VA » SD-19 (Danville)

Virginia will hold a special election to fill a new vacancy in VA Senate District 19, which includes Danville and surrounding counties.

Here's an article about one candidate who's announced his intent to run: http://www.thefranklinnewspost.com/article.cfm?ID=17533

Candidate names have been posted to the ELECTIONS page at RIDE2REPEAL.COM.

"Ride Like a Cowboy"

In the political world, there are three kinds of creatures: Ranchers, Cattle, and Cowboys.

> Ranchers control the herd, and we know them as "politicians."
> Cattle choose their Ranchers, and we know them as "voters."
> Cowboys work for the Ranchers and steer the herd. We call them "campaign volunteers."

Ranchers can't get there alone, so they will always need Cowboys to get the Herd moving in their direction. Ranchers therefore have the utmost respect for experienced and reliable Cowboys. On the other hand, they have no need or respect for anyone who they can't depend on. They just don't matter.

During the 2010 campaign season, quite a few bikers gained valuable experience as campaign volunteers this year -- regardless of who they worked for, and regardless of whether their candidates won or lost. Experience counts. And the more reliable we bikers become at showing up to help candidates, the sooner we'll EARN the respect we've always wanted from our lawmakers in Sacramento.

Thanks to everyone who "rode like a cowboy" on the campaign trail this year.

RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Do Your Part

Sorry for the lack of articles recently. I've been working hard to support two local candidates as a campaign volunteer as well as sending out alerts to other volunteers around the country.

It's not hard to beat the helmet law. You just have to help a nearby biker-friendly candidate win. Nothing else comes close to being as effective.

Here is the simple truth: If you are not working as a campaign volunteer THIS YEAR, you will lose more of your rights NEXT YEAR.

- RID2REPEAL@gmail.com

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

Top Priority Races List

Just a quick explanation of how we produced the "TOP PRIORITY RACES" list for California. In other words, why are some races included ... and many others aren't? The key is for us to find the races where a biker-volunteer can have the greatest impact on election results. This means we look for races that have the following qualities:

1. The candidates are on opposite sides of the helmet law -- also known as "red vs. green" races.

2. BOTH candidates have a realistic chance of winning -- normally with 60/40 odds or better. A dead-even 50/50 is perfect.

3. Extra Credit: The incumbent is influential -- a Transportation Committee member, motorcycle bill sponsor, speaker/president, majority/minority leader, etc.

The TOP PRIORITY RACES list comes from an overall evaluation of all 100 legislative races, and this is how it works:

1. An incumbent's voting record on repeal is the hardest evidence of whether they're "code-green" or "code-red." There is no better evidence of how they WILL vote than how they DID vote. Committee members, bill sponsors, and party leaders are all listed somewhere on the California Legislature website, too. While it's pretty scattered info, we pull it all together in one place, and that's "ALL LEGISLATIVE RACES" listed under California Races.

2. An ABATE endorsement is an automatic "code-green" candidate. While bikers rights is about more than just helmets, adult choice has always been an essential ingredient of what ABATE stands for. But the helmet law itself is actually about "more than just helmets," too. We use it as a litmus test to see where candidates stand on all "freedom vs. safety" issues. We also use it as a lightning rod to attract the most passionate biker activists to the campaign trail. Passion creates motivation ... motivation drives action ... and action gets results. And only results count.

3. Without a voting record or an ABATE endorsement, it's a judgment call. The best source is getting to know the candidate, and no amount of cold-calling can top a personal relationship. It's also good to simply ask them what they think of the helmet law. More than half the time, they'll tell you. Lacking personal contact, we sometimes make an educated guess based on their record of other issues that are similar to repeal ... for example exhaust labelling, ski helmets, etc. But sometimes we just can't tell ... so a candidate will remain in "code-gray" limbo until we have something useful to go on.

4. To be listed, candidates must be competitive. The number in parentheses after a candidate's name shows the percentage of votes their party received during the primary election. Candidates must have earned at least one percentage point to be on the list. It may seem hard-hearted at first, but candidates must earn their place on the list with more than good ideas. It takes votes to win an election ... and it takes votes to get on this list.

Finally, it's a matter of connecting passionate, motivated, action-oriented bikers (like you) with the nearby races that matter most. And if there happen to be any Top-Priority Races nearby, you have even more power in your hands. Of course this power is only present during the campaign season, which kicks off in a couple of days. So when you get a chance, take a look at the "California Races" list at RIDE2REPEAL.COM (click on "Elections" at the top of the page). The TOP PRIORITY RACES are listed ... you guessed it ... at the top of the page.

Once you have that list in front of you, everything you need to take action ... and get results ... is just one click away.

RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

PS: Look before you leap. The list may be "adjusted" from time to time as the campaign season unfolds.

Get the Vote Count

Evaluating hundreds of legislative candidates is no easy task. But in order to mobilize campaign volunteers, it's essential to know where the candidates stand on motorcycling issues. That's why candidate surveys and personal contact are so important. Otherwise we are flying blind.

Of course there are limitations to how "solid" our knowledge about a candidate is. Politicians can change their mind (and tell a fib or two), surveys can get lost in the shuffle, and sometimes front-running (or tail-dragging) candidates never respond to anybody. So we have to go with the best info we've got, and try to fill in the gaps as best we can.

There is only ONE source of information that is bullet-proof, and that is a candidate's voting record. They can say what they want, they can change their mind a thousand times, or they can hide behind the Capitol walls ... but their voting record can't be denied. There is no better indicator of how a legislator WILL vote ... than how they DID vote.

This brings me to the point that we all need to consider, and that is pushing a repeal bill as far as it will go. Conventional wisdom is that there's only one reason to submit a bill, and that is for the bill to become law. While this is the ultimate goal of any bill, there is an equally important reason to submit a bill ... and that is to get the vote count.

Lacking a vote count, we can only guess. And an educated guess takes a lot of homework, legwork, and head-scratching. Mistakes and disagreements are bound to occur, as well as being left completely in the dark on a lot of candidates. We need the vote count to make it a lot easier to pick the races that matter, and skip the ones that don't.

So when the time comes to submit a repeal bill during the next session, let's get the maximum benefit out of that effort. Whether passage is likely, unlikely, or a snowball's chance in the Mojave Desert, push that bill as far as it will go ... through the Transportation Committees ... as well as through BOTH full chambers.

Even if it gets shot down, we'll know who the shooters are. That's because we'll see the muzzle flash, and we'll know where to direct our firepower during the campaign season.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Political Dividends

Getting face-to-face with legislators at their events is always good. But it's important to use that opportunity as a way to build a win-win relationship with them.

My approach is to ask them what they think of helmet laws. (I do it conversationally, and not on a mic where they'll be put on the spot.) If they give me the right answer, then I know they're on our side with just about any other bikers rights issue.

Then I totally change the subject ... to campaign work. Who's in charge of volunteers, trading phone numbers, etc. This is where we really get the dividend, by becoming valuable to the legislator AND his staff.

That's also the moment when the table turns, and they are now seeking our help. But if we just show up asking for a laundry list of favors, we're just like everyone else ... standing in line, looking for a hand out.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com