PRESS RELEASES AND OTHER MEDIA INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLIC MATTERS APPEAR BELOW: . Listen in on July 12, 2006 press conference .
New statewide initiative harnesses technology to inform voters about 2006 elections Initiative combines technology and voter education Audio from Media Event Below May 22, 2006
The public interest organizations have joined forces to sponsor a series of technology-based candidate forums through which statewide candidates in the 2006 general election will present their platforms on issues ranging from education and the environment to good government. Created by the Florida Public Interest Foundation, the initiative is called “Public Matters”. It reflects a first-in-the-nation approach that will allow candidates to present their platforms on a series of issues while giving voters the broadest access to important election information. “This is a unique opportunity to combine technology with voter education,” said Marcia Elder, chair of the Foundation. “It will enable the public to have access like never before to what the candidates stand for’’ she added. The non-partisan forums will allow candidates for statewide office to speak on a variety of topics of vital importance to
With no other pre-primary statewide forums scheduled, Public Matters will allow voters to hear statewide candidates present their platforms prior to the September primary election. “This is a tremendous opportunity to reach out to voters all across the state” said Marilyn Wills, vice president of the League of Women Voters of Florida. “It will make the process of getting more informed fast, easy and convenient”, she added. “Not only will it better inform the public about the candidates, it will also raise awareness about important issues for
The forums will “air” live statewide, through the convenience of any land line or cellular phone. Immediately following the live events, each will also be made available through “on-demand replays” with easy, ongoing 24/7 access via phone and the Internet. Mp3/iPod downloads will be made available along with the option for podcasts. Technology experts will provide related services and the Foundation has been granted rights to use of these Patent Pending technology applications. ____________________________________________________________________ CLICK ARROWS (below) TO HEAR REMARKS FROM LEAD PRESENTERS, MAY 22 PRESS CONFERENCE. Hear entire event, including dditional presentations and press discussion, at www.ForThePublic.net (under Candidate Forums). Marcia Elder, Chair, Florida Public Interest Foundation Tom Pelham, Vice President, Florida Public Interest Foundation
REMARKS FOR MEDIA CONFERENCE
FLORIDA PUBLIC INTEREST FOUNDATION, INC. PUBLIC MATTERS INITIATIVE May 22, 2006
Marcia Elder, Foundation Chair
Good morning and thank you for being with us today. My name is Marcia Elder and I serve as Chair of the Florida Public Interest Foundation, sponsor of the Public Matters initiative.
With us are two esteemed co-sponsors: the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause of Florida who we’re delighted have joined as partners in this exciting endeavor.
We’ll introduce the other representatives in a moment … but first: Why are we all so excited about the subject of this event?
Because it is a first-ever initiative to widely reach voters throughout this state (and any state) about the important subject of electing the state’s leaders -- and in a way uniquely responsive to the needs of those voters.
Both the methods and breadth of public outreach through this new public service are beyond compare. So much so that the methods are Patent Pending, and our organization has been granted the rights to their use.
So what are these methods? They have an overall theme and several major elements. The theme is “innovation through technology”. The technologies, and our uses of them, are:
Through our unique use of these and still other technologies, members of the public will be able to join the candidate forums that we are sponsoring with candidates for statewide office – live by phone from wherever they are. The only requirement? Something that most people have, or have access to: a phone. Whether land line or cellular, that’s it.
And that’s not all. Also very new and different is that this voter awareness service will feature “on-demand replays”.
So what does that mean? It means that at the press of a button – whether on a computer or phone -- they can listen to what was the live event 24/7 … so it’s available whenever suits them – be it at home, work, riding in a car, working out at the gym, or wherever, and whenever (whatever time of day they want).
So just after we go live with the candidates, the forums will be posted on the Internet, under ForThePublic.net, and on our bank of telephone lines, for ongoing public access.
That’s powerful information technology, providing maximum access by all people across this state.
And speaking of access – and innovation -- for members of the media who can’t be in And for those broadcasters among you, or others who want a recap, you can go to our site – that’s www.ForThePublic.net – to hear these and other remarks about Public Matters, plus updates in the coming weeks and months.
As yet another part of the initiative, we will poll the public on what questions they want to ask of the candidates, so that public input can and will be used in helping to develop the questions that candidates will be asked to address.
Here to tell you more about this landmark initiative is Tom Pelham, Vice President of the Florida Public Interest Foundation.
Tom Pelham, Foundation Vice President Good morning and thank you.
