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Dear Supporter:
I called her Huggie Bunnies and pursued her for years. She was perfect: kind and tolerant to a fault, beautiful and much brighter than I. This time I would get her to say yes.
It was her birthday. There were two things that she loved, but if I purchased either one, I would have no money left for the other.
So, there it was, one enormous box with a bright pink bow. A gift I would enjoy giving far more than she would receiving. She set the bow aside and unsealed it.
Two smaller boxes now sat before her, identical in every way, with one message:
“Happy Birthday! You can choose one but never see the other.”
It was a torture for her. After shaking, rattling and begging for hints I would not give, she chose and carefully opened one to find a maze of driving instructions. Twenty minutes later, there it was on the 18th hole of a golf course, decked out as if it were already on the water: a sail boat with a huge banner stretching across its mast: THE HUGGIE BUNNIES. Climbing on board she found her captain’s cap with my note applying to be first mate. She said the magic word: “YES.”
I think of that day years ago when we were helping kick Vote Smart into life as my happiest. I got both the work and woman of my dreams but only she has been true.
Vote Smart still sits undecided. To this day I do not know if it will couple with enough voters to lift us out of the foul muck that our democracy has become or be consumed by it.
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In 2020 more people used Vote Smart than ever before, but with the loss of the “greatest generation” fewer are willing to fund it. That is why I included the piece in the following newsletter titled "Straight Talk." You have a right to know the extent we have gone to tie a passion for the facts to millions of fellow citizens. |
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INCLUDE VOTE SMART IN YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING! |
Still have shopping on your list? Support the facts and those you love by shopping with AmazonSmile! Amazon will donate a portion of each eligible purchase to Vote Smart. |
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No one is stopping citizens from retaking control of their government.
Imagine if citizens decided political dishonesty had finally crossed the line. That false claims and tortured truth had gone too far and become too dangerous. Citizens could fund a balanced organization that tracked the facts on all those seeking public office.
An organization that documented all they have been, said and done. A system that let any citizen instantly expose candidates, their friends and what any interest has said about them. A system that bared for all to see what they would likely do for you or to you if elected.
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A system that allowed every conservative or liberal to simply name a candidate of concern and an issue of interest and instantly review them like any employer would, about any applicant for any other kind of job.
Vote Smart has made a great start in that effort but could do so much more if only more citizens would support it.
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For years we have found it more difficult to attract foundations, media attention and new members through our efforts. However, our usage continues to increase, by 20% this election cycle alone. We’ve tried every method that has been thought of to work our way out of a tightening financial belt. |
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A free people who find lies acceptable won’t remain free for long.
Why won’t anyone say it? Is it American sacrilege to suggest that “government of the people, by the people” may no longer be possible? The masses are being herded and corralled by those who always find the means to seek an advantage, even in a system designed to strip them of advantage.
Is it not obvious that modern political tools target us emotionally? Like a Gamma Knife, they drill into that spot in our brains to stimulate a passion and overwhelm our ability to think logically. Without any means or time to independently research, investigate and analyze for ourselves, we adhere to anyone that empathizes and confirms the rightness of our view on one or two issues of concern. Thus, we are rounded-up and herded into one camp or the other.
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Out of 150 applicants for Vote Smart internships this semester we selected 34 from 15 states. Usually, students meet their supervisors face-to-face, ask questions about research, and bond over mundane office tasks. This Covid-summer was a bit different: Introductions were made through email and instant messaging, not handshakes. Training was done through video calls and shared screens, not watching over someone’s shoulder. And community building was done over digital platforms and politely raised hands, not loud trivia games and pizza parties. Despite the trials of remote work, these interns made this one of our most successful seasons.
The purpose of the Vote Smart National Internship is to give students a unique perspective on American politics and increase the depth and breadth of the information we provide. There are thousands of data points that would not be available to voters if Vote Smart did not have this internship program. On a daily basis, they work with staff in all areas of our research. In a single semester our interns can log 6,500 research hours on all fronts of our mission. Interns might show up to meetings in hammocks or in their beautiful backyards, while others showed the true meaning of “work from home”, as pets or family members accidentally interrupted video calls with supervisors. Through it all, our interns were able to develop their research skills, learn how to network digitally, and create a foundation for a successful career. While Vote Smart will always strive for an in-person experience, it is nice to know that our internship program can be successful even in the midst of a crisis.
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FROM ONE OFFICE TO DOZENS |
Vote Smart, like other organizations, has made efforts to fight COVID-19 in our community. Vote Smart’s main office is located in the heart of Des Moines, Iowa, but the only people who have been coming in have been National Director Walker McKusick and a handful of other key staff who manage 55 other staff working from the home offices they have set up.
Our team meetings look much different now that they are over Zoom and Google Hangouts. Even the pets of Vote Smart have joined in to support our remote staff!
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Vote Smart is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides accurate information about candidates, elected officials, and key pieces of legislation. By providing information in an easy and accessible manner, Vote Smart believes that citizens can better defend themselves from the questionable rhetoric and misrepresentation that characterizes present-day political campaigns. |
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