President of the Choice USA - Mills College Chapter, Erin Mowlds, organized her chapter around defeating California's Proposition 85 parental notification measure in the weeks before the November 7, 2006 election. The campaign was successful with a clear win for young women in the state.

 

05 Dec 2006

Mills College CUSA Chapter President shares story of campaign victory

President of the Choice USA - Mills College Chapter, Erin Mowlds (in the green No on 85 t-shirt), and other members of the Mills College Chapter during a Choice USA Voter Action Strategy Training (VAST).

"This past semester, fall 2006, the Choice USA chapter at Mills College focused solely on defeating Proposition 85. By bringing all of the club member’s ideas and past experiences together, we developed a strong campaign plan early in the semester.

Choice USA and the Campaign for Real Teen Safety helped us to develop a solid calendar and a focused "No on 85" strategy. Many of our club members had extensive experience with the "No on Prop 73" parental notification campaign from 2005 and many others had never worked with any other political organization. We brought together our experiences and ideas, along with the new campaign ideas developed by the Campaign for Real Teen Safety in order to develop our own unique Mills College campaign that included on and off campus events.

Thanks to the extensive trainings put on by Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (specifically Maya Ingram) and Choice USA (specifically Helene Lustan and Rebecca Wiegand) our group was able to develop a secure understanding of how to discuss Proposition 85 and understand its real world effects.

We worked hard on our own campaign and helped out when we could with the Campaign for Real Teen Safety. Our regular, weekly events included canvassing at a local farmer’s market every Saturday, tabling on-campus once a week at lunch, canvassing at a local BART station on Friday evenings, and successful merchant walks on Friday afternoons.

We also threw a "No on Prop 85" house party with help from the Campaign for Real Teen Safety where we raised money and got everyone on the same page about Proposition 85. In response to this very effective house party we gained many new members and renewed many pre-existing members who then began canvassing regularly with the rest of the group.

We also participated in some of the Campaign for Real Teen Safety’s events including precinct walks, rallies, and marches. Some club members went to other events such as phone banks separate from other club members.

This devotion, in my opinion, is what made the club an effective addition to the campaign. The entire club was very committed to this cause: most members wore their "No on Prop 85" t-shirts regularly and covered themselves and their bags, friends, and cars in buttons, stickers and signs.

On Election Day our campus was covered in that familiar green, No on Prop 85 campaign color. Devoted members met early on campus for quick breakfast pastries and then stormed the campus with stickers, flyers, and signs. We wrote on every lecture hall blackboard reminding our fellow students to "Vote No on Prop 85 Today!" and about their local polling places.

With every club member’s busy school and work schedules it was incredible how much time each member put into this campaign. I am very pleased to say that we helped with the campaign to defeat Proposition 85 and that we won! This victory has left the club feeling prepared and invigorated to take on the next challenge."

Erin is a graduate of Choice USA's 2005 National Gloria Steinem Leadership Institute and hosted a Voter Action Strategy Training on her campus in Fall 2006 in preparation for the "No on Prop 85 Campaign".