CU Political Efforts Reached More People in 2002 Election Cycle; Variety of Programs Get More Members Involved

WASHINGTON-More than one-fifth of voters remembered receiving information about political candidates from their credit unions during the last election cycle (2001-2002). According to CUNA Political Affairs Vice President Richard Gose, a survey of 800 voters done the day after the elections revealed that 21% of respondents received campaign information from their credit unions. That is a huge jump from just 9% throughout the 2000 election cycle. While the Republican and Democratic Parties topped the list of voters receiving information from them with 55% and 52% respectively, credit unions ranked up there with AARP at 32% and beat out Consumers Union and Consumer Federation of America with 19% each. The identical numbers from the two consumer groups also could be significant, Gose said, because it can be inferred that the public does not distinguish between them. Another indicator of credit unions’ widespread involvement is that only 4.5% of CULAC’s funds were from individuals giving more than $200, Gose commented. He compared this to the auto dealers at 72% of contributors over $200, the trial lawyers at 17%, the National Association of Realtors at 13.6%, and the American Medical Association at 7%. “As we’re growing, we’re not just getting money from the same people over and over again,” CUNA Political Director Karen Kincer remarked. Even though money is important in Washington, numbers are even more essential. Gose explained the 4.5% of contributors over $200 demonstrates this considering the PAC record $3 million CULAC received in the 2002 cycle. He pointed to AARP, which has no PAC but millions of voters. Of that $3 million, $100,000 went to independent expenditures for the first time in CULAC’s history. CULAC spent $50,000 in Maine and Nevada on positive radio advertising for their candidates. Feedback from credit unions in those areas, according to Gose, was that they were reenergized to actually see-or in this case hear-what their money was going toward. The vast number of people politically involved in the credit union community is crucial when it comes to CUNA’s Hike the Hill program. In 2002, CUNA led a record 45 hikes for 37 state leagues comprised of more than 615 individuals, according to CUNA Grassroots Manager Gretchen Graf. During the month of September alone, she said, hikers participated in over 70 appointments with members of Congress or their staffs. Twelve Hike the Hills were already scheduled for 2003 as of Dec. 19, Graf added, with more continuously flowing in. Another important grassroots initiative is CUNA’s Project Differentiation, which is getting a few nips and tucks for the New Year. In an effort to aid legislative advocacy and increase participation, CUNA’s grassroots staff is working to introduce a simplified version of Project Differentiation. While the update is still in the very beginning developmental stages, CUNA said it would include anecdotal evidence, as well as cold, hard numbers, to support the assertion that credit unions are very different in their business philosophies than other financial services providers. CUNA Political Programs Director Pat Raymond described the new system as creating a “snapshot” of the credit union. “Those are the kind of stories that stick,” Richard Gose, CUNA’s vice president of political affairs, explained. While some states are very involved in the program, like Montana with a 75% completion rate, over the last few years since its introduction, only 1,100 credit unions have completed or are working on completing their statements. In addition to these other programs, CUNA unveiled Project Zip Code at its Governmental Affairs Conference in 2002. After redistricting was all certified, this year CUNA identified 20 million members for the program. Project Zip Code was designed as a database to be able to contact credit union members and show politicians the number of credit union members in their districts, among other things. Kincer said the variety of programs that CUNA offers, promotions, and the PAC are always “feeding on one another to have a constant stream of things going on.” However, Gose said “There is still a lot of [reluctance to get politically involved] out there. Some have stepped up: some out of necessity, some saying maybe this is the path to the future.” [email protected]