Presentation by:

Tom SeymourFormer - State Senator

A Review of the North Dakota Legislature

Senator Tom Seymour

Minot, North Dakota

5th District

tom@minot.com

www.legis.nd.gov

Minot Legislative Districts ------------3 – 5 – 38 - 40

Your Mission Statement

• Money• Media• Message

Party Nomination / SignaturesName on the Ballot

• A Complete Filing Must Include:• 1. A Petition/containing signatures equal to

1% of the population of the legislative district not to exceed 300 signatures • OR a Certificate of Endorsement (SFN 17196);• From your District 3-5-38-40 Political Party

and you include:• 2. An Affidavit of Candidacy (SFN 2703);• 3. A Statement of Interests (SFN 10172).

Candidate Search

The Candidate Search

• What Kind of Candidates are We Looking For• What Incentives are There For Candidates to

Run for Office• What Procedure Should You Use In Contacting

Potential Candidates• Will You Give Release Time to an Employee to

Run For Office• I am a candidate –Final Decision-Can I Win?

Television Ad

Building A Campaign Organization

• Planning• Fundraising – Xmas list, Employees, etc.• Preparing Campaign Materials – Poll List• Developing and Maintaining a Web site ---------

www.seymour-senate.us• Building Support – letter to the editor• Reaching Voters – invites to meetings and

Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, etc..

1998Campaign Ad

Campaign Elements (Movies From Web site)

• Writing A Campaign Plan• The Kick-off Social At Your Home• Campaign Materials – examples on Web site• Fundraising – Start Early• Building Name Recognition – Your Local Group

View the TV, Radio, and Newspaper Ads• Get Out The Vote Campaigns• Lobbyists – David Crothers• Care and Feeding of Volunteers• Team – Signs, TV, Radio Ads

Door to Door Item

Campaign Ad With Capitol

Office of Management and Budget Budget ProjectsPam Sharp, Director

Tammy Dolan

ND Office of Management and Budget State Agency and Analyst Lists

Tammy Marthaller Dolan – MSU Graduate

The Governor’s BudgetJack Dalrymple

John "Jack" Dalrymple (born October 16, 1948, in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Yale Graduate --- BS1992 – US Senate Candidate

The Legislative Council Jim Smith – Director

Jay E. Buringrud – Assistant Director

John Walstad – Code Revisor

Allen H. Knudson – Legislative Budget

http://www.legis.nd.gov/

The ND Senate Chamber

The Leadership – President Clip …Governor John HoevenLt. GovernorSenate Majority LeaderSenate Minority LeaderPresident Pro TemporeHouse Majority LeaderHouse Minority LeaderHouse Speaker

Senate Assistant LeaderSenate Assistant MinorityHouse Assistant LeaderHouse Assistant MinoritySenate and House StaffGovernor’s Staff

State LeadershipLegislative Leadership

Assistant Senate and House Leaders

President Pro Tempore

Appropriations Committees with Minot Legislators / Governor

Give Your Legislator Support

• Photo in Your Newsletter• Photo in Your Magazine• Photo during Your Company Event• Photo in Your Television Ad• Photo in Your Newspaper Ad• Photo in Your Brochures• Accompany Door to Door• Find Campaign Sign Locations

Parties

• The State Democratic Party• The State Republican Party• Your Local District Organization• Your Congressional Delegation• The Legislators that You Know• The Lobbyists you Know• Legislative Staff You Know• The Leaders that You Know

You and Your Faculty Contacts

• Friends and Relatives

• Memberships and Boards

• Helped during the campaign

Definition of LobbyingInfluencing, or attempting to influence,

legislative action through oral or written communication with legislative

officials.Soliciting others to influence or attempt

to influence legislative action.Attempting to obtain the good will of

legislative officials.

