Election Advocacy and the
HIV/AIDS Community
2012 Election Advocacy
HIV Med Access
Campaign
The Rules: Do’s and
Don’t’s
Our Goal
Two HIV/AIDS
Questions for
Congressional and
Presidential
Candidates
Messaging
Bird Dogging
Voter Mobilization
The HIV Med Access Campaign is a national project that:
seeks to reframe the national conversation around HIV/AIDS
treatment and care access, especially within the 2012 elections
engages advocates around a range of programs like Medicaid and
ADAP
advances HIV treatment expansion as critical to the nation’s
fiscal and public health goals
HIV Med Access Campaign
Partners
AIDS Foundation of Chicago – Midwest
• Pete Subkoviak, psubkoviak@aidschicago.org
• Sarah Sobel, sobel@ohioaidscoalition.org (Ohio contact)
AIDS United – Mid-Atlantic and South
• Caressa Cameron – ccameron@aiidsunited.org – Mid-Atlantic
• Charles Stephens cstephens@aidsunited.org - South
Latino Commission on AIDS – Latino community
• John Hellman, jhellman@latinoaids.org
Project Inform – Northwest
• Ryan Clary, rclary@projectinform.org
www.HIVHealthReform.org/HIVmedaccess
Rules for Election Advocacy
You, as an individual, can do or say anything you
want, on your own time and dime
If you are working in conjunction with a non-profit
(501 (c) 3) then all activities must be nonpartisan
• This includes all planning, coordination and resources used for
the project
• You cannot support or oppose a candidate or party
• You cannot endorse candidates, or provide in-kind or financial
support for candidates or political parties
• Your non-profit status is at stake!
Do’s and Don’ts
DO
• Encourage participation in the
civic process
• Educate your community on
ways to register and vote
• Remind them that they have a
voice
DON’T
• Wear or say anything that
promotes a candidate or party
• Tell voters who to vote for
• Connect voting with an issue
(don’t say: “vote for AIDS”)
• IMPORTANT: YOU CAN DO ALL
THIS ON YOUR OWN TIME AS A
PRIVATE CITIZEN
Do’s and Don’ts: Examples
Legal
• We support Bill 123 which
would increase funding for
ADAP
• Do you support Bill 123?
• You should sign up to vote –
here’s how
• Do you know where the
candidates stand on AIDS
issues?
Illegal
• Vote for AIDS in 2012
• Support Romney in 2012!
• Republicans suck, vote
Democrat!
• You should sign up to vote and
then vote for me
Our Goal
Our Goal
What’s at Stake
113th Congress: Jan. 2013 –Jan. 2015
Next Administration: Jan. 2013 – Jan. 2017
Ryan White
Program
reauthorization
Affordable Care
Act
implementation
Appropriations
under the
Budget Control
Act
National
HIV/AIDS Act
implementation
Possible
Supreme Court
vacancy
Our Goal
• Increase the awareness and importance of
HIV/AIDS in the 2012 election cycle by:
▫ Getting candidates on record on pressing
HIV/AIDS issues
▫ Getting media attention on HIV/AIDS issues
during the election season
Questions for Presidential and
Congressional Candidates
Question 1: Funding for HIV/AIDS
Programs
Over the past decade there has been a continual
commitment by the White House to prioritize HIV/AIDS
programs with President Bush’s President's Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief and President Obama’s National
HIV/AIDS Strategy. This resource commitment is paying
off. We believe that with strong and sustained
investment in HIV prevention and treatment we can
end the AIDS epidemic within our lifetime. As
president, would you continue prioritizing people with
and at risk of HIV/AIDS by protecting Medicare,
Medicaid, and other critical health programs?
HIV/AIDS Funding Facts
President George W. Bush started the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief or PEPFAR which increased
funds for HIV prevention and care
globally.
We are seeing a leveling off of new
infections and have had scientific
advances in new HIV prevention
technologies including– microbicides,
HIV vaccine, and pre-exposure
prophylaxis.
