Step 1. Use these resources to find out who's running for office in your area:

• League of Women Voters Custom Voter Guide - Lists candidates and ballot measures (enter your home or school address).
  
  
• Find a Candidate Filing - The official list of who met the filing deadlines, Minnesota Secretary of State.

Step 2. Talk to candidates while they’re out and about
Candidates will be spending a great deal of time knocking on constituents’ doors and attending local events and parades.  Have a couple of questions in mind if you are approached by a candidate.  Let your candidates know that quality public education is vital to the economic future of the state.

Step 3. Contact your local political party offices to find out what information they have available, and learn how you can get involved in a campaign.
Support for public education is a bipartisan issue, so you can’t assume that party platforms alone will provide accurate information on a candidate’s position.  You’ll have to do a bit of research.

If you connect closely with a candidate, consider volunteering for his or her campaign.  Campaigns are a lot work, so regardless of the task or time commitment, helping hands are appreciated.  This is also one of the best ways to learn about the workings of democracy and to establish a relationship with your elected official.

Elected officials remember the people who helped their campaign.

Another way to volunteer is to serve as an Election Judge.

• The Alliance for Student Achievement put together a list of Candidate Questions for the 2008 Election. Ask candidates these questions, and share the handout with family and friends.
  
  
• The 2008 Voters’ Guide from the Association of Metropolitan School Districts includes questions for candidates, a Q&A section about operating referendums, and great background information in the appendices.
  
  
• PACER offers these Sample Questions to Pose to Candidates for State Offices.
  
  
• A Minnesota PTA October 2008 newsletter brief describes what to look for in a strong public education candidate, and the National PTA 2008 Election Guide offers questions to help you select candidates which you believe have the strongest public education agenda.
  
  
• MPR Midday hosted a program about new Minnesota Miracle that offered a set of Candidate questions in the audio.
  
  
• Every Child Matters put together a set of Ask the Candidates cards with questions for candidates for state and national offices.
  
  
• iCAN suggests asking these sample questions related to child poverty, health care, and access to early learning environments.
  
  
• And Child Care Works raises these Sample Candidate Forum Questions.

From the Archives:

AMSD's (2004) Voter’s Guide is still relevant, just be sure to get updated stats; and

the list of questions in Public Education Network's Voter's Guide to Public Education Candidates still highlight pressing public education issues.

How Did They Vote?
Use these resources to learn how incumbents voted:

• Legislator Voting Records and Ratings - A matter of public record, Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
  
  
• Minnesota Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity - Organizing Apprenticeship Project.
  
  
• 2007 Legislative Scorecard - Children's Defense Fund Minnesota
  
  
• Do Your Legislators Support the Arts? - Minnesota Citizens for the Arts.

Listen carefully to candidate responses to your questions, and be sure to ask for specifics if the response tends toward generalities.

A candidate forum is a public gathering of persons running for office in a given district or area to discuss issues of interest with the public.  Two of the most frequent sponsors of candidate forums are the League of Women Voters and local Chambers of Commerce.

Candidate Forum Calendars
The League of Women Voters and the Minnesota Participation Project both maintain Candidate Forum Calendars.

Parents United's Parent Guide to Planning and Executing a Legislative Candidate Forum is designed to help you forge a partnership between your parent network and the business community (MS Word).

The structure of the forum may vary, but all allow questions from the community.  Remember that citizens acting on behalf of other causes will be attending these events.  Try to use the event to educate other community members about the importance of supporting our schools.

Candidate forums can be highly charged events, so have questions prepared before you arrive and work to deliver them with both passion and courtesy.  Remember, you’ll want to continue to connect with candidates that are elected into office!

The Minnesota Participation Project offers these Candidate Event Resources:

• Candidate Events Made Easy
  
  
• Candidate Event Planning Matrix
  
  
• Finding Your Format For Candidate Events
  
  
• Candidate Questionnaires and Voter Guides
  
  
• Nonprofit's Guide to Hosting Candidate Forums
  
  
• Candidate Forum Turnout Toolbox

History has marked several occasions when a single vote determined a victor in an election, so every vote is meaningful.  Dozens of people voting together can have an undeniable impact on election day, so try to make this a group or program effort.

• Encourage people that live around each other to travel to the polls together.
  
  
• Let people know that they can take children to the polls.  Some polling locations may even have activities available for young children. 
  
  
• Coordinate a local Kids Voting effort—What better way to promote democracy than to teach our kids to vote? 
  
