Legislative news at the National and State levels, and specific news from our State Lobbyist and Legislative Trustee, plus Legislative links.

**ELECTIONS     ABATE     ELECTIONS     ABATE     ELECTIONS**

VOTER’S GUIDE
Our Voter’s Guide will only be as good as what goes in it.  The information we need to most completely compile such a guide will be collection of the collection of legislative survey information from each Chapter.  We are counting on each Chapter to pitch in and collect this information and forward it to me so it can be compiled.  We have not collected enough info yet to produce a meaningful guide so please get on top of that and gather the info needed and get it back to me.

ELECTIONS
There will be a Primary Election on September 5, 2006 and then the General Election on November 7, 2006.  It is important to note these dates.  The chance to get registered to vote closes well before election day.  If you have not already registered or updated your address if you have moved, it is too late to register to VOTE in the primary, that deadline was August 7th.  You can still get updated or registered now so you will be able to VOTE November 7th in the General Election, that deadline is October 10th.

There is a Supervisor of Elections office in each county, they can help you get registered and you can also sign up to receive an Absentee ballot.  This will allow you to VOTE in your own home and then mail it in or drop it off.  Each county will also have some places you could go in and VOTE early, prior to the election dates.  Either option is great for people who are busy and want to avoid crowds or standing in line on election day.

You can find out everything and more at the Department of State, Division of Elections site:            http://election.dos.state.fl.us/index.html

There is also a place there to look up where you can vote early:
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/pdf/2006_early_voting_sites.pdf

Occasionally I run into someone who does not think it is important to VOTE, or who thinks that their VOTE is insignificant or does not matter.  That could not be further from the truth.  In fact, failure to VOTE is an insult to every American who has sacrificed to gain and preserve your right to participate in our representative democracy.  Many people have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve your right to VOTE.  Honor the memory of those who paid the price for your right to VOTE and take the time to do it.  You need to be registered to VOTE to be able to participate, so if you are not, then you need to start today and take the time to get registered.

You can print an application to register to VOTE at:
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/regtovote/webappform.pdf

I have run into others who said they did not take the time to VOTE because they do not know who to vote for.  That is a poor excuse as well.  You either take the time to pay attention, investigate voting records, attend some candidate forums and debates, get your questions answered, or ask people you know or trust who are paying attention.

Throughout history, there have been some very critical issues that have been decided by a single vote.  Anyone in Florida, or even across the nation, saw how critical getting out to VOTE can be in the last Presidential election.  Members of ABATE know how important voting is as we have been on both the winning and losing side of a single VOTE making the difference about whether a bill passed or failed.  We have seen both a Senate and a House race decided by s slim margin of a mere 35 votes.  In each case, we had involved ourselves in the process of making sure someone who did not support us did not get elected.  It did not matter that we won by only 35 votes, we still won.  In races so close, there are generally recounts, but it is a fact and we have proven it – OUR VOTES DO COUNT AND THEY DO MATTER !.

If you are not registered to VOTE, you do not have to get hung up on which party to declare for.  If you do not register either Democrat or Republican, you vernally do not get to vote in any of the primaries.  It is not recommended that you only vote for candidates in the party you register for anyway.  We have seen some bad candidates who we Democrats, Republicans or whatever.  Register for whatever party you want and then VOTE for the best candidate.  I have personally changed my registration from one party to another simply so I could help a candidate get through a primary election.  Sometimes I have even done that to be able to VOTE against someone in a primary election.

It is imperative that motorcyclists in Florida gets out to VOTE to help make sure that any fresh faces who are elected to the Florida legislature already know who we are and what we want before they make it to Tallahassee.  This is the easiest time in the world for us to make new friends.  These people need votes to get elected.  People elected to office will already be a friend if we get involved and help them get elected. 

Elections means opportunity for motorcycle rights activists to more easily make new friends.  For recalcitrant bikers who have failed to join ABATE OF FLORIDA, you can still help us cash-in.  Make no mistake, we are going to need many more bikers among our ranks to continue to help fight off attacks on our Freedoms.  In newspapers across Florida and even throughout the nation, we have been continuously under assault as the safety Nazis seem to stay worried about us and want to change our helmet law.  Election years can open doors to us that were previously closed and the opportunities are endless.  We can help new friends get elected in the legislature and at the same time be able to help roust someone out of office who has not been good to motorcyclists and/or has not supported motorcycle-friendly legislation. 

Getting candidates elected to office requires varying levels of commitment.  The bare minimum means getting your behind to the polls and casting your VOTE.  If you want some assurance your candidate is going to win, then you also want to help.  This can mean making donations if you can and it does not have to be big money to help.  If all motorcyclists in Florida contributed $5.00 to the right gubernatorial candidate, we would be making a large and healthy investment to preserving our Freedom of Choice for the next four years.