As you can tell from our presentation thus far, this service is truly unique, cutting edge and high impact.
And I’d like to tell you about several additional elements of it.
First, our schedule. The initial forums will take place in the time frame of end of July to early August. And with no other pre-primary statewide forums scheduled, “Public Matters” will allow voters to hear the statewide candidates present their platforms prior to the September Primary election.
I said “initial” forums in that it is our hope to also sponsor a second round of forums prior to the General Election. We have the will and the way – and our ability to do a Part II to the initiative hinges on charitable contributions which we are inviting from individuals and organizations who wish to support an informed democracy.
Further information about that is available through our Web site at www.ForThePublic.net.
Next, we have chosen three general topics to serve as the focus for the pre-Primary forum questions. They include Good Government, Education, and Growth & the Environment. We have chosen these because each one so greatly affects the Relevance of the Growth topic, as one example, is evidenced by the fact that over 1,000 new people move to
We at the Foundation are delighted that the League of Women Voters and Common Cause have joined with us in this effort, and it is my pleasure to introduce their representatives who you will hear from in a moment. They include:
In addition, we have invited a team of highly qualified Project Advisors to participate with us, whose names you will find in your packet.
And it is also a pleasure to welcome one of them here today: Dominic Calabro, Executive Director of And we now turn the program to Marilyn Wills, First Vice President, League of Women Voters of Florida. Marilyn Wills, Vice President, LWVF
The League of Women Voters, both in Elections are about choosing individuals to vote and govern on our behalf. As such, they affect all citizens and all aspects of our quality of life.
The Public Matters initiative focuses on informing the electorate, public access, and public participation. We are pleased to be a part of this initiative.
These are, as the title suggests, “public matters” of great importance to the future of our state.
We will be encouraging Florida League Members to spread the word about the availability of these forums, and we invite all organizations- non-profits, business, educational, etc. to do the same. Get a group together for these candidate forums; have some discussions about the offices, the candidates, and the issues.
Just place the phone on Speaker phone – or the computers on speaker mode – A whole roomful of people will be able to participate. Whether in homes, schools, offices or Town Hall meetings, the forums can then expand the learning process even further and, indeed, stimulate the kind of civic involvement that we believe is so critical to the well being of our democracy.
In this and other ways, the technologies that the Public Interest Foundation is utilizing will enable voters to be involved in a way that is unprecedented. Our three organizations are nonpartisan in nature and do not endorse or promote any candidates. Our goal is one of voter education and broad access for people of all income levels, education levels, ideologies, and interests.
An informed voter is an empowered voter. Better decisions are made by those who are informed.
In that spirit of learning, we have also chosen Education as one of the topics to be addressed through the forums; we believe that our children are our future.
And, now, I am pleased to now turn the podium over to Ben Wilcox, Executive Director of our partner organization, Common Cause. Carol Smith,
I have the pleasure of being here as a past coordinator of regional and statewide candidate forums and debates hosted/sponsored by the League of Women Voters over many years.
I’ve seen first hand how important such events are.
And the League of Women Voters is proud to now be a cosponsor of this innovative and unique way of reaching voters with information on issues and candidates.
As Marilyn has noted, informed voters are vital to a democratic society. We as the public must understand the issues and the in-depth positions of various candidates in order to make the best decisions for our state and our nation.
We can no longer rely on sound-bites to base such important decisions on.
Civic involvement is the cornerstone of our democracy. These technology-based events provide a new and powerful dimension to the process of voter awareness and involvement.
Their broad accessibility will reach the millions of residents throughout For now, we commend both the innovation and civic support reflected in the Public Matters initiative. NOTE: See separate handout for Common Cause of
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Click first button at left to hear July 12, 2006 Press Conference. See Press Release below.
PUBLIC MATTERS Informing & Empowering the Public ________________________________________ For Immediate Release July 12, 2006 Public Polling Begins, Candidate Forum Dates Announced, Campaign Spending & Voter Apathy Addressed
Statewide candidate forums – with unprecedented access by the statewide public – will feature candidates for statewide office in
Candidates will have the opportunity to present their platforms far and wide at no cost, a plus in an era of dramatic spending on political campaigns. Announced details of the forums come on the heels of a reported $27 million spent by one candidate in a city race for public office. Spearheaded by the Florida Public Interest Foundation, the initiative is called “Public Matters”. It is being co-sponsored by election experts, the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause of Florida.
