green Future (SGF) question. The question was
>written by the Committee for a Secure Green Future, a nonpartisan ballot
>committee that is offering the question as a vehicle for raising
>consciousness and strengthening local climate action groups. To get it on
>the ballot in our community, we need work together to collect 200 voter
>signatures by the July 9 deadline.
>
>I'd like to see this question on the ballot in our community. Would you be
>willing to work with me to collect the needed signatures? Let me know as
>soon as possible, because time is short. More information about Secure
>Green Future is provided in the postscript below.
>
>Thank you very much.
>
>[signature and email/telephone]
>
>P.S.
>
>The text of the Secure Green Future question reads as follows:
>
>Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor
>of legislation that:
>1) reduces greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts by 80% by 2020, and
>2) phases out tax incentives for energy-intensive projects, while expanding
>job creation programs for locally-owned businesses and cooperatives involved
>in renewable energy, conservation, and sustainable agriculture?
>
>
>More information can be found on the SGF website
>http://masschc.org/Secure_Green_Future.php. To contact the Committee for a
>Secure Green Future, email to sgf-info at masschc.org.
>
>---------------------------------------
>
>MODEL LETTER TO THE EDITOR
>Version 90616a
>
>High gas prices are sending us a message we can't ignore: our oil-addicted
>economy is on its last legs. If we are going to have an economic future we
>need to build a new green economy based on conservation, renewable energy,
>and recycling. We also have to solve the related problem of global
>warming. If we push the Earth past critical tipping points, the environment
>will collapse and we won't be able to fix it.
>
>It is important to show that there is public support for decisive action on
>these issues. That's why we are collecting signatures to put a public
>policy question on the ballot this November. It is called the Secure Green
>Future question. It calls for a more vigorous action to reverse global
>warming and for the creation of locally-based green jobs that give us an
>economy that isn't so dependent on oil.
>
>We need signatures from 200 voters to put the question on the ballot in the
>House district in [[TOWN]]. Please consider signing if you see someone with
>a Secure Green Future petition on the street. If you are willing to
>circulate the petition among your friends, let us know by writing to
>sgf-info at masschc.org. The deadline for turning in signatures is July 9, so
>please get in contact as soon as possible.
>
>Thank you.
>
>[[signature]]
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