SBWPC Protocol for Endorsement
I. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
a. Categories of Political Races. Political races that may be considered for endorsement shall be divided into the following categories:
i. Category A may include School Board and Special Districts within southern Santa Barbara County and other races as identified
ii. Category B may include Congress, State Senate, Assembly and County Supervisor. It may include Mayor and City Council Members, and candidates for county wide office (District Attorney, Sheriff, etc.)
iii. Category C are those considered for Re-Endorsement.
iv. Category D include Other Statewide or Federal Candidates
b. Ballots and Measures. Ballots and measures may be considered for endorsement
i. Local Ballot Measures: limited to ballot measures to be voted upon in any of the jurisdictions located within southern Santa Barbara County
ii. Statewide Measures.
c. Number of Seats to Be Endorsed. The SBWPC may endorse as many candidates as will appear on the ballot and can be voted upon in that electoral race as determined by the Elections Office.
i. SBWPC may not endorse any more candidates than there are seats to be filled and may choose to endorse fewer or none.
ii. Candidates for an electoral race may be endorsed in uncontested races.
iii. The SBWPC may also choose to oppose a candidate.
d. Races to Be Considered for Endorsement by the Elections and Appointments Committee. Annually or as often as necessary by election cycles, the Elections & Appointments (E&A) Committee will:
i. Create a preliminary list of races that will be considered for Endorsement and present to the SBWPC Board for review and approval. The list may change as circumstances warrant
ii. Determine a timeline for endorsement in specific races. Timelines may vary based on the level of interest in the race (i.e. Assembly/State Senate may have earlier deadline than School Board). SBWPC may also endorse candidates prior to the close of fling where sufficient information on candidates exists.
iii. Exceptions to the E&A process would require ⅔ vote of the E&A Committee present at a meeting, followed by ⅔ vote of approval by the board present to form a CAT of board members for special circumstances.
iv. Work with the Media Committee to promote the timeline on the website, newsletter, and in the media.
v. Establish Candidate Assessment Teams (CAT) for each office or ballot measure to be considered.
II. THE CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT TEAM (CAT) PROCESS
a. Questions. Elections & Appointments shall establish a list of questions that will be asked of all candidates running for any office for which SBWPC may consider an endorsement. These questions may be included in the initial questionnaire or included in the in-person interview.
b. Criteria to be considered for Endorsement. To be considered for Endorsement:
i. Candidates for State or Local office must have taken some specific public action demonstrating their intention to run for a specific such as publicly announcing their campaign, fling a Form 501 with the local fling officer of the jurisdiction (i.e. City Clerk, County Clerk), or publicly beginning their fundraising efforts.
ii. Candidates for Federal Office (U.S. House, Senate) must have filed a Statement of Candidacy (Form 2).
iii. Statewide & Local Elected ocials who have been endorsed in the past and have publicly announced their re-election eorts for the same oce may request consideration of re- endorsement at any time within (15) months of the election date. A CAT may be formed at any point after that to consider re-endorsement. The Board of Directors may vote to Re-Endorse any candidate for the same seat in the same electoral race at any Board Meeting.
c. Candidate Assessment Team (CAT) Process for Category A races
i. Candidate Assessment Team (CAT) of 3 or 5 people will be formed to assist in determining SBWPC's Endorsement in electoral races:
1. All CAT members serving will be impartial in their views of each candidate and will make decisions about the electoral race in the bestinterest of the SBWPC and its Mission.
2. Ideally, the CAT members live in the geographic location pertinent to the electoral race.
3. All CAT members must be members of the SBWPC. Each CAT will have at least one current Board Member.
4. All CAT members will comply with the current SBWPC Confict of Interest policies (see below), and shall not have endorsed a candidate, volunteered for, or given money to the campaign, be a spouse, be in an intimate relationship or be a family member of the candidate; nor served as a paid staff member or consultant to the campaign.
ii. The leader of the CAT must be experienced in having previously participated in one or more CATs.
iii. The leader of the CAT consults with the Chairs of E&A; reviews questions that
have been asked in prior years for the oce; gathers additional interview
questions specific to the electoral race under consideration and revises them as necessary. The CAT leader shall invite all SBWPC Board Members and E&A members to submit questions except those who have a conict of interest in the race. The CAT is not required to ask all questions submitted.
iv. The leader of the CAT submits the list of interview questions to the E&A Chairs. The E&A Chairs determine if the questions are appropriate for the electoral race.
v. The leader of the CAT will ensure that all candidates are asked the same questions and in the same format and as approved by the E&A Chairs.
vi. The leader of the CAT will contact all candidates who have indicated their intention to run for a specific office through public action of the type specified in
Section 2 of this protocol.
