Speaking Out for the Benefit of Society

Living in a democracy such as ours is something that a lot of folks take for granted. I believe James Madison said it best when he claimed,“A feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government.” (24). The execution of our democratic experiment starts with us, the people. Without participation on a massive scale, the citizenry as a whole is not adequately represented. We must then ask ourselves, “If the masses are not well represented in our government, then who is?”

By and large, the best represented men and women in the United States are homeowners. How does this happen? Quite simply, they vote. Homeowners are taxed on the land they live on by the government. This is of great importance in a state like Texas, where property taxes are one of the government’s biggest sources of revenue. A lot of statewide and local elections deal with issues that affect property taxes, so homeowners feel the need to have influence in who represents them. This is why they exercise their right to vote in such large numbers. However, as a whole, the enfranchisement numbers are much less impressive. This is most evident at the municipal level, where voter turnout is especially low. In the Austin Texas mayoral election of 2009, 13.1 percent of the electorate showed up to the polls (58,610 of 447,287 registered voters) . There are some very important issues facing Austin that affect all of us and the future of this city. Transportation, education, and the local economy are just a few examples. The very bedrock of our democracy is threatened when such a small amount of people can control such important matters.

For this reason, I’ve decided to start an organization dedicated to getting out the vote in Austin. There are several organizations in the area that are attempting this, but clearly they are ineffective. Vote Austin would be dedicated to spreading awareness about upcoming elections, increase voter registration, and create awareness by objectively promoting the issues at hand. Creating a voter advocacy group would be no small undertaking. It would take a lot of personal discipline, organization, multimedia communication skills, and leadership. Going to college at the University of Texas at Austin can help me sharpen the skills I need to make my leadership vision happen.

Coming back to college is a great jumping off point for my leadership vision. First of all, I wouldn’t even know what one was if it wasn’t for the undergraduate studies course I’m currently taking. UGS 302 aids in promoting leadership opportunities through various lectures and programs at UT. Furthermore, correspondence is done mainly online. By using discussion boards, blogs, and website design I’ll learn some valuable new age communication skills that will serve my leadership vision well. Reading and writing are two other valuable attributes stressed in college. Being able to read and follow instructions is vital to success in the real world. It shows that you can take initiative and can figure things out for yourself. Also, being able to write effectively will be crucial for Vote Austin. It is very difficult to get a complex message across to a wide variety of people without the ability to write well. Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of writing. I would much rather take a multiple choice test, but it’s use is indispensible to the success of Vote Austin. Dass and Morgan believe, “we have to find tranquility even in the midst of trauma” (67).

One of my goals at college was to find this “tranquility” with subjects I’m not particularly fond of. Finding motivation to put forth effort for this can be difficult. There are a few science credits left that I’m not very enthusiastic about. One way to deal, according to Covey, is to , “begin with the end in mind.” because when you begin with the end in mind you, “know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” (98) . If I can visualize what I want my organization to be in the future, it can keep me focused on the present, and what I need to do to make it a reality (including doing well in “irrelevant” courses). Not to mention the objective of a university education is to become a well- rounded person, and sometimes that involves learning things that one wouldn’t seek out.

Being totally dedicated to being a well rounded person isn’t simple. In college, it’s easy to become career focused, and lose sight of the big picture. Having this “tunnel vision” approach to one’s classes isn’t productive. In fact, it can become stressful. I had this mind set when I was first attending the University of Texas. Psychology was my major of choice, but after I switched to undecided, I had great difficulty being successful. I decided to set a goal for myself when I returned to UT. Instead of being so career oriented, I would focus on enjoying all learning opportunities. It’s kind of an ongoing goal with no real timeline, but after subscribing to this theory of college experience I’ve been much more successful. In their essay “How Can I Help?” Dass and Morgan say that, “We don’t have to be “this” or “that”. We are simply free to be.” (267) How, then, can I use this liberating realization in meeting goals for the benefit of my leadership vision?

