Call Out the Fire Department!
Imagine.
The fire truck runs up your street and down your neighbors'. The siren wails from the station. The message blares over the loudspeaker:
"Get ye to the library! Get ye to the library!"
"Meet the candidates, 7:00 tonight! Meet the candidates, 7:00 tonight!"
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
And why not?
This was the brainchild of Annette Anderson, a concerned voter I met when I went knocking on doors last Saturday.
She attended the PTA's meet-the-candidate event the night before, and its 75 attendees didn't seem like nearly enough to her. So far, she has persuaded at least one volunteer firefighter -- her husband, who is also the fifth-generation Anderson of Anderson and Sons' Mortuary.
American Fork needs a few thousand more Annette Andersons. She knows her stake in the community. She has a list of concerns and a clear sense of priorities -- arts are important, she says, but not at the expense of the fire department -- but she can't be sure how to vote until she has met the candidates and judged their proposals.
Above all, she trusts the public. She knows the public will make the right decision -- if only it will make the effort to get informed.
Bring on the fire department!
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Annette is by no means the first to be concerned about informing the voters. But she's the first individual I've met with a plan to address the problem.
More commonly, the task is taken up by organizations. So far, I've responded to invitations to meet with the Utah Valley Home Builders Association, the Utah County Association of Realtors, the American Fork Council PTA, the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown American Fork, Inc., the American Fork Symphony, and employees of the American Fork Hospital.
Some call them special-interest groups. But the voter in me is grateful for every opportunity they organize. They perform a truly valuable political service.
See, at heart, these groups are no different from Annette Anderson. They have a stake in the community (and don't we all); they have a list of concerns; they have a set of priorities.
Instead of calling out the fire department, they set up forums. Some ask candidates to address their membership directly; others interview the candidates and publish their findings in their newsletters.
At heart, it's no different from what Annette does: They meet the candidates, judge their proposals, and make their findings known.
Annette's neighbors may agree or disagree with her judgment. It's the same with these special interest groups. Their memberships are free to accept or reject any implied endorsement, based on their own personal judgment.
So whether you call out the fire department or rally your colleagues, the outcome is the same. More voters have more information.
An informed electorate has true freedom of choice.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Isn't this better than the point-and-poke method?
I've talked to a number of people who confessed, somewhat sheepishly, that during the last election they took their ballots and poked holes at random. They're glad to meet me, they say, because now they'll know a name to punch.
It shouldn't be that easy to get a vote.
The fire truck runs up your street and down your neighbors'. The siren wails from the station. The message blares over the loudspeaker:
"Get ye to the library! Get ye to the library!"
"Meet the candidates, 7:00 tonight! Meet the candidates, 7:00 tonight!"
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
And why not?
This was the brainchild of Annette Anderson, a concerned voter I met when I went knocking on doors last Saturday.
She attended the PTA's meet-the-candidate event the night before, and its 75 attendees didn't seem like nearly enough to her. So far, she has persuaded at least one volunteer firefighter -- her husband, who is also the fifth-generation Anderson of Anderson and Sons' Mortuary.
American Fork needs a few thousand more Annette Andersons. She knows her stake in the community. She has a list of concerns and a clear sense of priorities -- arts are important, she says, but not at the expense of the fire department -- but she can't be sure how to vote until she has met the candidates and judged their proposals.
Above all, she trusts the public. She knows the public will make the right decision -- if only it will make the effort to get informed.
Bring on the fire department!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Annette is by no means the first to be concerned about informing the voters. But she's the first individual I've met with a plan to address the problem.
More commonly, the task is taken up by organizations. So far, I've responded to invitations to meet with the Utah Valley Home Builders Association, the Utah County Association of Realtors, the American Fork Council PTA, the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown American Fork, Inc., the American Fork Symphony, and employees of the American Fork Hospital.
Some call them special-interest groups. But the voter in me is grateful for every opportunity they organize. They perform a truly valuable political service.
See, at heart, these groups are no different from Annette Anderson. They have a stake in the community (and don't we all); they have a list of concerns; they have a set of priorities.
Instead of calling out the fire department, they set up forums. Some ask candidates to address their membership directly; others interview the candidates and publish their findings in their newsletters.
At heart, it's no different from what Annette does: They meet the candidates, judge their proposals, and make their findings known.
Annette's neighbors may agree or disagree with her judgment. It's the same with these special interest groups. Their memberships are free to accept or reject any implied endorsement, based on their own personal judgment.
So whether you call out the fire department or rally your colleagues, the outcome is the same. More voters have more information.
An informed electorate has true freedom of choice.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Isn't this better than the point-and-poke method?
I've talked to a number of people who confessed, somewhat sheepishly, that during the last election they took their ballots and poked holes at random. They're glad to meet me, they say, because now they'll know a name to punch.
It shouldn't be that easy to get a vote.
posted by Heidi Rodeback at 1:46 PM
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