Political Leverage

Only once every two years do we get a chance to change the balance of our legislature. This means elections are on the political front burner. Or at least they will be until Election Day on November 2nd. But as a bikers rights activist, are elections on YOUR front burner?

Let’s face facts. As a voting bloc, bikers are a tiny minority. And for the vast non-riding majority, motorcycle issues aren’t even on the radar screen. Like it or not, bikers are easy to ignore. That means we must rely on more than just voting. Instead, what we need is leverage. Otherwise our voices will not be heard at the state capital.

Fortunately, bikers have the ability to do far more than just vote. By becoming campaign volunteers, we can instead deliver votes by the dozen. And we don’t even need to be in our own home district to do this. So the most powerful thing we can do right now is work for any nearby candidate who is biker-friendly.

The good news is that it’s easy work. My favorite job is delivering campaign signs, which is more fun than a poker run. Candidates normally must pay people to do this, so you’re saving them time and money. And all you have to do is ride around town on your motorcycle. How hard is that?

More importantly, campaign work gets the most results. In fact, nothing else even comes close when it comes to influencing legislation. That’s because you develop a personal relationship with future legislators when you help them win. In politics as well as in life, friends always come first. And for us, that’s what “biker-friendly” is all about.

There are other reasons why campaign work is so important, too. It’s the only time we can help legislators … or “fire” them if they need to be replaced. And while our opponents (the insurance industry and safety bureaucrats) are very effective at swaying public opinion, they will never do campaign work. And the only way they can beat us is if we don’t either.

As political activists, there are many jobs we take upon ourselves ... and there never seems to be enough time to shoulder them all. So we are forced to make hard choices. With a biker-friendly legislature as our goal, we must choose wisely. Because campaign work gets the most bang for the buck, it should be our top priority.

Once the election is over, campaign work can retreat to the back burner again. It will then become the least important thing we can do. But right now, with the elections just around the corner, the exact opposite is true. So do what it takes to get yourself out there on the campaign trail. Using that kind of leverage, you’ll know you’re making the most difference.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com