PLI Bulletin

One-on-One Persuasion, Sick Leave, Intimidation and More

Posted on September 21, 2022

Stop Intimidation of Public Officials Act: There has been a steep increase in the number and severity of threats against public officials, especially those working on election administration, public health and public education. The Stop Intimidation of Public Officials Act makes it a felony to intimidate a public official in an attempt to influence that person’s official actions. Similar recent laws include: Colorado HB 1273, Maine LD 1821, Oregon HB 4144 and Vermont SB 265.

How to persuade one-on-one: Direct face-to-face persuasion is a bit different. When you talk to people at their doors (e.g., campaigning) or in their offices (e.g., lobbying), there are potential advantages, if you use them. For tips, read the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

Communications advice on wide-ranging topics: The Campaign Workshop has a weekly podcast, in its fourth season, called How to Win a Campaign. For example, this episode explains how to use Wikipedia, SEO, retargeting and PPC to improve online presence and website traffic.

Pandemic Prompts More States to Mandate Paid Sick Leave: Seventeen states and at least twenty cities and counties now have mandatory paid sick leave laws, according to a report in Governing Magazine.

Ranked Choice Voting: The victory of Democrat Mary Peltola for Congress in Alaska has gained attention for Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). So far, 56 cities, counties and states have RCV in place, serving approximately 11 million voters, explains FairVote.

How to rebut logical fallacies in debate: We have gotten so used to hearing bald-faced lies that perhaps we have become a little less ready to recognize more subtle rhetorical tricks. To rebut logical fallacies, see this chapter in Voicing Our Values.