WEA-PACE at Work: Inside Candidate Endorsements

As absentee voting is scheduled to start July 2nd, the WEA-PACE Steering Committee met Monday morning to discuss WEA-PACE candidate endorsements. UniServ Directors have been coordinating with Wyoming Education Association members, WEA President Kathy Vetter, WEA President-Elect Grady Hutcherson, WEA Executive Director Ron Sniffin, and WEA Government Relations Director Tate Mullen to develop and train Candidate Interview Teams.

Members of the Candidate Interview Teams (CIT) interview candidates running for office in their respective house and senate districts. The interviews are conducted only after a candidate has completed a questionnaire that asks them in-depth education policy-related questions. After the questionnaire is completed and the Candidate Interview Team completes their interview process, a recommendation is made in terms of endorsement. All forms, including the original candidate questionnaire and the CIT Recommendation form, are collected and compiled by WEA’s Business Office staff who facilitate the entire process from start to finish.

The recommendations are then reviewed by members of the PACE team, including the Government Relations Director, President Vetter, and Executive Director Ron Sniffin. These recommendations are then presented to the WEA-PACE Steering Committee for endorsement. Tuesday, June 30th, the WEA-PACE Council will meet to finalize the endorsement process.

WEA-PACE endorsements are only made when candidates are found to be supportive of education policy issues. It is imperative that education-friendly candidates be elected to office to ensure the continued success of Wyoming’s education system. Given the fiscal emergency that the state is currently facing, now more than ever, the urgency to elect education-friendly candidates is at the forefront of WEA’s priorities.

Following the PACE-Council’s meeting on the 30th, WEA members will receive emails and a mailed postcard detailing WEA-PACE endorsed candidates .

However, this will not mark the end of the efforts of WEA-PACE. In select races, WEA-PACE will be reaching out to members and citizens in targeted districts to aide in get-out-the-vote efforts. It is only through a collective effort that a significant and important change can be made in the upcoming elections. If you are interested in volunteering for get-out-the-vote efforts, please contact the Government Relations Director Tate Mullen at tmullen@wyoea.org.