Election Watch 2008
Credit Union Political Spotlight
Credit Union Association of Colorado
John Dill, President & CEO of The Credit Union Associations of Colorado & Wyoming, formulated a goal a while ago - put together a strategic plan aimed at increasing credit union involvement in the Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) arena. To that end, John hired someone with experience to help implement just such a plan and that person is Chris Kemm, Manager of Grassroots & Advocacy.
 |
| Colorado credit union volunteers get ready to knock on doors |
The first part of the plan encourages the credit unions to host voter registration drives in the various branches. The second part of the plan involves direct communication with the individual members. A one-on-one communication approach is the method used to contact each member. In order to determine who should be contacted, a voter registration file is obtained by the credit union and then matched with that credit union's membership file. Of course, the privacy of each person is strictly guarded during this process. In addition to urging members to vote, the conversation is also used to educate them on the candidates and why credit unions members should be supportive. The one-on-one communication incorporates phone banks and knocking on doors. Volunteers man the phones and make calls to other credit union members to explain why credit unions should support a particular candidate. Also, volunteers go to specific neighborhoods to knock on doors and leave candidate-specific materials. The Colorado Association has found that as their members become more involved in this process, they become invested in the political process and take ownership of the outcome.
The association decided to do a test pilot of this plan in 2006 to see how it would be received by the members and to build trust with the member credit unions. For this pilot, a single credit union was chosen to help elect a very pro-credit union candidate for Congress, Ed Perlmutter. Perlmutter was a good choice since he is a former state Senator with a proven track record and he was running for an open seat (the current Representative was running for Governor). The pilot was a great success and Perlmutter won easily. As a result of this, the credit union has become the 'spokesman' for the program and enthusiastically promotes it to other credit unions!
One of the challenges has been to get credit unions over their reluctance to communicate directly with their members about pro-credit union candidates. However, this is changing as the credit unions see the program's positive reception. An added bonus is the communications also include a marketing aspect which highlights the credit union's safety and soundness in this time of economic uncertainty. Out of the 115,000 communications generated thus far, only three negative responses have been recorded, seven people have asked to be removed from the list and seven people have thanked the caller! This has gone a long way in reassuring credit unions that the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
The association is also encouraging the individual credit unions to host meet-and-greets and "Come Meet Your Legislator" days. Doing this enables the credit union to reach many members in an informative manner and let the member have a chance to interact with the candidates. Another program component focuses on current legislators - educating them on credit union-specific issues, as well as holding these same legislators accountable for their voting records.
The Colorado credit unions have been advocating for candidates in both state and Federal races, not just for the general election, but in the primary races too. Overall, the association is pleased with the level of participation thus far and they are sure it will increase. The association has also started a similar program in Wyoming. They know this is a long-term process and they are in it for the long haul. They know that if credit unions don't vote, credit unions don't count!
Where will the "Political Spotlight" shine next? Please email us if you know an individual or group within the credit union movement who is engaged in the political process.
Take me back to the latest Election Watch headlines.
