MY RUN FOR OFFICE: AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME

Chart, Jan/Feb 2004 by Ennen, Kathy

The "week that wins the day" occurs immediately prior to the general election day. These seven days are the culmination of many months of work combined into an intense 128 hours to "get out the vote" [GOTV]. Walking door-to-door in targeted precincts like one particular 300 mobile home court, leafleting two small communities in a cold November downpour, phone banks in operation every day, concentrating advertising dollars on television and radio spots like my TV ad during The Oprah Winfrey Show and The CBS Sunday Morning News Show, and sending individual voter mail pieces to arrive every day were just some of the efforts we made this week. Yard signs were placed at every precinct polling place [over 64 in the 103rd District] Monday evening. Doorknob Election Day reminders were placed Tuesday between the hours of midnight and 5:00am in targeted precincts reminding voters their vote is critical to a win. We had four drivers getting the elderly and disabled voters to the polls in the cold rain and sleet that started early on Election Day and then later turned to snow mixed with freezing rain and sleet. Baby-sitters were working in homes so Moms and Dads could leave to vote. Then we waited as precinct vote counts came in for six hours after the polls closed. Long night, long year.

It is said that nurse candidates must not waste campaign experience. So, when I lost this election I [and part of my team] went back to work in less than three weeks. Over Thanksgiving weekend we were again getting petition signatures, this time for my run for an at-large seat on the Champaign City Council in the April 1999 election. I won a four-year term and last April I was reelected garnering the most votes of the six council candidates. My work on the INA-PAC Board of Trustees to improve our fund raising and candidate donation tactics is a direct result of my own experience. I also take my experiences to the classroom to educate both students and my RN colleagues about the campaign process in hope that one day a nurse will serve in Springfield. Maybe one of you!

References

Ennen, K. A. (2001). Shaping the future of practice through political activity. AAOHN Journal 42(12), pp. 557-570.

Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2002).

Policy & Politics In Nursing And Health Care (4th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders.

By Kathy Ennen, MS, RN