Let's Hear It For AIDSVote!

This year's big C2EA effort aims to hold '06 candidates accountable on ending AIDS

VOTA: The original AIDSVote put candidates to the test in 2004

Well, C2EA's big 2006 initiative, AIDSVote, is well underway, with organizational forums happening throughout the country (like, recently, in a few sites in Illinois) and even on-the-street gathering of signatures on petitions to be delivered to candidates in crucial gubernatorial and congressional races this November...asking those candidates to pledge to doing all they can to ensure universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and services by 2010—if they're elected, that is!

But for those of who haven't heard of AIDSVote—perhaps because you weren't around for the pre-2004 elections version that formed a national coalition that led to C2EA—here's a little background: AIDSVote '06 is a candidate education and voter education project intended to:

1. Make sure all candidates for public office know what it takes to end AIDS and make sure their position on key issues are clear and public and
2. Make sure all voters who care about ending AIDS know where the candidates stand.

National C2EA working groups are currently putting together a standard C2EA/AIDSVote platform and candidate questionnaire that can be adapted to federal, state and local elections. They'll provide basic outreach materials, including signs, posters, and a "rally in a can" kit to help state groups raise the visibility of AIDS issues in this year's elections.

They'll also hold several national conference calls to explain how and why it'slegal—and important—for nonprofit groups to get involved in election-related issue advocacy.

But it will be up to state and local C2EA activists to choose which races to target, get individual and organizational backing for the C2EA/AIDSVote platform, adapt materials and questionnaires to local issues, work with candidates to complete surveys and get the results out to voters through town meetings, fliers, websites, emails and old-fashioned face-to-face street canvassing and discussions.

For more information on how you can get involved in AIDSVote, just e-mail us.