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Chapters of
Canada Family Action Coalition, along with numerous other
pro-active groups, worked together on developing voter's
guides for the November 1999 British Columbia Civic Elections
for schools boards and city councils. Resource packages
were produced and made available to various communities,
including information on how to conduct surveys of candidates
and produce the voter's guides. Eight communities distributed
the guides to an estimated 100,000 voters. One group covered
three separate school districts.
The most dramatic election
took place in Surrey, where the homosexual elementary
school books issue had gained national prominence. In
the weeks preceding the election, the local media and
activists ranted daily against the school board. When
the dust settled and the people had spoken, the six trustees
who support the traditional family were elected with a
resounding majority. The Surrey chapter of CFAC played
a part in this outcome by distributing guides throughout
the community and to nearly 200 religious institutions.
Voters' guides do not promote
any one candidate or party. And since each community is
different, each voters' guide was different. Questions
address the effects on community moral standards, traditional
family values and local issues. These are topics the media
usually ignores, but people are concerned about. Some
candidates chose to ignore the guides and were surprised
to find what effect a "DID NOT RESPOND" had
beside their name. Several guides sparked positive comment
from local media.
Everyone agrees that producing
a voters' guide is sheer chaos for several weeks, but
the outcomes are well worth the effort. All the communities
distributing voters' guides reported that traditional
candidates either gained a majority on the school boards
and city councils or saw an increase in voter support.
Many commented that the guides brought moral and family
value issues into the debates for the first time. They
also provided a great opportunity to introduce churches
to a mechanism for promoting moral values in politics,
while remaining non-partisan. Now that the troops have
their feet wet, they are anxious to tackle a provincial
election.
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