1. The CAT leader will inform the candidate about the SBWPC, its website, position papers, the endorsement process, and oer the initial written questionnaire.
2. The CAT will make every effort to provide the initial questionnaire at least 3 days prior to the deadline for submittal.
23. Contact may be made by telephone, email or mail using the contact information provided on a Form 501 or other alternative methods.
4. The CAT leader shall document at least 3 attempts through various methods to contact a non-responsive candidate.
vii. The leader of the CAT, or her designee, schedules the interviews with the candidates who are seeking the SBWPC Endorsement, and have returned the preliminary questionnaire prior to the established deadline.
viii. The CAT conducts in-person interviews with all the candidates that are seeking the SBWPC's Endorsement as indicated by return of the initial questionnaire.
1. All candidates for the same office should be interviewed within two 4 weeks of each other.
2. All candidates for the same office must be interviewed in the same format.
3. If it is clear from the responses to the initial questionnaire that the candidate does not share the values of the SBWPC, the leader of the CAT may seek an exemption from interviewing the candidate in consultation with E&A Chairs. Candidates eliminated from the endorsement process will be informed by the CAT leader.
ix. The CAT discusses the candidates' responses to the in-person interview questions and initial questionnaire. The CAT compiles a written report on the outcome of the interviews, a recommendation for or against Endorsement, and a recommendation for campaign funding if a candidate is endorsed by the board.
1. The verbal and written reports should summarize the responses from each candidate that was interviewed.
2. The verbal and written reports should summarize the salient issues of why a candidate was or was not recommended for Endorsement.
3. The leader of the CAT or her designee presents a verbal and written report to E&A.
4. The CAT report may only be discussed at the E&A Endorsement
Meeting until presented at the Board Endorsement Meeting. The CAT may discuss the information with the Chairs of E&A in order to inform presentation strategy or assist the CAT with questions that arise.
d. Candidate Assessment Team (CAT) Process for Category B races. The Candidate Assessment Team process for Category B shall mirror that outlined for local races with the following exception: Under extenuating circumstances the interview may be completed by video conference or similar technology that allows all members of the
CAT to participate.
e. Candidate Assessment Team (CAT) Process for Category C races. A Candidate Assessment Team for Category C shall mirror those for Categories A & B.
i. The CAT shall consist of 3 or 5 people to assist in determining SBWPC’s re-endorsement in electoral races.
ii. The CAT process for re-endorsement shall consist of an oral interview only.
The Standard Questions asked in Categories A & B through a written questionnaire shall not be used unless the candidate’s track record has called any of them into question.
iii. Re-endorsement shall be decided in the same manner as that of Categories A & B with the exception that the decision for re-endorsement may take place at any board meeting. Specically, the decision does not have to take place at a
Noticed Endorsement Meeting.
f. Candidate Assessment Team (CAT) Process for Category D Races. If the Board or E&A considers a candidate for election or re-election to a statewide oce of signicant interest, a CAT consisting of at least one E&A Member shall research the policies and positions of the candidate and any opponents in relation to the goals and objectives/policy papers of the SBWPC. The CAT will make a recommendation toE&A for consideration and presentation to the Board. A candidate or elected official’s prior support of SBWPC may be taken into consideration in such matters.
g. Local or State Ballot Measures. Local Ballot Proponents or Opponents or Board or E&A members may request endorsements. If an endorsement for or against a local ballot measure is requested; a CAT consisting of at least one E&A Member shall research the pros and cons of the measure as it relates to the goals and objectives/policy papers of the SBWPC, and make a recommendation to E&A for consideration and possible presentation to the SBWPC Board.
h. E&A Recommendation to the Board. E&A develops a recommendation for or against Endorsement in the electoral race and any campaign funding and/or asks the CAT to seek follow up information as directed by E&A. Once E&A makes a recommendation on endorsement to be presented to the SBWPC Board, the Chairs of E&A will coordinate with the leader of the CAT on the presentation to be made to the SBWPC Board. If the recommendation from E&A is dierent from the recommendation from the CAT, that information will be presented as well.
