Dear Group,
Does the whole political process seem opaque to you, hopelessly complicated? Do you know someone you think might have the stuff it takes to make a real difference in an elected office? Have you ever toyed with the idea yourself, but you couldn’t imagine where to start?
We have municipal elections coming up in August and November all over the State of Washington. It’s not too late (or too early) to start paying attention either as a voter or as a potential candidate. Candidacies don’t just happen the week before the election, it takes preparation and understanding of the process.
I want to introduce you to a group with which I became acquainted at the Women’s March (these rallies offer great information and networking besides building enthusiasm). EmergeAmerica.org is a national organization offering interested Democratic women a manageable boot camp educational experience in the nuts and bolts of running for office. Best of all, Washington State already has an affiliate up and running, ww.www.EmergeWA.org. Click on that link and explore a bit. There are programs statewide with courses and real people engaged on this side of the mountains. The full program starts in January and goes through May, for those that might want to apply for next year’s election cohort. Last year’s Emerge cohort included Jessa Lewis and Kay Murano, who both ran good races last year. It also included Tabitha Wolf, who has just filed to run for Spokane City Council in District 1 this year.
Interested in running for office in the municipal elections this fall? There is an intensive “boot camp.” This spring the east side boot camp is held at Reid Campus Center at Whitman College in Walla Walla the weekend of April 23rd to 26th. Here is an email quote from one of last year’s participants: “The bootcamp is intensive, and crams as much information as possible into a long weekend. I learned a lot, and expect to learn that much more in the full program. Emerge does a good job of helping to build a strong network. It’s treated as a sisterhood of sorts, and I see relationship building as an added advantage of the longer program in particular.”
Curious? For more information contact Karen at karen@emergewa.org. or Alyson (my eastern WA contact with this organization and a recent graduate) at organizingbadass@gmail.com.
It’s time to get off the sidelines. Emerge offers a route through a major impediment: the perception that it’s all too complicated. It is time to take back our country, starting locally…
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry