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How does the League make endorsements?
The SF League's endorsement process starts with the Political Education and Action Committee, AKA PEAC. PEAC is made up of volunteers who qualify as voting members, meaning they've donated some dough and volunteered for at least four hours in the previous 12 months. So here's how PEAC gets things rolling:
PEAC Members:
OK, that's all we've got for ya. If you have questions, you can contact ali@theleague.com.
1. PEAC meets to go over everything on the ballot and decide who's going to research what.
2. PEAC meets again to present research and vote on what endorsement to recommend for the general membership.
Once these endorsement recommendations are settled, it's time for the Endorsement Meeting, where PEAC members present their research and recommendations to the general League membership. We usually have a Q & A session and a chance for folks on both sides of an issue to make their case. If you've been to one of these, you've probably been blown away by the amount of wisdom in the room, and you've probably learned a lot.
Finally, WE VOTE! The Endorsement Meeting is open to anyone, but only voting members in good standing get to cast a ballot. Ballot initiative endorsements require a simple majority of the total number of voting members at the meeting, and IRV candidate races get hammered out by our resident math whizzes.
After that, our super fresh wordsmiths write up the endorsements and our reasons for them, our design posse makes the voter guide look beautiful, we raise the money to print it, and we hit the streets with the PISSED OFF VOTER GUIDE!!
PHEW. It's a really fun process and we'd love to have new folks jump in on the action. Hit us up if you want to help, and keep checking the website for updates on where we are in the process for the next election.
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If you're still reading this, chances are you're a nerd. Here are more details for those who want them:
You may have noticed a "Hell No" or a "Hell Yes" in a voter guide. Those require an initial 2/3 vote of PEAC and a simple majority at the Endorsement Meeting. PEAC has the power to add a "Hell" designation to the most important items on a particular ballot.
Early endorsements happen like this:
1. A member of the League's steering committee calls an early PEAC meeting to discuss a potential early endorsement.
2. PEAC researches the item and votes on it.
3. With a 2/3 majority of PEAC, an item can be brought to a general membership meeting.
4. If 2/3 of the general membership endorses the ballot item, it gets an early endorsement!
And finally, here's a recap of the roles that are important in the endorsement process:
PEAC Members:
- Qualify as a voting member (Give $ and volunteer 4 hours in the last 12 months)
- Commit to attending 2 PEAC meetings
- Commit to completing research on time
- Help plan, hype, and facilitate endorsement meeting
Voting members:
- Give $ in past 12 months ($10 for young/low income, $25 for everyone else OR donate your age!)
- Volunteer 4 hours in past 12 months (no voting based on promises for future volunteer time!)
- Elected officials abstain from voting, and paid campaign staff abstains from voting on the issue they're working on
OK, that's all we've got for ya. If you have questions, you can contact ali@theleague.com.