Agriculture, Appropriations, Education

Finance and Taxation, Government and Veterans Aff

Human Services, IBL, Judiciary, Natural Resources

Political Subdivisions, Transportation

Constitutional Revision -- Maybe

2011Standing Committees

How A Bill Becomes law

• Bill Preparation

• Bills are usually prepared by Legislative Council for introduction by a legislator. If a bill is not prepared by the Legislative Council, the bill must be reviewed by the Legislative Council for proper form and style.

Bill Introduction

• After the preliminary business of opening a session the presiding officer (the Lieutenant Governor in the Senate and Speaker in the House) calls for an introduction of bills. Any legislator may hand the bill to the bill clerk.

Committee Assignment and Introduction

• The presiding officer refers the bill to the proper committee. In committee, the bill is explained and discussed.

• The presiding officer assigns bills to committee with the approval of the majority leader

Bill Signing - Governor

Legislative Session Strategy• Unlimited Letters to Constituents• Meet with the Party Caucus• Email on a regular Basis• Leave a telephone message at home• Go to committee meetings• Take a legislator photo in committee meeting• Dinner and Lunch • Be in Capitol eating area early in morning• Gift and Personal card to Senate Desk• Letter to the Editor Promoting the Legislator• Legislator has the “VOTE” - Power Among Peers

During the Legislative Session

• Take the Legislator’s Spouse to Dinner• Send the Legislator’s Spouse a gift from Your

Business• Go to The Legislative Session at 6:00am and

visit with the Legislators present• Go to the Hotel Lounge in the Session City

Where Most Legislators Stay and Visit• Compliment Your Legislators on Facebook,

Twitter, etc.

2011 Legislative Review

Historic Legislative SessionUnprecedented and Unparalleled in many

respects1.Landmark funding of priorities2.Healthy reserve for the future3.Broad-based tax relief, reform, and

simplification4.Tax Incentives for Businesses

Technology and Communication

• E-mail is best way to go – tseymour@nd.gov• Always remember to include your name and

physical address on any correspondence• Your State’s Legislative Web site• At home 10-20 letters per day• Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc…

Web sites

• www.seymour-senate.com• http://web.ndak.net/seymour/• Movies• Ads

The Social Media – Web2.0

• Created by Dustin Moskovitz and Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 as a way for their fellow Harvard students to stay in touch.

• Has more than 300 million users• Provided in over 70 languages• More than 8 billion minutes are spent on the

Facebook homepage everyday• www.facebook.com

• Created by Jack Dorsey in 2006• Micro-blogging site• Allows users to make posts up to 140

characters long• Comparable to text messaging but online• www.twitter.com -- SenTomSeymour

• Created by 3 former PayPal employees in 2005• Video sharing website• Non-registered users can watch videos using a

search engine will registered users can upload and view videos

• Flip Camera and Droid• www.youtube.com• Search for Senator Tom Seymour

BLOGS

• Type of website maintained by an individual that creates entries

• Usually can control who sees blogs• http://senator-tom-seymour.blogspot.com/

You Can Do – What Has Been Said

• Get To Know Your Legislators• Personal Relationships Build Trust• Try To Meet Face to Face• Remember Our States Have A Citizen

Legislature• Make Good Use of Time, Be Brief (Coffee)• Democracy Does Not Work Without Citizen

Involvement

Citizen Legislature

• During non-session, remember that they have other jobs as well

• Legislators Are Not Experts in Every Subject *Speak in layman’s terms* Remember that People like stories - Awards

Team Work Pays Off

Washington, DC LeadershipTom Seymour, PhD

Professor-SRT Director - Alderman

2009: Lobbying and Policy Change: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why

• 13, 800 Lobbyists Registered in DC• $ 3.5 billion spent in 2009 on lobbying• 8,000 bills introduced / 400 pass in two years• Earmark• President and Party Leaders – 78%• Former Members of Congress – 63%• Congressional Committees – 60%• Lobbying Expenditures – 52%• Trade Associations – 50%

Your Challenge – Legislative Support in Three Areas

• Money• Media• Message

• Have Fun !!