Unit Six: You Count

Your Role in the Election Process

There are many ways people participate in political campaigns. Voting, volunteering time and money, trying to convince others of a particular point of view and/or actually running for office as examples. Political participation can be divided into three basic types. They are:

Observer An observer becomes aware of the candidates, the issues and the candidates’ stands on the issues. Sources of information used are the media, candidates’ brochures and position statements, and conversations with others.

Supporter A supporter takes some action on behalf of the candidate(s) of one’s choice. There is a wide range of support which might include activities such as donating money, stuffing envelopes, door bell ringing, putting up yard signs, handing out brochures, organizing community meetings such as coffee hours, participating in rallies, wearing candidate buttons, displaying bumper stickers, telephone polling, etc.

Organizer A campaign organizer plans, manages and leads campaign activities. An organizer is responsible for making sure decisions are made and carried out. A campaign organization can be complicated or simple.

How can you get involved? People who run for an office are always looking for volunteers of all ages. One becomes involved by contacting a candidate, campaign manager, or campaign office and volunteering some form of assistance. There are many different types of campaigns including those for candidates as well as those for issues. You might choose to work for a candidate for school board or on a Presidential campaign. You may choose on behalf of or in opposition to a ballot proposition. Or you may decide to become a candidate yourself.

Ways to deliver your message once the election is over

Below, in order of effectiveness, is a list of ways to contact your legislator.

Personal meeting This can be arranged when the legislators are home or if you are able to go to Juneau.

Personal letter You can write a letter explaining your view on an issue, provide education on a community issue, or invite them to your community meeting.

Personal telephone call If your legislator is unavailable to speak with you, ask to speak with a legislative assistant. If neither are available ask when you might call again or ask one of them to return your call.

E-mail All Legislators can read and send E-mail messages. Most often their assistants do the actual reading of these messages and categorize the issues and report back to the legislator daily. Some Legislators have their own web sites.
POM The Legislative Information Office in your community can assist you in sending personal opinion messages. They have a form to use or can take your message over the telephone and electronically send it to legislators.

Services of the LIOs

The Legislative Information Offices (LIOs) are part of the legislative information network and are linked together by computer to Juneau. This allows the staff to provide up-to-the-minute information on legislative activity to residents of the areas they serve. They can retrieve daily updated bill information in a variety of formats. They are also able to locate various statute references via computers.

During legislative sessions, offices receive printed materials including proposed bills and resolution, daily journals, published reports of the Legislature and its agencies and other pertinent data.

Reports on floor and committee action are transmitted to the information offices via computers immediately after daily floor sessions adjourn.

For a list of LIOs, visit the Legislature's web site at www.legis.state.ak.us.

Testifying before a Legislative Committee

Perhaps you have become aware that a bill in which you have a special interest has been scheduled either for a public hearing or a committee hearing. If you feel there are contributions you (or students) can make toward the bill’s passage, amendment, or defeat, you may decide to testify on it at one of the hearings.

When a bill has been referred to a committee and has been scheduled on the agenda for consideration by committee members, the first step in the hearing process is the committee hearing, where, generally, the bill’s sponsor, experts and informed members of the public may respond to the issue at hand. If the measure is controversial or additional information is needed before a decision can be reached by the committee members, the bill may be scheduled for a public hearing.

Citizens are welcome to testify at both types of hearings, but there are certain procedures which should be followed to ensure that the testimony presented is most effective.

The following guidelines are suggested to assist students in making their opinions influential:

A simple voice of support or opposition may be best presented in a letter to each committee member. If you have important contributions to make, however, you may decide to testify in person.
If you represent a group of individuals, choose one major spokesperson to present the group’s point of view and bring along other members as supporters. Their names can appear in the records of the hearing.
If you are testifying from a Legislative Information Office, notify the LIO as early as possible of your desire to testify.
Carefully do your homework. Read the bill or proposal, as well as any available previous testimony from other hearings or information the LIO or your legislators can provide you. Then, in your testimony, relate your group’s or your own experience or views directly to the intent of the bill.
Consult with others to determine the scope of the issue and thus clarify what your testimony should cover.

When you prepare your testimony, be sure all of your background information, facts, and figures are accurate. Thoroughly proofread your final copy for errors, misspellings, etc.
Identify who you are. At the beginning of your remarks, state whether you are testifying in support or opposition of the bill. Your responses to questions should always be courteous.
Keep your testimony short and to the point. It is usually best to offer highlights at the hearing and then request permission to place your complete position and supporting data in the record.
If you are asked a hostile question, don’t panic. Don’t be afraid to stop and think for a moment or two to answer a question properly. Don't be intimidated.

Without the support of the committee involved, the bill you are interested in may never make it to the floor to be voted on. Even if you prefer not to testify, your attendance at a hearing, in addition to personal correspondence with committee members and your own legislators, are options that enable your concerns to influence decision-making at the Legislature.

"Why Bother? My Views Don't Matter."

If you are thinking this, consider this from an Alaska representative:

"If you are wondering whether or not it is really worthwhile to communicate your views to your senators and representatives, consider this fact: others who disagree with you are contacting us constantly."

Although your students may not be voting now, they soon will be. Also, they are constituents of your elected officials, even if they are not registered voters. Constituents are important. Legislators rely on constituents to let them know the views "back home."

Involvement in the process is exciting in its own right, even when your views don’t prevail. In addition, you and your students learn and develop some useful skills, among them how to use the media to gain information, how to form, express and defend opinions and how to communicate your views clearly and concisely.

Funding for the 2003 update and web project was provided by the University of Alaska.

Gavel to Gavel Alaska Home Page

Unit Six: You Count!