ACH Study Groups
Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders
7659 Gingerblossom Drive
Citrus Heights, CA 95621
916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com
www.ACHStudyGroups.com
Saturday, February 20, 2021
This is a letter to our friends –
Things to do
This time next year the net will be wall to wall Primary election politics – a battle royal!!
By then we should know whether there is a possibility of honest elections. For this blog post – I will assume a more-or-less honest election is possible.
Rather than wait until the last minute for half-hearted activism, why not think about it now? I walked my first precinct in 1960 and have been involved since then. I know how to have your heart broken and get up again! For most of a decade I was a candidate vs. an incumbent state lawmaker.
I hope there will be many activated churches educating their congregants. Get in touch with your county registrar of voters. Keep track of the dates candidates file for local, state and national office. The moment a candidate draws papers, have your church send an invitation, “Please present your card to an usher at the beginning of any of our Sunday worship services – At the close of the service you will be invited forward to be interviewed by our pastor, introduce yourself to our members, and ask for their votes.” Soon every candidate will expect such an invitation. Some will accept. Some will not.
Some churches may select an appropriate race and invite all the competing candidates to a debate. Inform them the event will be recorded for local media stations. Further – If they choose not to attend, they will be represented by an empty chair with their name on it.
Prepare questions for a “Voter Guide”. Compile the responses and distribute the results.
The best campaign tool is door-to-door. This needs many volunteers. The best precinct results I ever had involved four volunteers who put a flyer on every doorstep in the precinct, early Sunday morning for four weeks in a row! Candidates are hungry for exposure. Gather a group of neighbors in your living room and most candidates will come if they can. Your county registrar can usually give you the phone #.
Local races, (County Supervisors. Sheriffs, School Board, City Council) are important! Do not put all your focus on the top of the ticket. Just a little bit of this sort of activity will wake up a community! Remember too – There will be special races “off schedule” when someone dies or resigns. Things like what is above have even greater impact then.
Regarding requests for money – I suggest contributing DIRECTLY TO THE CANDIDATE. If s/he cannot accept direct contributions, ask the candidate for instructions. Groups collecting funds for a group of races often take a significant fee. Let others support those causes.
Our American system only works with an informed electorate. Your vote is your sacred property. Use it wisely.
These columns are archived since 12/10/09
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