2009 Elections

Two states held statewide general elections for legislative seats this year: Virginia and New Jersey. Several other states held special elections this year as well, including Alabama (3), California (4), Georgia (7), Michigan (1), Mississippi (1), Missouri (3), New York (3), and Tennessee (3).

Nobody Home

In the case of New Jersey, I couldn't get a single response from ABATE of the Garden State. Never got anything back from NJ subscribers, either. Considering I had my hands full with upcoming elections in my own home state of Virginia, I had to let New Jersey go.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Alabama is pert' nigh hopeless. It has no biker activism at all. They don't even have an SMRO. As far as progress goes, I expect them to be the very last state to still have a helmet law.

First Steps

Georgia had a couple of biker activists step up, but they were too far away from any of their special election districts. But then again, Missouri, New York, and Tennessee had biker activists who started to engage. But they fell by the wayside and I can't tell if they followed through. So in these states, they have yet to earn their stripes.

Individual biker activists from Michigan and Mississippi stepped right up and got involved with candidates, which was pretty darned good for a first attempt at using our network. Topping the list is California, where ABATE of California is actively working with candidates. We're just supporting what they are already doing. For now, they are at the top of the leader board for 2010.

Under the Bridge

Since the Virginia elections have come and gone, ABATE of VA will follow on with the traditional SMRO approach. That means waiting for the session to begin, going to Richmond to lobby, and then a mad scramble or two to cover committee hearings.

Then the repeal bill will go as far as it can ... hopefully to both floors ... and we can get a fresh vote count. I doubt if the repeal bill will pass both houses. But if it did, Governor-elect McDonnell would probably sign it into law.

RIDE2REPEAL.COM will also follow on with our traditional approach: We'll keep an eye out for more special elections in state legislatures across the country. These are always golden opportunities to get biker-friendly candidates elected. That's because biker activists aren't spread thin across the state. Unlike state-wide general elections, campaign volunteers are able to concentrate in one location.

Special elections also give us another great opportunity - to improve our skills as campaign workers. As simple as campaign work is, there is always a learning curve. If you've never done it before, you'll probably stumble a little here and there. But that's how we learn. Practice makes perfect.

The puzzling thing, as always, is why the vast majority of biker activists don't zero-in on campaign work. Even more puzzling is why more state and national MROs don't make it a top-priority. Campaign work is the straight shot to getting our rights back. Nothing else is faster, more effective, or more efficient.

Regardless of the reason, I'll keep pointing out the obvious with the hope that, some day, bikers will take the most direct path to freedom.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com