Voter Guide Educates Lawmakers

Bill Merrick

Two years ago, the Missouri state legislature had the largest freshman class ever due to mandatory term limits: 90 new representatives and 12 new senators.

Educating so many new legislators about credit unions was a daunting proposition, recalls Amy McLard, the Missouri Credit Union Association's vice president of public/legislative affairs. The league didn't want to wait for the 2002 fall elections to begin the process.

The answer? The day after the primary elections in August, the league sent surveys to each candidate running for state and federal office, asking about key credit union issues. McLard compiled the surveys into the Missouri Credit Union Association Voter's Guide, which the league inserted in its quarterly membership magazine and posted on its Web site in September of 2002.

"A lot of people don't understand credit unions," McLard explains. "This guide helped us make initial contact with legislators and begin the conversation about the impact credit unions have on people's lives, our cooperative structure, and our service philosophy. It also helped credit unions look at these folks and gauge whether they responded in a way that caused us concern."

The 2002 survey asked:

• Are you a credit union member?
• Have you or a family member served as a credit union volunteer?
• Would you support legislation lifting restrictions on who can join credit unions?
• Should there be size restrictions on credit unions?
• Should credit unions be allowed to make business loans?
• Would you support federal legislation requiring credit unions to pay federal income tax (federal candidates only)?
• Would you support state legislation requiring credit unions to pay additional state taxes (state candidates)?
• Would you support legislation to shorten the time required to expand fields of membership (state candidates)?

Although the questions will change, McLard plans to publish a new voter guide this year. "It's necessary to accurately gauge where you stand with candidates, especially if you're facing large turnover."