To get more involved in helping make sure your candidate wins, you do not have to contribute money, you can help in the campaign process.  This can involve helping hold a barbeque or even walking door to door in your neighborhood with a candidate.  You can help make some calls or stuff some envelopes and help with some campaign mailings.  Helping put out campaign signs is another way to help.  Call up the candidate of your choice and ask them – how can I help?  Helping transport voters to the polls and or putting up campaign signs are also good ways to help.  It is volunteer work, so you can schedule it into what you are doing, whether you can only help a couple of hours or whether you can help a couple hours a week.  I have also helped by holding up campaign signs near election time and on election day.

Understand this – there was not legislation to reverse our Freedom of Choice legislation this past session in regard to helmets, but it was not because there was not the will.  The safety-crats knew we would turn up the heat in the legislature.  They obviously counted the votes and knew they could not win.  They did threaten to put forth a bill to require motorcyclists not wearing helmets to have to carry more insurance, but the Governor and cabinet sent them a plain message that it was a bad idea and was not going to happen.  It is important that we remain visible not just to Governor and legislature seats, those elected to the Cabinet positions are obviously important as well.

The very simplest way to help out during this election cycle is to be registered to VOTE and get out and VOTE.  We also enjoy an advantage over everyone else.  We are easily visible.  This means you can be a big help by simply attending candidate forums or debates in your community.  Take an hour or so whenever opportunities like this present, call some buddies and take a little time to go and simply be present at candidate forums and debates.  This is very helpful in pointing out that motorcyclists are out there and paying attention to what is going on.  In parentheses and understood, your presence at this type of function means that you are also going to get out and VOTE when the time comes  Even the stupidest of politicians will know you are a voter and will be going to the polls to either VOTE for them or VOTE against them.  Being visible is really very helpful and we are fortunate that most of us will not look like everyone else.  In almost all of these type functions, we have the upper hand in that we are simply very visible and the others all blend in with the crowd. 

When we get closer to November, be sure to tune in to an ABATE Chapter near you to get a copy of our voters guide in regard to motorcyclist issues.

SUPPORTING OUR MRO
Joining ABATE is a great way to support our SMRO but in addition to getting out to VOTE, being visible at candidate forums and debates is an easy way to help support our efforts.  There are other ways you can also help support ABATE.

ABATE OF FLORIDA, Inc.  Bike Week Campground
No, Freedom is still Not Free. 
Our ABATE OF FLORIDA campground is open for 10 days and this is our biggest fundraiser of the year.  I shared previously that we provide for a full-time lobbyist.  This costs money and combined with many other things we do is why our mission also includes involving ourselves in fundraising.  It takes a steady flow of the dead president greenbacks to help make our world go round.  Coming to camp at our Bike Week campground is another way to help support the State Motorcycle Rights (SMRO) in Florida.  Please pass the word around to anyone you know who is going to Bike Week in March.  Our campground is at the Volusia County Fairgrounds right off I-4 in Deland.  Gates open at noon on Friday March 2, 2007 and close at noon on Sunday March 11th.  Our general admission campground is $15.00 per day or $90.00 for all 10 days.  Members can earn a free night’s camping and a meal by working a six-hour shift to help out at the campground.  There are showers, food and other vendors and no reservation is necessary.  There are no hook-ups in that one but we have another RV campground that is adjacent that dos have hookups.  Reservations are required for the RV camping with hook-ups.  You can call the ABATE OF FLORIDA State Office for reservations and more information at  (386) 943-9610.   http://www.abateflorida.com/

“SPOOKS ‘N SCOOTS”
Our Chapters also have events to help raise funds for both local and statewide issues.  Our next meeting will be the second weekend in October and it will be hosted by the Hillsborough County Chapter.  In conjunction with the meeting, they also host our largest ABATE event put on by a Chapter, their famous annual “SPOOS “N SCOOTS” event.  This is hands-down one of the best events in the state, if you have never been before, check it out.  The party is a three-day event on the Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville and is the place to be October 13, 14 and 15.  The event is capped off by a memorial run commemorating the memory of Brothers & Sisters lost.  The gates open at noon Friday and close at noon on Sunday.  This is another way to help support ABATE and have a great time as well.   For more information, please call Richard at [813] 626-0589 or email patti.winter@gte.net.  The Hillsborough County Chapter also has web info http://hillsborough.abateflorida.com/

Thomas Paine was supposed to have said “Those that want to enjoy the taste of Freedom must be prepared to endure the task of maintaining it.”

That statement boils down to a simple one that is just as good but not quite as wordy:

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

I like to follow that up with the adage

It never has been, and it never will be