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by Marie Dolcini
It was a banner summer for the Sierra Club. Across the
county, we encouraged citizens to take a closer look at the
environmental voting record of their senators and
representatives. And from voter scorecards that highlighted
these votes to volunteer "bird dogs" who flushed out the
truth, the media have eagerly followed our tracks -
particularly when we form larger coalitions.
In Idaho, that's meant linking arms with senior citizens,
laborers, Hispanics and youth to draw attention to Rep.
Helen Chenoweth's (R) record. In late August, over 100
people converged on the Idaho statehouse to share their
concerns over Chenoweth's actions. "We pointed out her
League of Conservation Voters zero percentage rating, her
vote against clean water 10 times out of 10, her stance on
salmon issues and her suggestion to have timber companies
manage some of our public lands," said Conservation
Coordinator Roger Singer.
Elsewhere, the Washington Post singled out the Sierra Club
in a front-page article as a major political player for
forming bipartisan coalitions aimed at identifying
legislative friends and foes and broadcasting their records.
The article highlighted TV ads run by the Sierra Club and
its partners in Andrea Seastrand's (R-Calif.) district
exposing her votes against the environment.
In Utah, volunteers came up with eye-catching bus ads
carrying the message: "Protect Utah's Wilderness - 5.7
Million Acres - For Our Families, For Our Future." The ads
will travel Salt Lake's streets on four city buses
throughout the fall. The natural-gas-powered vehicles began
their maiden voyage with a mobile press conference urging
all Utahns to "get on board" for Utah wilderness. They then
toured downtown and made a stop at the federal building to
draw attention to the lack of congressional ridership before
picking up a crowd of supporters, who used buttons in
support of Utah wilderness as tokens.
Merlin McColm, a businessman from Elko, Nev., is among Club
volunteers traditionally identifying with Bob Dole's party,
and pointing out the dangers in the GOP leadership's
environmental platform. He's joining the voter education
effort by offering testimony in a series of Club-sponsored
TV ads running in Western media markets this fall. "I'm a
conservative Republican," says McColm in one ad, "and I'm
absolutely furious at what Congress is trying to do to the
environment."
Thanks to the Sierra Student Coalition, voter education has
also caught on on campus. After conducting two summer
training programs, SSC activists returned to school
energized with ideas for organizing support for
environmental issues.
"We're narrowing our focus and highlighting the voting
record of members of Congress in key college communities
along with our regional conservation issues," said SSC
Director Kim Mowery. These issues include raising awareness
of toxics in the Southeast, cleaning up Maryland's
Chesapeake Bay and protecting Utah wilderness.
"Our activists will be working to make sure students stay
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informed through dorm-storming," said Mowery. That means
student volunteers will be taking to their residence halls
the night before an environmental vote with informational
handouts to talk to people one-on-one. "We explain a bill,
clarify legislators' voting records and ask students to make
a call - and typically generate thousands of calls," said
Mowery.
And thanks to the Club's canvass, coordinated with the Fund
for Public Interest Research, another 250,000 voting charts
will be distributed in 28 locations this summer and fall,
from Manhattan to Santa Cruz. "The canvass is a very
effective outreach tool," said canvass coordinator Emily
McFarland. "Its strength is in its face-to-face approach to
educating voters about the importance of protecting the
environment."
Conservation Director Bruce Hamilton said the Club's success
doing voter education is the result of tremendous teamwork
between staff and volunteers - and our extensive media
coverage during the Republican and Democratic conventions
significantly furthered our efforts.
Later this month, Club activists will be distributing
thousands of additional voter education materials to
citizens. "We're keeping up the momentum," said Singer, "and
are helping make the difference for a greener 105th."
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