Greetings!

The YEO Network is working harder than ever to provide you with top notch resources and support- starting with the launch of our new web site- www.YEONetwork.org. You’ll find the site is easier to navigate, offers various sources of information, and provides a private and secure forum for YEOs to share policy, forums and discussion in our YEO Interactive component.

Our newsletter has also been upgraded. Thanks to all the YEOs that have provided suggestions and guidance to make it more email friendly and accessible. We encourage you to continue sharing your ideas so we can meet your needs.

The highlight of this year will be our YEO 2008 National Convening. We are traveling across the country to Little Rock, Arkansas where the William J. Clinton Presidential Library will host us: the largest gathering of young, progressive elected officials in the country! We are very excited about this year’s convening, which will have more policy sessions, skills building workshops and networking than ever before. For more information, visit www.YEONetwork.org.

Change is in the air, and young elected officials are on the front lines of progressive change. We wish you a wonderful year ahead and many successes

Yours in service,

Andrew D. Gillum
Tallahassee City Commissioner
YEO Network, Director

Political Dispute in the Hands
of the Supreme Court. Again.
Justices to Decide on Controversial Indiana Voter ID Law

Last month, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a challenge to Indiana’s highly controversial voter identification law, which requires voters to show a federal or state-issued photo ID to vote. Proponents of the law say it is intended to prevent voter fraud; opponents say such fraud at the polling place is virtually non-existent, and argue that the law will hurt minorities, the elderly, the disabled and students who may not have easy access to photo ID or the documents necessary to obtain photo ID. The Court will decide whether the state’s voter identification law unconstitutionally burdens the fundamental right to vote.

Indianans who do not have a driver’s license and cannot afford to pay for a state-issued ID are issued one for free, provided they have the necessary documents, such as a certified birth certificate. Opponents contend this amounts to a modern-day poll tax, in that people must pay for the necessary documents including up to $50 for a certified birth certificate, to obtain the proper ID.

[Read more]

Why I Joined the YEO Network
By Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan

I wanted to be a part of the YEO Network because I know how critical it is for progressive young elected officials to have a safe space to share ideas and sometimes even challenges.

I remember my most challenging moment in the legislature, when it was time to make my next step and I had no one to call. Who else would understand what it was like to be the youngest member of the legislature and have the courage to stand when no one else will? [Read More]

Why did you become an elected official?
Share your testimony with us and send to rsimon@pfaw.org.

Email Etiquette

There are many etiquette rules that can help you ensure that your emails are effective and not offensive. Below is a list of helpful email etiquette rules from www.emailreplies.com- a site dedicated to email etiquette and company email policy.

Most important email etiquette tips:

• Be concise and to the point.
• Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions.
• Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation.
• Make it personal.
• Use templates for frequently used responses.
• Answer swiftly.
• Do not attach unnecessary files.
• Do not overuse the high priority option.
• Do not write in CAPITALS.
• Don't leave out the message thread.
• Read the email before you send it.

[Read More]

Special Feature-

The Do's and Don'ts of Dealing with State Budget Crisis

YEO Network Strategic Partner, Progressive States Network, recently featured in their weekly "Statewide Dispatch" interesting research behind dealing with State Budget Crisis.

"The budget news is grim in some states. Twenty states face a combined budget shortfall of at least $35 billion for 2009, according to analysis by the Center on Budget Policy & Priorities. Another 8 states will likely have budget problems next year or the year after.

"The impulse by some state leaders is to slash state spending, but that could be disastrous for the economy if multiple states lay off state workers and cut-off help to those in need just as private spending is falling.

"In fact, the right kind of revenue increases may be just what is needed for economic recovery."
[Read More]

YEO Proves Showing Up is Half the Battle

The following editorial was written by Rep. Tom Nelson for Wisconsin’s Post-Crescent.

Why I did it: Going to work in Assembly seemed the right thing to do

Last week, I couldn’t get that nagging question out of my head: What do we need to do to finally pass a budget?

The budget was then 108 days overdue. We were the only state in the country that hadn’t passed a budget and resolution seemed as remote as ever.

I had just spoken with a college student, Tyler, who had left school to help out his family with their financial hardships. He reapplied and was accepted for spring semester but because of the budget impasse, he could not secure financial aid and may not attend.

And then it hit me. There are kids who can’t go to college because we won’t go to work. [Read More]

Getting Out the Youth Vote: What Works

Considering recent spikes in youth voter turn-out, the Millennials are proving that young voters are not a source to be ignored. The following information, from www.civicyouth.org, provides insight into what youth voter initiatives are most successful.

• Personalized and interactive contact counts. The most effective way of getting a new voter is the in-person door knock by a peer; the least effective is an automated phone call. Canvassing costs $11 to $14 per new vote, followed closely by phone banks at $10 to $25 per new vote. Robocalls mobilize so few voters that they cost $275 per new vote. (These costs are figured per vote that would not be cast without the mobilizing effort.)
• Begin with the basics. Telling a new voter where to vote, when to vote and how to use the voting machines increases turnout.
• In ethnic and immigrant communities, start young. Young voters in these communities are easier to reach, are more likely to speak English (cutting down translation costs), and are the most effective messengers within their communities.

[Read More]