14 ▼ July 2 1 . I M S ▼ j u s t o u t
Coventry
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Had enough?
A “Postcards for the Masses” campaign urges voters to think
before they sign ballot initiative petitions
▼
by Inga Sorensen
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eople working towards a more equi
table and peaceful Oregon have a new
tool at their disposal: informational
postcards that “gently remind potential
voters [about] the basics of the peti
tioning process.”
“The goal of these postcards is to get people to
reflect upon what they sign and how that may
affect their co m m u n ity .” explains M arcy
Westerling, director and founder of the Rural
Organizing Project.
The project, which was formed in 1992 in
response to the contentious campaign over the
homophobic statewide Ballot Measure 9, has
helped organize more than 60 human rights groups
throughout small-town and rural Oregon. Many
o f those com m unities
have also faced local anti-
“
sexual-m inority in itia
tives. The Oregon Citi
zens Alliance, sponsor of
several of those measures,
hopes to place two more
such initiatives on the
November 19% statewide
ballot.
According to W est
erling, local activists gathered in June 1994 for a
“Wisdom Summit,” which was designed to give
them an opportunity to share their experiences
and ponder organizing strategies.
"People across Oregon said they were very
concerned about the negative impact these divi
sive campaigns were having on their communi
ties,” says Westerling. "They really wanted to
pull away from the negativity of it all and put an
end to the name-calling and the finger-pointing.”
Based on those very strong desires, local com
munities worked with the group to create the
Enough is Enough campaign, the philosophy of
which is based on the following core concepts:
signing petitions is an optional activity [but vot
ers] should think before they sign; racist, anti
abortion, anti-sexual-minority ballot measures are
divisive and do not address the true causes of
contemporary problems; communities work best
through fairness to everyone and awareness that
in our differences can be found our strengths.
The first phase of the Enough is Enough cam
paign. known as “Postcards for the Masses.” has
just gotten underway.
P
“There is a sense that the 1996 campaign is
going to be very nasty. What we hope to do is
lower the temperature and reframe the debate
over these issues. Instead of saying ‘bigots are
bad,’ we want people to step back and ask them
selves, ‘What do we value and care about here in
our community?’ ” says Westerling. “We came
up with the idea of these postcards and people
seem incredibly enthusiastic and positive about
it.”
The Rural Organizing Project is mass printing
standardized postcards that local groups can order
and distribute in the manner they deem best.
Westerling says groups could have postcard par
ties where they ask each guest to bring 10 ad
dresses; get past copies of “anti-people” petitions
from public archives
and send a card to
each signer; or ask
coalition members to
include the postcards
in their respective
new sletters. “The
ideas are endless,”
she says.
T he p ostcards
ask people if they are
“tired of neighbor-against-neighbor ballot mea
sures that don’t solve today’s problems.” They
call upon citizens to “decline to sign” anti-hu
man-rights petitions and to only sign those that
“you personally support and that address real
problems.”
“There is no loaded language in these cards.
They just remind people to take a moment and
think about signing a petition,” says Westerling.
“You can include a personal message like, ‘Hey
Joe, it was great seeing you at the Fourth of July
barbecue. By the way...’ ”
She adds, “This is a very nonthreatening way
for a person to reach out to a neighbor or a co
worker or a family member who may have sup
ported an anti-gay initiative.”
The cards are available in bulk with ROP
member group rates at 15 cards for $2,100 cards
for $ 12 or 500 cards for $50. Other organizations
can purchase 50 cards for $10, 100 cards $18 or
500 cards for $75. Cards may be purchased using
a sliding scale fee as well. For more information,
contact ROP at 543-3978 or write to PO Box 919,
Scappoose, OR 97056.
There is a sense that the
1996 campaign is going to be
very nasty. What we hope to
do is lower the temperature
and reframe the debate over
these issues. ”