< CA > Los Angeles (S-26)

Governor Schwarzenegger announced a special election to fill a vacant CA State Senate seat in Los Angeles. Election Day will be on May 19, 2009.

Like most special elections, this provides bikers with a rare opportunity to get a biker-friendly candidate elected. And that's because special elections have a unique set of circumstances.

Unlike the regular elections in November, special elections don't have an incumbent. This levels the playing field, making the race more competitive. Additionally, voter turnout is almost always very low. That's why special election candidates target the 'party faithful' instead of the general public. Phone banks and literature drops are their preferred tactics.

While it's true that a successful candidate needs plenty of volunteers in any election, this factor is magnified in special elections. For one thing, there are fewer available volunteers for the same reason that there's a low voter turnout. People just aren't that interested in general, and voter awareness is typically low.

That's where biker activists come into the picture. Unlike during the regular campaign season, we don't have to divide ourselves up across several different races. With special elections we can instead concentrate on one location. And just like in a high-compression engine, the tiniest spark in the right place produces a lot more power where it counts.

Senate District 26

This CA State Senate district lies in the heart of Los Angeles. (Click map to see in detail.) The good news is that we can call up a couple of biker activists that live within an easy drive of LA. And the weather in May should be pretty good for anyone coming from afar.

The not-so-good news is that there aren't more Southern California bikers that subscribe to our Email Alert network. Instead of a couple, we'd much rather have a few dozen. But we'll do our best get more biker activists plugged into the network -- hopefully in time to make a difference in the LA race.

Still, there's plenty of time before the special election, and plenty of work for us to do right now. We'll check with California legislators who share our opposition to the helmet law. And we'll partner up with the SMRO so we all stay on the same page.

Hopefully our Bill Sponsors will endorse a candidate. If and when that happens we'll send an Email Alert to our subscribers. Then it only takes a couple of bikers and a couple of hours.

If the election is close, we can tip the scales in the direction of freedom. But we gotta be there to make it happen.

California Legislature Blogs

>> 02/05/09: CA Ripple Effect
>> 01/29/09: CA Special Election

Why are Special Elections Important?

What's so special about special elections? The legislative sessions are in full swing, after all. And there are many bills under consideration that affect the biker community.

Shouldn't we be calling our legislators and ringing their phones off the hook? Riding to the state capitol to rally support and show our strength to the world? Doing everything we possibly can ... while there's still time?

The answer is YES. But it should never be in conflict with the one thing that's even more powerful than lobbying. And that's campaign work in a special election.

General Elections

Most general elections draw large turnouts, especially during presidential races. The more candidates and referenda there are, in fact, the bigger the draw. Then consider how many district-by-district contests there are across the state. All totalled, there could easily be more than 300.

Biker activists can't spread themselves too thin, trying to be everywhere at once. There simply aren't enough of us to go around. And fighting a multi-front battle is often foolish, or a last-ditch act of desperation. You just can't win 'em all. So we have to pick only the fights that we can win, and let the other ones go.

Special Elections

Special elections, on the other hand, are a very different animal. There is no "campaign season," so the timeline from start to finish is compressed. Often the candidates don't have a lot of money, and not much in the way of organization, either. Special elections always have low voter turnouts. So it's normally more cost-effective for candidates to target the party faithful rather than saturate the district and the airwaves with mass advertising.

Though special elections may be few and far between, they add up. As an example, almost 25% of New Jersey's state senators originally won their seats in special elections - races without incumbents. And once in office, they gained the overwhelming advantage of becoming the incumbent. Politicians know how important these special elections are. Shouldn't you?

Campaign volunteers are always critical to success in the ballot box. But given every one of the limitations listed above, campaign workers become priceless commodities in special elections. They're as good as gold.

Concentration of Force

Then there's the additional leverage that comes from channeling a lot of energy into one spot. In military strategy, this is called "concentration of force." In martial arts, it's all about using pressure points. But no matter how you say it, it means applying your strength against your opponent's weak spot.

In the case of special elections, there are no other elections to compete for campaign volunteers. This allows us to concentrate our volunteers in the right place at the right time, as well as doing the right thing. One day of campaign work in a special election is the single most effective thing a biker activist can do.

What About Lobbying?

When it comes to helmet laws, most people already have their minds made up. Statistics and debates have little effect as a whole, though they may influence the few people who are sitting on the fence. But even these gains may be short-lived if our opponents are any good at distortions and sound bites. And yes, they are very good.

I'm not saying "don't lobby." Please do! But I am saying that cold-call lobbying pales in comparison to campaign work. (Here's why).

Imagine two different people lobbying their legislators, each pulling in opposite directions. It's during the session, so the legislator has a million things on his mind, and he has a lot of people competing for his attention.

But back to the two lobbyists. One of them helped the legislator get elected, knowing in advance that they shared the same position on the issue. The other one did nothing to help him win the election, but still makes a compelling argument for his cause. Guess which one wins the legislator's vote?

Working Smart

Successful politicians are not fools. They know how to get elected and they know how to stay in office. Yes, sometimes right and wrong get lost in the shuffle. But in love and war ... and politics ... might makes right.

We know we are right about the helmet law, and we don't need to debate that fact ... as long as we work smart. And we're smart enough to know that helmet laws get decided on election day. Getting the right people elected in the first place is the best way to build a majority of supporters.

< NY > Albany (H-110)

It seems like it's raining special elections lately, the way vacancies keep appearing in state legislatures across the country. Now it looks like New York's 110th district of the General Assembly will have a special election.

Dominos Falling Upwards

President Obama tapped former Senator Clinton to become Secretary of State. That led to Governor Paterson selecting former Congresswoman Gillibrand to replace her.