Another goal I have set for myself is raising my GPA to a 3.0. After my academic suspension, my grade point average was on life support. Since readmittance, through experiential learning and focusing just “being”, I have raised it more than a full point in one academic calendar year. I fully expect to have a 3.0 grade point average by the time I graduate in the fall of 2011. This is a good barometer for my leadership vision because it shows that I am dedicated to my future.

One more goal I have set is joining an organization at UT that endorses political participation. There are a lot of these on campus, UT republicans and UT democrats to name a few (maybe I will join both). This is a very simple goal that I can accomplish in the next few weeks. In joining a group such as this, it can further motivate me for my leadership vision by keeping me active in politics. It is also a good idea to surround yourself with like minded people that are passionate about the same things. Joseph Campbell speaks of this in “The Power of Myth”. He mentions finding one’s “bliss”, and “when you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors for you.” (253A) It would also be good experience for my leadership vision. In order to construct a political organization from the ground up, I first need to understand the structure of such an organization. It can answer such questions as: How do I get started? How do they get there message out to the public? What is the best way to approach people on such a potentially sensitive issue like politics? How do they attract new members? These are all pertinent questions for my future organization. Being a member of a student organization can aid me in developing the action plan for my leadership vision.
So how do I get started? The first goal I have for instituting my action plan is to form a mission statement. Before I can get begin, I’m going to formally scribe a list of principles that will define my leadership vision. This mission statement should clearly and succinctly identify the principles that will direct the organization and let prospective members and contributors know exactly what Vote Austin is about. Again, writing skills will be critical here. I feel that I can accomplish this after a year of being a political advocate on campus. The next logical step is to design a website to spread the message.
Launching a website is critical for my leadership vision to become a success. In today’s society, communication is easiest, more cost efficient, and more effective when done over the internet. It would be difficult to run a website while still in college, so I would hope to have Vote Austin’s website up and running in the next 2-2.5 years. Designing a website for my portfolio in UGS will help gain knowledge in this area. Another goal that needs to be set for the action plan is a membership goal.
Finding people that will volunteer their time is problematic. Hopefully, Vote Austin will have 10 volunteers within a 3 year time span. This is another instance where my experience in a student group will be beneficial. A college environment is very conducive to volunteering, and I should be able to network through some former associates to find some members for my organization. Also, once the website starts getting some traction, more people will come into the fold.
Once I have a few passionate volunteers under my belt, I would then focus on funding the organization. Within five years of Vote Austin’s inception, my goal is to have several hundred thousand dollars to invest in marketing and other expenses. There are several ways to solicit money from people. First, I would set up a donation link on the website (probably directly below the mission statement). President Obama’s ability to harnass the power of the internet for fundraising purposes helped catapult him to the White House. Another way, although not as effective, is hitting the pavement and asking for donations. Lots of grass roots organizations, such as Greenpeace and The Salvation Army, use this method to further their causes. Finally, I would solicit wealthy campaign contributors for donations. This way is a little trickier than the other two. It would involve filing for a Freedom of Information Act request for campaign contributors in municipal Austin elections. After obtaining the list, I would skip trace the names and see who I could find that would contribute to Vote Austin.

Once some funding is raised, it’s time to reinvest it back into my leadership vision. The first thing I would do is hire an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) company to improve the traffic on the Vote Austin website, and get us on the first page in the various search engines (google, yahoo, bing). Voter registration drives would also be a good way to spend the money. Vote Austin would sponsor dozens of voter registration drives, and hope to have an additional 10,000 people registered in Austin by 2015.

I have been passionate about politics my whole adult life. I chose it for my major, and I very well could make a career out of it. It seemed only natural that my leadership vision would reflect this. Improving voter participation is needed in today’s Austin. Our population is exploding, and we all have to find a way to live together. This is made much more difficult when a fraction of the population and special interests choose our leaders. Everybody deserves to have a voice, but sometimes it takes a little push to speak up. This is why I selected Vote Austin for my leadership vision. I guess one could say that I’m “Speaking up for the benefit of society”.




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