2007-10-19 Tactics for Winning at the Capitol (SWSLC)

Tactics for Winning at the Capitol
Nicole Allen
The Student PIRGs
Southwest Student Leadership Conference
October 11, 2008

Influencing Politicians
There are two ways to influence politicians:
Money
People

Students Are Powerful
A LOT of people (+ parents)
Relatively easy to activate
Higher education is in the public interest

How to Plan A Victory
Decide on your goal
Choose your targets
Outline what influences your targets
Develop strategies to influence your targets
Develop tactics to implement those strategies

1. Decide on your goal

2. Select your targets
Which legislators have the power to pass your bill?
Which legislators will you need to influence?
Which legislators can you influence?

3. Outline what influences your target
Look at their voting record/history. Party lines? Specific issues? Sponsored legislation?
What is their constituency? Demographics? Political leaning? Industry?
Up for reelection? In danger?
Other politicians. Seatmates? Leadership? Lunch buddies?

4. Develop strategies
Direct lobbying. Meet with the target and people who influence the target.
Build coalitions. Combine power with groups with similar interests. Think outside of the box
Grassroots. Mobilize individual students and coalition constituencies to pressure the target.
Media. Hold the target accountable in the public spotlight.

5. Tactics: Lobbying
Constituent meetings
Meet with other politicians to ask for their help
Stakeholder meetings

5. Tactics: Coalition
Reach out to major groups in the target constituency
Combine resources with other groups with a common interest
Paper tiger coalition

5. Tactics: Grassroots
Call in days
Letters/Emails/Petitions
Rallies
Lobby Days
Be creative!

5. Tactics: Media
Create a championship opportunity
Press conferences/releases
Invite the media to all grassroots events
Letters to the editor
Editorial board meetings

How to Plan A Victory
Decide on your goal
Choose your targets
Outline what influences your targets
Develop strategies to influence your targets
Develop tactics to implement those strategies

Your Turn
You are trying to pass a bill that requires textbook publishers to disclose pricing information to faculty
Your target is the sponsor of the bill, who has just decided to support all of the changes the publishing industry asked for.
He is the junior Representative from Flagstaff, a first term republican with a party-lines voting record.

2007-10-19 Tactics for Winning at the Capitol (SWSLC)

by Nicole Allen on May 29, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

Statistics

2007-10-19 Tactics for Winning at the Capitol (SWSLC) Presentation Transcript