Before and After November 7: What to Expect, Why Elections Matter and What Your Organization Can Do to Prepare

Although much media attention focuses on the federal picture – i.e., will the Democrats take the U.S. House and Senate? -- it is at the state level where elections matter most for very many progressives. The outcome of some state legislative elections could dramatically influence folks' work come 2007.

The candidates we elect on election day become policy-makers come January. Now is the time to get to know them. What can we do? A wide variety of things, depending upon 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 status. Or, you can set aside organizational associations and act as an individual.

*This is the time to meet candidates. When someone is running, they are more open and receptive than at any other time.

*Establish a relationship with an elected official. Find out where people stand on your issues. They expect to answer questions, and they know they will be held accountable by their constituents.

*Do nose counting in the legislature. People change their minds, some won't do what they say, some will, but most will stay where they said they would.

*Elections are a great time to advocate. Candidates pay careful attention to their constituents' questions. If you bring an issue up, they will think it is important and they will know that voters are bugging them about it. Raise the issue in public forums or private meetings. (The Sierra Club and teachers' groups wear buttons so candidates and others in campaigns know who's present and who votes. Organizational identity makes a difference.)

*Consider candidate surveys as a way to acquaint yourselves with legislators or as an educational tool -- though some candidates receive up to 100 surveys, so many only answer those they think will reach the most important constituency or help with an endorsement.

*In states where the political climate is strongly against you, think about what is possible to achieve in two to four years. Find a reform that you are interested in and talk with legislators about that, or on other pieces of the overall puzzle. Study whether your "unpopular" issue really matters to voters, or whether legislators can support you without actually hurting themselves at the polls. If it's something that can only work against you, don't make it an issue during the elections.

Will 2006 be a wave election? At the federal level, the picture is not yet crystal clear, although there are indications that throw-out-the-incumbents sentiment is brewing.

What does seem clear, however, is that changes at the state legislative level (and in state governors' mansions) are afoot. This, more than anything else that happens on Nov. 7, significantly will affect the work of progressive nonprofits in 2007 and beyond.