whether or not American sportsmen have the information they need to make solid decisions on Election Day . This is where our community — and all the organizations who purport to represent us — has not delivered . We take part of that blame and move on . It ’ s time to get serious about doing what will actually work to protect the future .
To fill the void , the Sportsmen ’ s Alliance is stepping up to create a new sportsmen-oriented voter education system that will be available online to our members . And we ’ re starting in October . That ’ s right , before the November election , America ’ s hunters , anglers and trappers will have a new tool so that we can begin the process of telling elected officials that we are watching .
As someone who has been in the trenches fighting for our outdoor traditions for three decades , I cannot tell you how often I ’ ve watched an elected official who claimed to be “ with us ” vote the wrong way time and again . I ’ m sure you have heard , “ I ’ m a sportsman like you ” or “ you can trust me to do the right thing .” If your eyes are rolling , they should . It ’ s like believing a used car salesman extolling the drivability of a ' 72 Nova on blocks .
As in my own personal experience , I ’ m sure you ’ ve been told formally or informally by elected officials that they were “ sportsmen ” or “ grew up hunting ” or some similar anecdotal statement about why you should vote for them or trust them to do the right thing . In the past two legislative sessions alone , I ’ ve watched officials who call themselves “ sportsmen ” or tell constituents they are members of some hunting organization vote against us on major policies . In many states on many bills and in all regions of the country .
Is there a partisan slant to this ? Not really . Both Republicans and Democrats alike use this sleight-of-hand ( or bait-andswitch ?) all the time . And remember , this is because they can . Nobody is tracking their votes and presenting such evidence to sportsmen before Election Day . Most Americans don ’ t have the time to figure out legislative systems and track the bills that matter , let alone interpret all of the various changes that take place even before a vote .
Elected officials know this . They are counting on voters using “ shortcuts ” to make a voting decision . One of these “ shortcuts ” is self-identification as “ one of us ”— as a hunter ,
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