President Obama released the
National HIV/AIDS Strategy for ending
the AIDS Epidemic in the United
States, which aims to reduce new
infections and increase the number
of people in medical care at home
All presidential GOP candidates have
vowed to balance the budget by
focusing on cuts to federal spending,
which would greatly affect Medicare,
Medicaid, Ryan White, the CDC, the NIH
and other critical medical programs
Question 2: The ADAP Crisis
•
The AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) is a
public program that helps uninsured Americans pay for
their medications. Right now we have nearly 4,000
people on waiting lists across the United States, and
estimated 200,000 HIV-positive people in the U.S. who
do not have access to HIV medications at all. We know
that HIV-positive people who are on medication are
much more likely to be able to work and pay taxes and
are much less likely to need costly emergency medical
interventions. Those on medication are also 96% less
likely to transmit the virus, preventing more infections
and future medical costs. As president, will you
commit to fully-fund ADAP, a program that saves
American lives and taxpayer dollars?
ADAP Facts
The AIDS Drug Assistance Program is a federal and state funded program
that helps uninsured, low and middle income Americans pay for their
medications
Right now we have nearly 4,000 people on waiting lists across the United
States
Studies show that people who are on medication are much more likely to
maintain their health and be able to work, pay taxes and are much less
likely to need costly emergency medical interventions for their illness
Studies also show that people who are HIV-positive and on medication
are 96% less likely to transmit the virus to others
Other Questions to Ask
Do you support full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, which will
transform the fight against HIV/AIDS?
Will you commit to protect funding for Medicaid and Medicare, two
programs that are vital to people living with HIV?
HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects certain minority populations,
particularly African Americans, Latinos, youth and men who have sex with
men. What will you do to address these health disparities?
I’m uninsured, and have a pre-existing condition. In 2014 I will qualify for
Medicaid but I need coverage now. What should Congress do to help
people like me today?
Sending the Right Message………
Think….
What is my story? How does
it relate to the question
I’m asking?
How can I make this
question personal?
How can I make my
question memorable and
quotable?
HIVHealthReform.org/HCaccess
Use the
handy dandy
story
worksheet to
find out
Effective Messaging
Choose language that reduces complex issues into
manageable talking points
Point out problem, why it matters, and assign
responsibility for solving the problem to our
public leaders
Newsworthy
Humanize the message
Framing Your Message
What:
• information is included in the story and
what is not
Who:
• The frame shapes how the audience
views who is responsible for the
problem and the solution
How:
• Make it a personal
• short "sound bites" that reporters can
use
• Frame the question in a moral way so
they can’t say “no” without looking bad
Example: ADAP Messaging
Framing the ADAP Issue
• ADAP waiting lists for HIV medications
will cause people with HIV in the U.S.
to become needlessly sick and die
▫ Moral
• ADAP promotes jobs and employment
by keeping people with HIV healthy
enough to work and pay taxes
▫ Economic sense
Framing the ADAP Issue
• Results from a recent clinical trial
showed a 96% reduction in HIV
transmission by HIV-positive people
who initiated antiretroviral
therapy.
▫ Newsworthy, scientific breakthrough
• These results provide dramatic
evidence that access to HIV
treatment can play a significant
role in reducing HIV infections in
Iowa and nationwide.
▫ Community impact
HIVHealthReform.org/HIVMedAccess
Again, use
the handy
dandy story
worksheet to
plan and to
make it
personal!
Bird-Dogging:
Not as scary as it looks
What is Bird-Dogging?
• Bird-dogging is a tactic activists use to demand
answers from politicians in a public setting.
• Simply put, bird-dogging involves attending a
public event and asking politicians questions.
• This tactic can help bring media attention to your
issue and inspire elected officials to commit to
new policies.
Bird-Dogging Steps
1. Find an event
2. Gather some
friends
4. Get good seats
5. Get your hands
up first, fast, and
high
Get quoted
3. Make a plan
Get a handshake
(and a photo or
autograph)–and
an answer!
Finding an event
You can learn about upcoming
events by getting on the party or
candidate’s email lists.
Once you find an event, ask
the organizer for details—
when the doors open, if you
need tickets, and if there is a
question period.
Gather Friends
•Bringing along a few friends
who share in your cause and are
willing to ask questions will
strengthen not only your efforts,
but also your confidence.
•The more people, the more likely it is
that at least one of your questions will
get answered.
Make a Plan
Write your questions in advance!
•
Make it personal by sharing your own story—what has
inspired you to take on this cause?
•
Make a clear ask—if you have identified a problem,
what is the solution and how can this person enact
change?
•
Make it easy for them to say yes—it is a simple, moral
obligation.