  
• Distribute voter registration information including polling locations through your program.
  

Get Out the Vote Efforts (or GOTV)
Let people know it’s important to vote!

Parents United is a member of the Minnesota Participation Project, an exciting effort to support and expand the capacity of Minnesota nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations to effectively engage in permissible non-partisan voter engagement efforts—registration, voter education, and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) activities.

They offer a number of resources, including an e-newsletter, training, mini-grants for Candidate Events, and

• Election Cycle Dos and Don'ts for 501(c)3s
  
  
• Get-Out-The-Vote Toolbox - A "must read" for folks interested in organizing local GOTV efforts.
  
  
• Basic Information on Voter Registration
  
  
• Voter Reg-In-a-Box - A simple tool to bring voter registration to your nonprofit or community event.

Additional GOTV Resources

From the Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State:

• Minnesota Voter’s Guide - Single copies or large quantities for distribution are available by calling 651-215-1440 or 877-600-8683.
  
  
• Voter Outreach and Education - Efforts to ensure all eligible voters have an opportunity to participate in elections.
  
  
• Voter Registration Application Forms - Download the form or contact the Secretary of State's office — they have boxes of 500 ready and waiting for you!
  
  
• Voting Registration Information in Other Languages

The League of Women Voters offers General Voting and Election Information as well as Information on Candidates for the 2008 Election specific to your address.

Guía de las elecciones de 2008 para Latinos rurales - Si eres ciudadano de Estados Unidos, votar es uno de tus derechos fundamentales. Te da una voz para decidir la manera en que funciona tu gobierno, y tu voz es tan importante como la de cualquier otra persona, Main Street Project (English).

LEAP to Action - Works with community-based organizations to increase Latino civic participation in their local communities, National Council of La Raza.

Your Voice -Your Vote - University of Minnesota Extension Service

• English
• Spanish
• Hmong
• Somali

Return to Top

Quick Links

• MPR: Campaign 2008
  
  
• MPR: Select a Candidate - Use this tool to see which candidates are most closely aligned with your views.
  
  
• Pioneer Press Politics
  
  
• Star Tribune Politics

Minnesota Newspapers Directory - Find your local paper! Searchable by name of the publication and county. 

From Parents United

• Know the Rules - Do's and dont's of election organizing by nonprofits, including resources from the National PTA.
  
  
• Precinct Caucuses - Talk with your neighbors about the issues important to you.
  
  

• Media Watch - Go to the source for education news!
  
  

• Campaign Contributions - Minnesota encourages grassroots participation.
  
  

• Download Center - Tools You Can Use!

 "People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people.
Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those
who make themselves heard and who vote—a very different thing."

—Walter H. Judd

• Barack Obama
  
  
• John McCain

National PTA

• 2008 Presidential Candidates’ Positions on Public Education and Child Welfare - Side-by-side comparison of Presidential Candidates positions on legislative issues that are important to children and public schools.
  
  
• PTA Votes / Election Activities - PTA members demonstrate their role as child advocates by becoming educated about candidates for public office and their positions on legislative issues that are important to children and public schools. By exercising our democratic right to vote, we are able to give children a voice.
  
  
• PTA Voter Guide 2008 - A guide to help you become a more informed voter.

Additional National Resources

• October 22, 2008 - Can Vouchers Help Failing Public Schools? - Both presidential candidates have promised to improve public education, but they've each embraced different approaches. It's an issue that finally received attention in their final debate, when Democratic nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Republican nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona sparred over the issue of giving students vouchers to attend private schools, National Public Radio.
  
  
• October 13, 2008 - Public Education and the American Presidency - What the candidates have been saying about this all-important topic, Public Education Network.
  
  
• Education Election - Coverage of the Presidential Election and Candidates' Stands on Education by members of the Education Writers Association.
  
  
• Ed in '08 - A national campaign to elevate education to the top of the list of our nation's priorities.
  
  
• Campaign '08 - Coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign, Education Week.
  
  
• Opportunity '08 - Resources from the Brookings Institution to help the public and presidential candidates learn more about key policy issues, such as Education.
  
  
• VoteGopher.com on Education

Fact Checkers

FactCheck.org - Monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases.

PolitiFact - Has a truth-o-meter that gauges accuracy of comments made by politicians researched by reports and researchers at the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly

Fact Checker - Is hosted by the Washington Post.

The bottom line is:

Politicians rise and fall at the voting booth.