i. Board Vote on Endorsements. The Board votes on whether or not to endorse candidate(s) for an electoral race at a Noticed Endorsement Meeting for members. It determines if any follow up is needed with the candidate chosen for endorsement.
i. The CAT leader invites each interviewed candidate to attend the Noticed Endorsement Meeting.
ii. One of the Chairs of E&A, the leader of the CAT or other designee presents a verbal and written report to the SBWPC Board.
iii. The leader of the CAT or one of the Chairs of E&A communicates with all candidates about the outcome of the Membership Endorsement meeting within 24 hours of the vote of the Board of the SBWPC.
iv. The leader of the CAT informs the E&A Chairs, the Chair of Media and the President once communication with all candidates has taken place.
j. Rescission of Endorsement. The SBWPC may rescind its endorsement of a candidate with due cause and at any point in an election cycle. This policy is not intended as an opportunity to change the endorsement in a race from one candidate to another, but is intended to address new factual information that points to criminal behavior, significant ethical violations or immoral conduct.
k. The Process for Rescission of Endorsement
i. The Chairs of E&A will inform the Executive Committee of the need to consider rescission of the endorsement of a candidate.
ii. The Executive Committee will determine if consideration of rescission will be brought before the board for a vote
iii. Rescission of an endorsement will require a 2/3 vote of the eligible board members present either in person or through electronic devices.
iv. The Executive Committee of the Board may at its discretion call for an emergency meeting of the board to consider rescission of the endorsement of a candidate.
v. The decision to consider rescission of the endorsement of a candidate does not need to be at a Noticed Meeting.
III. NOTICED ENDORSEMENT MEETING FOR MEMBERS
a. Attendance at Endorsement Meeting. The SBWPC’s endorsement meeting will be open to members and candidates in the electoral race under consideration at the meeting.
b. Board Member Participation in the Board Endorsement Meeting through Electronic Devices. A board member may participate in the Board Endorsement Meeting via electronic device as long as she is able to hear and participate in the entire CAT report, public comment, and executive session.
i. It is the board member’s responsibility to arrange access to the meeting via electronic means and to advise the Chairs of E&A and the president of participation in the meeting in this manner.
ii. The condential nature of the information discussed at the endorsement meeting requires the board member to take sufficient steps to guard the confidentiality of the information and of those that participate in the meeting.
iii. A board member, who participates in the Board Endorsement Meeting via electronic device as indicated above, may vote by providing her vote to the Chairs of E&A.
c. Ballot. The Ballot for endorsement will include all candidates who have been considered for endorsement in an electoral race through the interview process. Those candidates whose consideration for endorsement ended with the review of the written questionnaire or who declined consideration will not appear on the SBWPC ballot.
The ballot will also include an option for no endorsement in each electoral race.
d. Voting. The voting and results of the SBWPC Board will be conducted in the executive session of the Board of Directors.
i. The endorsement will be based on the number of eligible board votes. To secure an endorsement, a candidate(s) must garner 2/3 of the eligible Board members in attendance at the Noticed Endorsement Meeting either in person or through electronic devices.
ii. The E&A Chairs will tally the votes and determine whether the organization will endorse in an electoral race.
iii. The Chairs of E&A will announce whether the vote rendered support, opposition or no endorsement for a candidate or measure.
iv. The tally of votes will not be disclosed by the E&A Chairs and will be kept confdential from everyone, including but not limited to other board members,members or the media.
v. Further, the results of the vote in an electoral race will not be disclosed to the Membership until all the candidates in the electoral race have been informed of the outcome by the leader of the CAT, E&A Chairs or the President of the organization.
vi. Eligible members of the Board vote on any funding considerations for the endorsed candidate's electoral race.
