Talking Points Meeting
Whenever new staff are hired, and each semester as new groups of interns begin, it is important to have a meeting within their first two-weeks which outlines the appropriate ways to describe Vote Smart, what we provide, how we remain non-partisan, which departments handle what, etc.
All staff & interns are representatives of Vote Smart and must be able to speak intelligently and answer basic questions on the organization. This can prove to be difficult with high turn over and interns' limited time spent with the organization, but it is still essential to our success.
This meeting should around 15-30 minutes and should allow for time to discuss any questions new staff/interns have on the organization.
The following questions should be gone over in detail inside this meeting.
DevComm:
- Answers to the general question, "So, what is Vote Smart?"
- Explanation of Vote Smart's funding.
- How does Vote Smart remain non-partisan?
- What are the materials/items Vote Smart can provide to the public free of charge, upon request?
- What are ways that people can get involved with Vote Smart?
- What is the structure of research? What does each department work on?
- How does our website work?
- In what ways do the public access our information?
- What is the Political Courage Test?
- What is VoteEasy?
1) Vote Smart is a non-partisan, nonprofit political research organization. We provide relevant, factual, unbiased information on elected officials and candidates free of charge to citizens. We allow citizens to defend themselves against the often-manipulative campaign tactics of many candidates by offering them straightforward information.
2) Six categories of information: voting records, campaign finance contributions, issue positions, biographical and contact information, public statements & speeches, and special interest group ratings.
3) Vote Smart is funded entirely by philanthropic foundations and individual contributions- we never accept corporate, special interest, labor, or government support. Our current membership base sits at 25,000 citizens from across the country, and we have been funded by the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Foundation, and PEW Charitable Trusts, to name a few.
4) Free resources for voters:
- Toll-Free Voter's Research Hotline (1-888-VOTESMART)
- Website (www.votesmart.org)
- Free publications (Voter's Self Defense Manual, released every 2 years)
- VoteEasy (votesmart.org/voteeasy)
- Those with a political history wanting to join our Board must join with a political opposite (Founded by such political enemies as former Presidents Carter & Ford, Goldwater & McGovern, Dukakis & Frist).
- PVS is funded entirely by philanthropic foundations and individual contributions--we accept no corporate, special interest, labor, or government support.
- Vote Smart operates much like the Peace Corps -- of the over 5000 people who have come to help by working at Vote Smart, 75% percent received no pay and those who did received only minimal salaries to cover basic living expenses.
- We do not lobby for or against any cause or issue, or support or oppose any candidate.
7) Since 1992, the Political Courage Test measures the willingness of all candidates to tell voters how they may handle the job if hired in November elections. It's a one question Test: "Are you willing to tell citizens where you stand on the issues you may face if elected?" If candidates say "yes", we ask them to demonstrate their willingness by answering a few questions that are both top on public's mind, and also likely to come up in next legislative session.
Users may visit the tool, choose one or more of the 13 issues areas, answer the same questions we asked the candidates via the Political Courage Test and watch as the candidates' yard signs advance or recede on the screen depending on their agreement or disagreement to their positions. To dive deeper, users may click on the candidates' yard signs and view a snapshot of the candidates' public record. Because VoteEasy's information in powered by answers from the candidates via the Political Courage Test, and because of overall low Test response rates, in 2010, the Test department began researching the public records of the presidential and congressional candidates in order to determine their likely answers to Test questions. Researchers specifically comb through the candidates' speeches, voting record, interest group ratings, past Test submissions in order to infer their answers.
9)No one can join Vote Smart's board without a political opposite. People as diverse as former Presidents Carter and Ford, former Senators McGovern and Goldwater, former Governor Dukakis, former Congresswoman Ferraro and current Senator McCain have served on Vote Smart's board, supporting the efforts of Vote Smart's students and volunteers, and ensuring balance and strict impartiality in Vote Smart programs and services.
The primary function of our board members is to review and approve our budget and new programs yearly. They also must review and approve the survey we give to candidates each election year, the Political Courage Test. No single board member has more influence than any other.