Sponsoring organizations have a shared concern about low voter turnout in elections and the prevalence of voter apathy. “This is a way to inform and empower voters like never before”, says Foundation Chair and Public Matters Director, Marcia Elder.
It involves a first in the nation approach to informing voters about candidates, public offices and issues affecting the public. The approach uses innovative technologies to make information access fast, easy and convenient. It includes:
· Forums by phone, live to the public statewide.
· On demand replays of the forums whereby voters can listen at their convenience by phone or through the Internet.
· Mp3 and iPod downloads for listening on the go. · Online polling to find out what voters want to know.
It's the ultimate win-win”, says Elder. Voters can learn about candidates in a fast, easy and convenient way, and candidates can spread their message far and wide at no cost. Voters can also gain a much better understanding of their government and the roles and responsibilities of state leaders who they elect. A goal of the initiative is to educate the public about the public offices and how they affect the public. Decisions of each of these offices affect everyday lives.
Public Matters is also aimed at drawing attention to issues of the day. “Its focus is on issues that affect people's everyday lives”, Elder added. “You can't find out much about how a candidate feels or will act on an issue or need based on a 30 second ad”, she notes. Initiative leaders see Public Matters as an ideal supplement to help voters make conscious choices based on substance rather than superficial impressions.
A series of pre-Primary forums will be held beginning in early August. Those scheduled at this time include: All candidates have accepted the invitations to participate in the above forums. Schedules are being finalized for the other races and events.
Scheduling and access information is being posted on the Web site for the initiative: www.ThePublicMatters.Net. The site also features a range of other information, from candidate backgrounds and the duties that public officers are charged with to voter registration and precinct information to audio briefings on the project and technology highlights. “The forums will inform and empower voters in their choice of future leaders... individuals who will in turn affect their future”, Elder concludes. The initiative is strictly non-partisan in nature and the forums will follow strict guidelines for objectivity and fair and equal treatment of all candidates.
A Media Room has been established on the Web site for future updates on the initiative. As a further innovation and media service, a media tele-event has been scheduled for today at 1:30 PM for those unable to attend or who have additional questions. It will include technology and public involvement demos To participate, just call 1-347-534-1700 and enter access code 7012.
Patent pending technology services are being used to support the project, with technology rights granted to the Foundation. #
CONTACT: Marcia Elder, 997-2837, 251-0760, forthepublic@earthlink.net
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PUBLIC MATTERS
Informing & Empowering the Public
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For Immediate Release August 1, 2006
FL Candidate Forums Via Innovative Technology Set
Polling Underway on Public Concerns
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Candidate forums get underway next week by phone and the Internet. Initial forums – with all candidates confirmed – include:
Members of the public may take part live by phone. Just after the live events, “on demand replays” will be available by phone and by the Internet. The replays will be accessible 24/7 until the general election. Mp3 and iPod downloads will also be available. Floridians can help shape the questions of candidates by responding to an on-line poll at www.ThePublicMatters.net . The initial focus is on several major issues that broadly affect the public: Growth and the Environment, Education and Government. Spearheaded by the Florida Public Interest Foundation, the initiative is being co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Florida and Common Cause of Florida. Among other supporters, the Florida Education Association, the Florida School Boards Association and Campus Compact are co-sponsors of the Education component and a special Youth Initiative to take the programs into the classrooms of high schools, colleges and universities.
“We’re promoting an informed democracy while at the same time offering a way to reduce spiraling campaign costs and combat voter apathy”, says Marcia Elder, Chair of the Florida Public Interest Foundation and originator of the Public Matters service.
The service’s cutting edge approach is aimed at informing voters about candidates for public office, the public offices at stake and issues affecting the public. Elder adds, “the technologies we’re using make information access fast, easy and convenient”.
Carol Smith of the League of Women Voters of Florida comments, “the forums will provide unprecedented public access to vital voter information”.
Details about the forums and other aspects of Public Matters may be found at www.ThePublicMatters.net .
The Florida Public Interest Foundation sponsors statewide educational programs for the public and capacity building services for nonprofit organizations. The Foundation extends appreciation to the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation for support of its Growth In Florida educational programming. Further information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.ForThePublic.net or forthepublic@earthlink.net .
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PUBLIC MATTERS
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For Immediate Release August 3, 2006 Statewide Candidate Techno-Forums … More News
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Further information is available at www.ThePublicMatters.net , including the on-line poll for public input on questions of the candidates. FL Public Interest Foundation.
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