Communities Of Power:
Community
Building Tools
|
Community Building Tools Main Page|
Americans with Disabilities Act|
Voting |
Our Voices
Using the Internet as an Election Campaign Tool
Elizabeth Bauer (EB) is a member of the Michigan State Board of Education, elected in November of 2002. Always an advocate for persons with disabilities, she worked on the implementation of the Plymouth deinstitutionalization consent decree, and was Executive Director of Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service for 20 years. This interview was, appropriately enough, completed online.
MDRC: Why did you run for the State Board of Education?
EB: I ran for the State Board of Education because I had observed over the years that its members lacked firsthand knowledge of the needs of students with disabilities, and the policy direction often did not consider them until the advocacy community spoke up. In November of 2001, I was attending the State Board of Education meeting and Board members were discussing the draft of the state's accountability system, Education YES! (Yardstick for Excellent Schools). Advocates were testifying about the unintended consequences of the proposal on students in special education. It occurred to me that having someone on the Board who would raise these issues during the drafting might move us forward faster to achieving excellent public education for all students. As it was, the advocates' suggestions were included in later drafts and Education YES! was approved in March of 2002.
MDRC: How did you go about initiating your campaign?
EB: After the November meeting, I spoke with the Board President and the State Superintendent about my interest in running for a seat on the Board. They did not discourage me, although they expressed a need for more ethnic diversity on the Board.
Political parties nominate State Board candidates at their conventions. They campaign statewide and are on the partisan ballot for the general election in November. Two members are elected in even-year elections. Terms are eight years and begin January 1 of the year following election.
I then spoke with the Chair of the Democratic Party and leaders in the various labor organizations who have influence in selecting candidates at the Democratic Party convention. It was clear there would be more than two Democrats seeking the party nomination, so I knew I had to campaign to party leaders statewide and to develop strong grassroots support.
My husband agreed to be my campaign treasurer and turned out to be a topnotch fundraiser also. I began to contact everyone I had worked with in the past 20 years, planned fundraisers, began to develop lists of potential supporters, and to create a person-to-person campaign.
Goal 1 was to get the nomination. At convention time, five Democrats were still seeking the nomination. The Michigan Education Association supported me, and so did the combined labor organizations on their Solidarity Ticket. Those endorsements assured my nomination. Many people from the disability and multicultural communities worked at the convention to obtain the required petition signatures and to speak on my behalf to the various caucuses. There were so many caucuses one person could not get to all in the allotted time. I was so proud of my team as they exemplified an inclusive community: all ages, colors, abilities, etc.
In seeking the Party's support, we drove all around Michigan to talk with party leaders in towns large and small, from Centers for Independent Living to construction sites, from schools to churches to community centers. This was an opportunity to put in practice my lifelong philosophy that everyone is valuable. Wherever two or three were gathered together, I took my message of excellent public education for all. I did not have a lot of money for literature or advertising so I turned to natural groups to get the word out. Many people in the disability community helped.
MDRC: How did you use the Internet?
EB: Allies who were members of various listservs transmitted my message to their friends with the OK to pass it on. One of the most widespread messages was an interview I did with Calvin and Tricia Luker it went to people in the Positive Behavioral Support Network, the parent advisory councils, and on and on to parents of students in special education. I spoke to PACs and they sent e-mail messages to their friends.
My daughter-in-law created a website for me where people could communicate and make donations and learn about my positions on issues. These were very low- cost activities with high impact.
The email messages were particularly effective because they went from friend to friend. They were not "cold calls" or commercials that people tune out.
MDRC: How well did your virtual campaign work?
EB: County-by-county analysis of the votes indicates to me that the added value of this Internet campaign was huge. I finished the race more than 100,000 votes ahead of the two Republican candidates (who were within 7000 votes of each other) and 140,000 votes ahead of the other Democrat. Altogether there were 11 candidates of various parties on the November ballot.
MDRC: What lessons would you like to pass on?
EB: The power of the disability community is huge and people should think about ways to maximize that power. Person-to-person endorsements of a candidate are probably the most powerful. Think about it! When someone you trust tells you a candidate merits your vote, you are more likely to give them consideration.
I used a lot of free media too, rather than buy ads, which cost a fortune, even though no one wants to listen to them. Also, I used every network I could think of. I designed my own print literature and kept it simple. I always used the same format so that people became familiar with the red schoolhouse logo and the three language (English, Spanish, Arabic) motto:
"Our children... our future. Diversity... our strength."
MDRC: Thanks for your time, Liz. I hope our readers will use your experience in the 2004 election cycle.
