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Lobbying and ElectionsAlliance for Biking & Walking Mutual Aid CallWednesday, June 19, 2013

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O all that biking and walking advocates do, perhaps the most important work is representing the interests o 

people who bike and walk in the political process. Whether through a public candidate survey, a ribbon-cut-ting event or local media, or working behind the scenes with elected ocials, active transportation advocatesuse a variety o successul tactics to heighten their political clout and improve street saety. On this call, expertadvocates in our movement discussed best practices and tips on lobbying and participating in elections.

Advice rom James WilsonExecutive Director, Bike Delaware

Te story behind Bike Delaware’s rst candidate survey 

•Back in 2010, Bike Delaware was an all-volunteer organization with a less ocused advo-cacy agenda. James attended the 2010 Alliance Leadership Retreat and heard a presenter

say that every group should be doing candidate surveys.

• In response to this advice, Bike Delaware put together asimple candidate survey that asked all candidates running orthe state’s General Assembly about their support or dedi-cated state unding or biking and walking.

•Te survey asked candidates:

On a scale o 1 to 5, rank your support o the ollowing statements, with on being “strongly agree” and fve being “strongly disagree:” 

1. I supported or agreed with the recently passed “Vulnerable Users Bill?”

2. I believe that increased use o “active” modes o transportation (i.e. walkingand bicycling) improves public health.

3. I believe that investing in bicycle and pedestrian inrastructure saves peoplemoney by allowing them to spend a smaller percentage o their householdbudgets on transportation; and makes Delaware’s economy less vulnerable todisruption rom oil price shocks.

4. I support greater state transportation spending on walking and bicycling.

5. A minimum percentage o state transportation unding should be dedicated tothe development o bicycle and pedestrian inrastructure and acilities.

Please answer the 5 questions and return your answers to Bike Delaware, preerably via email, at survey@bikede.org by October 19.

Every biking andwalking advocacyorganization shouldbe doing candidatesurveys.

Benets o a candidate survey 

•Form relationships or better advocacy. Bike Delaware’s survey helped James and hiscolleagues develop relationships with politicians where previously none had existed.

•Branch out beyond bureaucrats and agency sta. Candidate surveys help you orm re-lationships with elected ocials, who control the purse strings. Get to know the peoplewho are in charge o making big unding decisions, not just the agency sta who imple-ment policy.

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Lobbying and ElectionsAlliance for Biking & Walking Mutual Aid CallWednesday, June 19, 2013

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How to do a candidate survey •Ask the right questions. Select questions that cover a wide variety o issues, that mat-

ter to the community, and that relate to transportation issues. Ensure that the questionsyou are asking are related to potential policy changes you would advocate or. Avoidrivolous questions like “Do you ride a bike?”

•Ask about what you want. You won’t get something unless you ask or it. I you ask orsomething, you might not get it — but i you don’t ask or it, you denitely won’t get it.

•Be neutral in your questions. Don’t word your questions so as to indicate the “right”response or otherwise reect your organization’s agenda.

•Be careul not to electioneer. Give all candidates or the oce an equal opportunity to

participate.

Limits o 501(c)3 organizations

•501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprots are prohibited rom electioneering, which means endors-ing and contributing to candidates. Tey also can’t publish or communicate anythingthat explicitly or implicitly avors or opposes a candidate.

•But limitations on electioneering don’t prevent tax-exempt organizations rom partici-pating in politics. 501(c)3s can engage in candidate surveys as non-partisan inorma-tion-gathering and voter education.

• In the 2010 survey, Bike Delaware was very careul not to demonize any candidates or

their answers. Te organization also avoided grading candidates on their answers.•o be ully compliant, 501(c)3 organizations must oer all candidates the opportunity to

respond to a survey.

•Reveal potential action areas.Trough the 2010 survey, Bike Delaware learned o sig-nicant support or dedicated unding or biking and walking amongst elected ocials.

Tis convinced the advocates to put resources towards establishing dedicated state und-ing or active transportation.

•Gain traction with partners. Bike Delaware’s survey helped the organization orm part-nerships with stronger, more established organizations, including a prominent publichealth group.

•Make your organization known to elected ofcials. Many General Assembly candi-dates had not heard o the organization beore; now Bike Delaware is well known by many state legislators.

Lobbying advice

•Consider public criticism the “nuclear option.” Criticizing or attacking public ocials isan extreme choice; using negative tactics can push people who aren’t on your side o anissue even urther away.

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Lobbying and ElectionsAlliance for Biking & Walking Mutual Aid CallWednesday, June 19, 2013

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Advice rom Evan ManvelDirector o Policy, Planning and Government Aairs, Cascade Bicycle Club

General tips or state and local lobbying 

•Use the cycle o accountability: endorse candidates, then hold them accountable oncethey are elected. (Note: only organizations with 501(c)4 status can endorse candidates.)

•Always thank politicians, because they will remember the thank-yous.

•Focus on using carrots, but don’t be araid to use a stick. In one instance, afer the mayortook an undesirable stance, Cascade leaked to the press that the club was consideringendorsing another candidate or mayor over the incumbent. While the mayor was pri-

 vately upset, he publicly changed his tone and supported Cascade’s agenda.

