Chair’s Corner by Brendan Patrick

Let the races begin!

            June marks the real beginning of campaign season.  For the past several months candidates have been getting ready:   tweaking their campaign plans, raising funds, and practicing their stump speeches.    And stump they did at our May meeting, where 21 candidates introduced themselves and answered your questions!

But that was May and this is June.  Filing week is June 1 to 5, when the candidates must officially and finally declare their candidacies.  On June 2 many of the candidates will be at the candidate’s forum sponsored by the 37^th together with other Seattle legislative districts.  

Here in the 37^th, campaign season kicks-off with our endorsement meeting.  This year’s meeting falls on Monday, June 8, and I hope you can make it.   This is our opportunity to endorse the candidates whose visions include the interests of our economically, racially, and culturally diverse district.   Our 37^th’s endorsement meeting is the first among the legislative districts, so our impact will be large.  Please plan to attend! 

Our endorsements are only the first step in ensuring our candidates reach the offices they are running for.   We need to communicate our endorsements to voters who trust our endorsements and use them as a guide.   Between now and the August 18 primary, and again between the primary and the general election on November 3, our common task is to get out the vote for our candidates. 

There are two things you can do to help:

(1)     Canvass a precinct.  Whether you are a precinct committee officer or not, you can walk a precinct and distribute information about our endorsements.    Canvassing is a great way to get out and meet your neighbors, register new voters, and distribute our slate card with our endorsements.  With just a few hours on a weekend afternoon, you magnify the impact of our endorsements.   Get involved now by contacting our third vice chair, Pam Keeley.  (206.234.9315 or pcolead@37dems.org)

(2)    Make a donation.  If you don’t like to canvass, you can still make an significant impact by making a contribution.  While our membership dues  cover our meeting costs , newsletters, and other incidental expenses, our funds for getting out the vote generally come from contributions above the basic membership level.   These contributions pay for printing our slate cards and for mailing slate cards to secure apartment buildings and other areas canvassers can’t reach.   You can contribute by either mailing us a check or using a credit card online at www.37dems.org. 

Every hour of canvassing and every dollar contributed helps ensure that our endorsements reach the voters.   It’s simple math:  the more you help, the more voters we reach.   By working together—each doing what he or she can–we ensure that the voice of the district is heard and represented in local government.