By Adam Pagnucco.
And now the most influential MoCo endorsement. All comments come from sources except for those appearing under my name. (See Part One for methodology.)
1. Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) (73 votes, including 28 first-place votes)
The 800 lb gorilla of Montgomery County clearly matters most.
The Big Apple – the school system’s reputation for quality has been (somewhat deservedly) tarnished over the past several years but as far as candidates are concerned being pro-education is still a winner – and even though the Apple Ballot has as much to do with what’s good for teachers in their capacity as union members (i.e., wages and benefits, job protections, etc.) as it does with what’s good for the kids and their education there’s no real alternative way for voters to evaluate whether a candidate is pro-education.
Name recognition, they spend money and recruit tons of volunteers – all at a scale no other advocacy org comes close to. The smaller the race the bigger their impact can be.
Just look at the growth of the MCPS budget to see their success year after year. This is an “education comes first at all costs” county electorate. Clearly, the Apple Ballot – that they invented and has become a national symbol – is the most important motivator of voters.
Everyone who has worked at a polling place has met the voter who pushes away all other lit in favor of the vaulted Apple Ballot. However, it’s not clear if that will always be true with an older electorate and some evidence of waning participation from MCEA at the polls.
The teachers’ endorsement still holds significant sway. They have their detractors, and it is possible to overcome not getting their endorsement, but they are still the 800 lb gorilla. Most voters in the county either have a student in the system or know a student. And whatever you think of the system, everyone likes teachers… The distance between 1st place and 2nd place is the distance between the earth and the sun, so in no way does #2-#5 measure even close.
MCEA is influential, but may be less so with the advent of vote by mail. The teachers union had a huge advantage since their members always have election day off, creating a vast army of people to hand out ballots at the polls. Election day now accounts for a minority of voters.
At this point I think it’s Apple Ballot with no other meaningful candidates.
Going with a single endorser – the Apple Ballot! It shouldn’t but it does.
Very powerful endorsement – carries the weight of educators, parents and voters who care about public schools and funding. Their endorsement comes with boots on the ground, which is critical in a countywide race.
I feel like anything other than MCEA is mostly irrelevant which is why I didn’t respond initially. The endorsement itself has immense value but more so is the person power to be at nearly every voting location and handing out their cards. No one else comes close and from my experience, voters in MoCo primarily fall into two categories: 1) follow the Apple Ballot no matter what 2) do their own research and don’t rely on endorsements.
Because they actually do the work and hand out thousands of those red apples sample ballots… there’s a gazillion voting seniors in the county and that’s what they trust.
I’m hardly impartial on this question, but I bet others will agree that the further down the ballot you go, the more weight the Apple Ballot carries. Nobody else comes close. And even in statewide races, the teachers’ union is still a major player in swaying voter opinion. That’s because educators are a trusted voice in their communities, they vote, and they pool their resources to make sure their recommendations reach voters.
Is there really any other endorser in the county at this level?
The teachers union is still on the top of the pack in the Democratic Primary. Not having their endorsement can be fatal.
For many reasons: the Apple Ballot that you can see from a football field away; MCEA gives a nice check to the candidate they are endorsing (of course, this does not apply to public financing candidates); MCEA does a good job of covering polling places on Election Day; MCEA often sends out a mailer noting which candidates it supports. No other organizational endorsement does all of that.
I know their endorsements may not be as powerful as they once were; however, I have been at polls electioneering since I was 8 years old, and as always, the Apple Ballot is the ONLY election material that people will come up and specifically ask for (this happened may times during last year’s election). If people know enough about an endorsement lit to request it, you know it holds power!
The other orgs that endorse may sway their stakeholders but not the general public the way the Apple Ballot does.
The county’s teacher’s union is a very influential endorser, particularly in Board of Education and other county-level races. The union announces its “Apple Ballot” endorsements ahead of elections.
They are still the top tier endorsement in Montgomery County. Even though their track record in open seats/contested races has slipped, they have one of the biggest purses and hundreds of members ready to show up and work polls. The Apple Ballot is the most recognizable piece of campaign lit and will be for the time being. Politicians are afraid of them – look at the lack of consequences for their outbursts during recent budget debates – and that fear brings everyone out pining for their support.
Still the organizational powerhouse w/ the Apple ballot. For the most part even if people are mad at MCPS for various reasons, they love their teachers – so it’s a powerful statement to have that “teacher recommended” behind you. And the teachers still show up – especially at the polls and in the form of the Apple Ballot.
Voters seek out the apple ballot. As a successful candidate, none of the other endorsements matter to more than 50-100 members of that group in your district.
Pagnucco: Waaaaaay back in 2006, my very first column was about the Apple Ballot. Its title – the 800 lb Gorilla of MoCo Politics – says it all. Many things have changed since then. The status of the Apple Ballot is not one of them.