Perks o having a 501(c)4s

• I your political work becomes more intense, consider having two separate organiza-tions. Cascade Bicycle Club’s core organization is 501(c)4, so the organization can dosome things that 501(c)3s cannot.

•501(c)4 organizations can participate in elections, which can bring much more power tolobbying. I you help people get their job, they will like you.

•As a (c)4, Cascade can endorse candidates. I the candidate who did not receive Cas-cade’s endorsement wins, many times the winning candidate will still be open to a rela-

tionship in hopes o a uture endorsement. I a candidate holds a grudge, advocates willchoose a dierent messenger or lobbying.

Appeal to their interestsand build relationshipsover time.

Pay attention to the story — and the storyteller

•Conversations with politicians aren’t logical debates. Ap-peal to their interests and build relationships over time.Tis is a meta-story, and people want to be on the rightside.

•Te messenger is the message. When lobbying and meeting elected ocials, bike/pedadvocates are ofen pigeonholed. ry to include other messengers in your meetings, or— even better — get your allies to attend meetings on your behal. Unexpected messen-

gers wake legislators up.

•Strong coalitions and great messengers are more important than legislation details.People are generally less concerned with how the law works than with who supports thelaw.

Dierences between local and state lobbying 

•When meeting with local elected ocials, you are more likely to meet with the ocialthan their sta. On the state level, you are more likely to meet with sta.

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•On the state level, you will encounter more organized opponents than you will at the

local level.

• It’s much easier to keep track o support and opposition on the local level. Counting votes on a seven-seat council is much easier than counting votes in a fy-seat state sen-ate.

Advice rom Caron WhitakerVice President o Government Relations, League o American Bicyclists

Build relationships with your ederal representatives and their sta 

• It really is all about relationships. Every point o contact is an opportunity to build apositive relationship.

•Building successul relationships makes your organization the authority on biking andwalking, so that the oce will contact you with questions on the issues you care about.

•Stay in touch! Frequent communications are important.

•Be honest. Be knowledgeable about your work, but be transparent i you don’t know something. Commit to nding out, and get back to them. Always let lawmakers andtheir sta know i there is the potential or controversy.

•Ask your representatives and senators or help in unding specic projects. Tis giveslawmakers a way to be involved and gives you an opportunity to thank them.

•Keep congressional staers in the loop, but don’t send too much. Pick out the specic

success stories and events that you will orward to congressional staers. Tis helpsmaintain regular contact while preventing over-contact.

Elevate local voices

•Use district visits and events to give lawmakers and their sta a positive relationshipwith biking.

•Hearing about people in their district that care about an issue will inuence lawmak-ers’ votes more than statistics. Ofen, receiving twelve or feen constituent phone callsabout a bill is enough to demonstrate support.

•Connect your supportive local ocials with your ederal representatives. Georgia ad- vocates brought a congressional staer to a local city council meeting to hear about theimportance o biking and walking directly rom city councilors.

•Afer Senator Tune o South Dakota supported a biking and walking amendment, theFalls Area Bicyclists invited the Senator to an annual dinner. Te Senator’s presence wasa draw or members, the Senator had a great time, and the event helped build the rela-tionship urther.

Case study: be persistent

•During his rst several years in Congress, Representative Larry Bucshon o Indianawould not meet with advocates at the National Bike Summit, and he was a vocal oppo-nent to the Cardin-Cochran amendment to provide unding or biking and walking in

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2012.

• In response, the Indiana Bicycle Coalition brought in new messengers and started ocus-ing on new messaging. By emphasizing road saety, they approached with a perspectivethat the representative could more closely identiy with.

•Te Bicycle Coalition invited the representative to a bike ride hosted by the local Rotary Club. Representative Buschon rode with his amily and spoke publicly about the healthbenets o biking. Now, the congressman’s oce sees the Indiana Bicycle Coalition as aresource, and their relationship has improved.

Case study: get to know your people

• In Illinois, the League o American Bicyclists worked with Representative im Johnson

to gain his public support or biking and walking. Representative Johnson had support-ed Sae Routes to School and bicycling, but would not go on record to support bikingand walking more prominently.

•Ed Barsotti o the League o Illinois Bicyclists worked with local contacts, including aormer mayor, to speak with Johnson. Because he heard rom local contacts, and not justbicycle advocates, the Representative became a key sponsor o bike-riendly legislation.

•Maintaining relationships with staers pays o, too. A ormer Johnson staer is now atthe Illinois Chamber o Commerce. In his new role, he inormally helps bike groups inthe business community.

Additional Resources

•Michigan League or Human Services’ Lobbying 101 or Nonprots - A Power Pointintroduction.

•CEDAM’s Lobbying 101 or Nonprots - A video introduction rom a public policy advocacy specialist.

•Advocacy Advance’s “An Advocate’s Guide to Elections” - A great introduction to en-gaging in elections, using biking and walking nonprots as examples.

•Advocacy Advance’s “Primer on Federal Funding or Bicycle and Pedestrian Proj-ects” - Suggests which questions to ask in order to gure out how ederal unding can

support local projects.•Advocacy Advance’s “How Statewide Organizations are Winning Federal Dollars or

Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects” - A helpul guide showcasing successul campaigns toincrease state unding or biking and walking.

•Advocacy Advance’s “Developing a Successul Funding Campaign” - Tis grid walksyou through elements o developing a successul unding campaign.