IV. STANDARD CRITERIA FOR ENDORSEMENT
a. Deal Breaker Issues. Ideally, a candidate would agree with all of the SBWPC’s position papers. However the organization recognizes that a candidate may not have sufficient knowledge or an opinion on all of SBWPC’s position issues. In addition, in an attempt to apply standard criteria to the endorsement process, the SBWPC board has given E&A direction and it has developed guidelines on those issues which the organization takes a strong stance.
b. The Use of “Deal Breaker” Issues by CATs. Candidates must understand and demonstrate support for the vision and Mission of SBWPC:
i. Vision Statement: To achieve a society based upon the feminist values of social, political and economic gender equality.
ii. Mission Statement: As a non-partisan political action committee, the Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee endorses the candidacies of women and men who support its positions and promote a feminist agenda. SBWPC is committed to taking social action against discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age or ability. To promote and fund these goals, SBWPC provides such events as Candidate Skills Workshops, Endorsement Meetings, Cosmopolitics, President Circle Luncheons, Community Outreach events and Educational Forums.
iii. For example, if a candidate doesn't understand the need for gender equality or support anti- discrimination of all kinds, we won't endorse her/him. SBWPC is looking for a strong commitment on the following umbrella issues:
1. Human Rights
2. Civil Rights
3. Equal Opportunity
iv. The above issues are the umbrella for all SBWPC position papers and values.
SBWPC has designated each position paper to fall under the following umbrella issues:
1. Anti-Racism
2. Childcare and Early Childhood Education
3. Crimes Against Women
4. Educational Equity
5. Environment
6. Equal Rights (ERA & CEDAW)
7. Gender Identity
8. Gun Violence
9. Healthcare
10. Housing
11. Immigration
12. International Peace and Security
13. Reproductive Justice
14. Sexual Orientation
15. Women in the Workplace
c. Vulnerability. This deals with any issues that might surface as a vulnerability for the campaign if it was publicly known. This question is best discussed in person and candidly with each candidate during the interview because the candidate may be reluctant to put a frank response in writing.
d. Viability. Ideally the candidate will demonstrate a campaign plan, budget, knowledge of the issues, and general sense of electability. Although this issue is strongly considered in the determination of the endorsement process, SBPWC will use its discretion to decide if it will deny endorsement based on this criterion.
e. Advocating Mentorship. Mentoring is an on-going relationship in which an experienced person (the mentor) assists a woman (the mentee) in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance the less-experienced person’s professional and personal growth. When asking candidates and electeds about mentorship, we are not necessarily asking them to mentor their future replacement, but a woman who might run for any office or seek an appointment. The following are among the mentor’s functions:
i. Teaches the mentee about the breadth of the role of a public official
ii. Coaches the mentee on particular skills and/or issues
iii. Creates a safe learning environment for taking risks and moving beyond her comfort zone
iv. Focuses on the mentee's total development
V. CONFLICT OF INTEREST STANDARDS
a. Intent. The Elections and Appointments Committee of the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee has determined that the development of standards regarding conflict of interest is necessary in order to maintain the integrity of the endorsement process and to give the organization’s membership, and the community at large, confidence in SBWPC’s evaluation of candidates and their platforms as they relate to SBWPC values and position papers. These confict of interest standards apply to the period of time prior to the board endorsement of candidates.
b. Applicability. Confict of interest standards apply to the following groups within SBWPC:
i. Candidate Assessment Team (CAT) Members
ii. The Chairs of the E&A Committee
iii. SBWPC Board President
iv. E&A Members
v. SBWPC Officers
vi. SBWPC Board Members
c. Conflict-Free CATs. The CAT for the race must be comprised of members who have
not acquired a conflict of interest.
d. Conflict of Interest Disclosure. A Chair of the E&A Committee shall ask attendees at each meeting that includes discussion of endorsements to self-declare any conflicts of interest.
i. Standard Governing Participation in Discussion/Voting. Below is an outline of
standards that has been established to determine if a person has acquired a conflict of interest in an electoral race:
ii. *SBWPC’s President, E&A Chairs and CAT members should avoid attending an event in which it could be perceived that there is a conflict of interest. This isnot to preclude attendance at events where more than one candidate is invited to speak.
Please speak with E&A Chairs about attendance at events.
iii. Once the SBWPC endorsement decisions are completed, all participants in the endorsement process are encouraged to take part in any campaign and/or election activities. The exception is that of the Board President. The Board President may not make any personal endorsements that are inconsistent with those made by the organization.
iv. All board members must disclose any personal endorsement or conflict of interest prior to the discussion of the race in which they have a conict ofinterest. All board members will have the right to participate in the discussion and cast a vote in the endorsement process for each election.
v. When the SBWPC Board does not endorse in the primary of an electoral race, it may consider endorsement in the general election. In that instance, the SBWPC will treat each election within a political race separately.