Advocacy

Advocacy Alchemy: Vote!

Let’s get this part out of the way right up front: CMLE does NOT care at all who you choose to vote for in an election. We believe that every single candidate, every single elected official, could be a library supporter and advocate. Our appeal knows no political boundaries, as all communities are improved with libraries – so everyone is better off with good libraries.

We hold regular Postcard Parties, to give you a chance to come together and send postcards to your own elected officials and stakeholders. We provide cool library facts on the front of postcards, and we will mail them for people. Attendees provide the content about issues important to them.

So talk to your candidates now about issues important to libraries. It helps us all if they can take office already knowing that the library community is strong, and has specific needs.

Funding is always a need for us! And have no shame about this!! Libraries return impressive investment rates to their communities, so don’t hesitate to say “Hey! We need money to be successful for our community!” Feel free to tell them it’s been ten years since the library systems in Minnesota received a funding increase – and we are not able to provide the support we should because of it.

What else could you tell a candidate about?

The Minnesota Library Association legislative committee has collected a bunch of great information for you. Browse through it all, or just start right here with a two-page document of our legislative platform.

The American Library Association also has information on all kinds of issues important to libraries. You can find more information right here:

And at the end of it all, you should GO VOTE!!

In Minnesota you can go right here to register.
Weird things are happening to voter registration rolls across the country, so you will want to double check to be SURE you are still registered! Go right here to see if you are registered. Don’t let some bozo, or processing error, keep you from voting!!

There are lots of good reasons to vote – we hope you are thinking through your own reasons you want to support candidates. While doing that, think about library issues! (It’s dumb to be a single-issue voter – this is complex world – so think about other things too. Just be sure you include libraries in that process!)

Express Yourself!

VOTE!!!!!!

Take a selfie!!

 

All CMLE members who send us photos to show you voted will receive a small prize from us!

In some states it’s illegal to take photos of your ballot. Why? I have no idea – this seems inane. But in Minnesota it’s legal – you just can’t show it to anyone at the polling place. We always recommend following the laws, even when they are kind of dumb.

So we aren’t asking for a ballot photo – that’s your own business. Just send a photo of your sticker, a selfie of you next to your polling place sign, or anything else that celebrates your vote!!

(Keep others out of your photos, unless they specifically know they are part of it please! That’s just always good manners.)