Now James Tedisco, the Minority Leader of the NY General Assembly, is running for the Congressional seat that Senator Gillibrand is leaving behind. And that, in turn, creates a brand new vacancy in the NY state legislature.

Perhaps they should call it "Trickle Up" economics, since everyone's attention is on the politicians who are climbing the career ladder. Then there is the added media buzz about who might become the next Minority Leader. Inquiring minds want to know.

We call it an opportunity. That's because our attention is on the candidates coming into the legislative pipeline. Get good people into the legislature, and eventually good things happen. On the flip side, it's "garbage in, garbage out." We get the government we deserve and, frankly, we deserve better.

Ask a Bill Sponsor

I'll search the New York legislative website to see if there have been any recent bills to end the helmet law. Something tells me I won't find much, given how the State of New York seems to be pestering bikers to no end. But if we somehow find at least one biker-friendly legislator in the house, that's a start. It sure helps to have friends in high places.

The next step would be to find out if this biker-friendly legislator wants to endorse a candidate for General Assembly District 110. This district is upstate, around the north side of Albany. Special elections are low-turnout events, so again the party line voters are the key.

Whichever candidate can get out the party faithful is the likely winner. And that means campaign volunteers will be the most valuable commodity in the state. Looking at our map of Campaign Volunteers in and around New York, we just might have another opportunity to get one step closer to majority support for helmet law repeal.

And don't forget the special election in Boston. We just might see some healthy and productive competition between these traditional rivals.

New York Legislature Blogs

>> 02/01/09: NY Update
>> 01/27/09: NY Special Election

< MA > Boston (H-3rd Suffolk)

According to a recent news report, the powerful Speaker of the House in the Massachusetts state legislature is stepping down. This is huge.

Power Vacuum

In addition to creating a vacant seat in the MA State House, it also creates a power vacuum at the top of this legislative body. Another news article on the subject says that that the Speaker held such sway over his party that each member averaged only one opposing vote for every 40 bills. Now they are free to make up their own minds, so to speak.

A Worthy Candidate?

Of course this means there will be a special election to fill the MA 3rd Suffolk House district, which encompasses a densley populated area of downtown Boston. We currently have about a half dozen potential campaign volunteers in the immediate area. The first question is whether there will be a candidate that's worthy of their support.

History Lesson

If this is like most other urban districts, it's almost certain that it will be an easy victory for the historically dominant party. That's what the experts said about Virginia's special election for the 46th House district.

But in part due to one solitary biker couple who helped the pro-freedom underdog, the Virginia special election came down to just 16 votes. And the results are still uncertain since the close margin triggered an automatic recount. (Update: Recount completed.)

Massachusetts Campaign Volunteers

Assuming there is a MA 3rd Suffolk candidate worth supporting, no one yet knows whether nearby campaign volunteers will rise to the challenge. These potential volunteers are just that ... potential. Unlike biker activists in Oregon and Virginia, they haven't had the chance to prove themselves.

Perhaps that chance is coming. We'll update you if news becomes newsworthy.

< NJ > Northwestern (A-23)

According to a recent news article, New Jersey will hold a special election to fill a newly vacated seat in the state legislature. The former incumbent moved from the General Assembly up to the State Senate. No word yet on when the special election will take place.

Voting Record

The outgoing NJ State Senator supported the universal helmet law, so NJ Senate District 23 can't get any worse than it already has been. The good news is that it might get better, but that's up to chance at this point.

There hasn't been a helmet bill introduced into the NJ legislature since 2000, so we don't have a voting record for the newly elected NJ State Senator. And until there's another helmet bill introduced into the NJ State Senate, we won't know the new State Senator's position on helmet laws, either.

But for now, NJ State Assembly District 23 is where the action is. This district covers a large portion of northwestern New Jersey, directly east of Allentown PA. It's not too far from New York City, when it comes to driving distance.

So NJ Assembly District 23 may be an opportunity for improvement. That depends a lot on who the candidates are, and whether local campaign volunteers can make a difference.

If so, we'll be sure to provide updates right here in the blog.

Helmet Laws are History

The helmet law fight has been dragging on for decades, but a revolution is brewing.

Bikers are changing the rules from coast to coast, and it’s not like anything that’s ever been seen before. Instead of relying on a mass uprising of biker activists to sway public opinion, a small number of bikers are helping to win key races in state legislatures.

Change is needed

Historically we were getting our butts kicked year after year because our enemies held the advantage, and we played by their rules. We worked all year to get a helmet bill introduced into the legislature, and they worked one day to kill it. They held all the aces, and they made us look like jokers. But now the tables are turning.

A clear objective

The underlying rationale is that no helmet law statistic is more powerful than a legislative majority. And the better we are at building that majority, the faster we will get our freedom back.

That is the central concept of RIDE2REPEAL.COM: Conclusively win the decisive battle. After all, no move on the chessboard can overcome a checkmate.

Actions speak louder

We work as campaign volunteers. Specifically, we work for the state legislators that support bills to end the helmet law. They are in the most important races, and we roll up our sleeves and help these worthy candidates win.

RIDE2REPEAL.COM is simple and straightforward. It requires the fewest number of bikers, and it takes up the least amount of their time. There are no issues to debate, no slackers to berate, and no dollars to donate. Best of all, ground we gain is ground we keep.

Bottom line

If you want to spend less time fighting the helmet law and more time enjoying your freedom, then stop by our website at RIDE2REPEAL.COM for a closer look. Then make up your own mind. When comes to taking action, we will always "Let those who ride decide."