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Vote--Make a difference
By John Schlageck
Kansas Farm Bureau
A wise man once said, If you don't vote, someone else is voting for you on issues that are important in your life. This is particularly true as we head into the final stretch of the Nov. 2 election.
There is plenty at stake for each one of us. Elected officials responsible for helping determine agriculture's future will be filled at all levels of government. In some areas of our nation, initiatives also are on the ballot that could affect how agriculture is practiced in the foreseeable future.
On the national level, key issues such as energy and trade must continue to be advanced. Every one of the candidates in our Kansas election is vital to farming and ranching.
When it comes to figuring out which candidate to vote for, each one must be evaluated individually to determine strengths and willingness to work on behalf of agriculture and rural Kansas.
Some farm organizations, including Kansas Farm Bureau recently finished its final and vital push to implement grassroots public policy positions that its members have developed throughout the year. Our organization has also endorsed 116 candidates in the U.S. Congress, Kansas Senate and the Kansas House. All are friends of our organization and understand the importance of agriculture in our state.
One of the most effective ways a grassroots organization can impact politicians is to identify the strongest leaders. An effective grassroots organization is one that can encourage people to fill a room, write letters, work on a campaign or seek people outside of the organization who will become allies and support its policies. With a network like this, the group can literally touch thousands of people across the state who will, in turn, notify legislators and members of Congress.
Two kinds of people comprise most grassroots organizations. The first is the "quality" contact. The second is the "quantity" contact.
Quality contacts are individuals who have a special rapport with elected officials. They know the legislator personally. When the legislator comes back to his/her district, the quality contact takes the time to visit with the elected official.
Quality contacts take trips to Topeka and Washington to visit with elected officials on their political turf. They meet and develop a working relationship with the representative's staff. When issues that affect their organization arise, the staffer or politician will pick up the phone and ask, "What do you think of this issue? What would be a reasonable stance for me to take?"
Once quality leaders are surfaced, they must expand and seek other leaders. That is where quantity comes into play.
Winning is intoxicating. Nothing is more gratifying that to recognize people for their support in influencing and helping enact legislation that serves the interests of agriculture and rural Kansas.
Active participation, even on the losing side will bring satisfaction and will encourage volunteers to come back again and again.
But winning requires an organization's time, energy and leadership. It requires power, a willingness to participate and the resolve to do the job.
Any organization with such a structure, power and enterprise can persuade its Legislature and Congress to protect its interests, if it marshals a grassroots campaign built on active, involved members.
The machinery is in place. All that remains is the action of voting for the candidates who have an ear that will listen to those in agriculture and rural Kansas.
Exercise your privilege and vote this Nov. 2. Remember, if you don't--someone else will vote on issues that impact your life and livelihood.
Date: 10/20/04
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