Document text
Focus campaigns on issues, commitments Sunday Dec 25, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Tonia Moro Like most of you who are reading this, I want a state legislature that works for everyone in our communities, not just a few who already have the most power and privilege. So I’d like to share a few lessons I learned running for the Oregon Senate. First, voters want facts, not personal attacks. I approved a TV ad about my opponent’s past record that had an overly negative tone. That was a mistake I would not repeat. At the same time, many voters expressed frustration that they couldn’t get enough factual information to compare the candidates. Regardless of which neighborhood I visited, going door to door, I found voters hungry for answers to questions such as the following: Given that a lot of campaign rhetoric sounds the same, what specific commitments was each candidate willing to make on the issues that will be before the legislature? What could each candidate’s past record in public life tell voters about what to expect from them in the future? Which candidate was receiving campaign money from those who had a financial interest in actions by the Legislature? I did my best to provide answers to those questions, and I hope all candidates will do so in the future. Factual comparisons are not “negative campaigning.” Factual comparisons are an essential ingredient for true democracy. Second, we need to find a way to provide comparative information to voters in a way that is less costly. As one man said to me in west Medford, “I figure my vote doesn’t matter because it is all bought and paid for by the same people who are ripping me off every day anyhow.” Before the next election, we need a broad-based discussion about more effective ways of informing voters than expensive TV ads and mailings. Should we have community forums devoted to one issue at a time so candidates would have the opportunity — and the obligation — to go into more depth? Should we hold more forums in neighborhoods, with childcare provided, so more voters can attend? Should we make it easier for voters to access footage from forums online? Third, I heard over and over that many residents tune out at election time because they are overloaded with media coverage about distractions that don’t relate to their daily lives and the future of their communities. Too many people are working hard but not taking home enough to pay their bills, or are living on fixed incomes they can’t stretch any further, or are struggling to make a small business or family farm work. Too many can’t find affordable housing, can’t pay for college, or can’t keep up with medical bills. As a woman I talked to in Ashland put it, “It’s like that saying: the harder I work, the behinder I get.” These are the problems on the minds of many voters, not candidates’ personal lives or “zingers” delivered during a debate or who is up or down in the polls by another point or two since last week. We could all take our cue from the hundreds of volunteers who spent countless hours going door to door, making phone calls, distributing yard signs, writing letters to the editor, and reaching their neighbors in other ways. They were motivated by wanting our region to be a place where young people can stay and grow, where seniors can thrive, where working families and small businesses can prosper, where all of us can enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us. They, and all Southern Oregonians, deserve elections that focus on the real issues and provide factual comparisons of candidates’ commitments, records, and sources of funding. It will take everyone involved, including candidates, the news media, and community organizations, to make that happen. Tonia Moro is an attorney in Medford and was recently a candidate for the Oregon Senate.