•
Practice your questions with a friend who will act as
the politician or a devil’s advocate.
Get Good Seats
If you are in a group,
spread out—do not all sit
together.
Arrive early so you can
try to get a seat near
the front.
First, Fast, High
As soon as there is an
opportunity for
questions, get your
hand up first, fast and
high!
Get a Handshake
•Candidates often walk
through the crowd giving
handshakes. This provides additional
opportunity to engage in conversation, so get
in line!
•When you shake hands, ask your question.
You’ll only have a few seconds, so make it
quick and to the point.
•If you have the chance, get a picture or an
autograph to spend more time talking with
this politician.
Get Quoted
After the event,
talk to the press
to get them to
cover your
questions and the
politician’s
statements.
Prepare your
messaging ahead
of time.
Have different
people in your
group talk with
different people
in the media.
Keep your
messaging on
target and no
matter what a
reporter asks you,
redirect it to your
specific cause.
Remember…
Bird-dogging is not about attacking an elected official or
candidate. You will not make you or your cause look good if you
do that.
Before asking anything of a politician, make sure you research
his or her stance on the issue.
All that being said, elected officials work for us, and it is our
responsibility to ask for the change we want.
Follow Up
Introduce yourself to the elected official’s staff. Ask
for their business card and follow up with them after
the meeting about the issue you spoke about.
Be Persistent. Send an email. Make a phone call.
Schedule an in-person meeting with the elected
official.
Get Your People to Multiple Meetings. Create an
ongoing and unwavering presence in multiple
locations throughout the state
State and Regional Action Planning to
Mobilize Voters
Special thanks to Jessica Terlikowski and Charles Stephens
of AIDS United for the slides.
What IS Voter Mobilization?
Voter
registration
Voter
education
Get out the
vote effort
Tips for Successful Voter Mobilization
• Learn the rules
▫
▫
▫
▫
Go to your Secretary of State’s website
Voter registration deadlines
Submission requirements
Rules for people with criminal records
• Make a plan with realistic and attainable
goals including
▫ Number of people you want to register, get to
the polls
▫ Number of partners you plan to engage
• Assess internal/external resources:
▫
▫
▫
▫
Existing efforts
Staff & volunteers
Peer educators
Registration opportunities (intake, support
groups, health fairs, etc.)
Tips for Successful Voter Mobilization
• Get the materials you need
▫
▫
▫
▫
▫
Info on issues
Voter registration cards
Federal Election Commission
Your Secretary of State’s website
AIDS Vote http://www.c2ea.org/aidsvote
• Identify your target universe of to
register
▫ Clients, staff, volunteers, residents, etc.
▫ Who else?
• Go to where the people they are, but
start with your base
▫ Your agency
▫ Planning council meetings
▫ Community events
Tips for Successful Voter Mobilization
• Make it fun and easy
▫ Create a voter registration station at your agency
▫ Work with staff to integrate registration into encounters with clients
▫ Organize volunteers to register voters at agency/community events
▫ Identify registration captains
• Organize educational forums for staff, clients, board members, and volunteers
about key issues
• Notify your network of important dates through email, phone calls, and social
media
▫ Registration deadline and election day!
• Attend candidate forums and raise HIV/AIDS issues
Let’s Get Out the Vote!
• Organize carpools
▫ Use agency vehicles
▫ Collaborate with faith partners or
other organizations that are
organizing rides to the polls
• Get the word out
▫
▫
▫
▫
Phone calls
Fliers
Facebook
Twitter
• Cast YOUR vote!
Election Resources
HIVHealthReform.org/HIVMedAccess
Aidsunited.org
Wellstone.org
AFJ.org
Votesmart.org
HIV Med Access Campaign
Partners
AIDS Foundation of Chicago – Midwest
• Pete Subkoviak, psubkoviak@aidschicago.org
• Sarah Sobel, sobel@ohioaidscoalition.org (Ohio contact)
AIDS United – Mid-Atlantic and South
• Caressa Cameron – ccameron@aiidsunited.org – Mid-Atlantic
• Charles Stephens cstephens@aidsunited.org - South
Latino Commission on AIDS – Latino community
• John Hellman, jhellman@latinoaids.org
Project Inform – Northwest
• Ryan Clary, rclary@projectinform.org
www.HIVHealthReform.org/HIVmedaccess