To the Editor,

I had the opportunity to attend two sessions of the SGNA House of Delegates Meeting held May 2004 in Dallas, Texas. An issue brought to the floor was the low voter response in the National Election. It was stated that we have 7,000 members and that only 479 voted. This is approximately 7% of the membership.

I am from Region 9, Connecticut. We have 160 members. Out of that number, 55 voted in the National Election. That is more than 1/3 of our membership. Why are our numbers higher, you might ask? It is because our Regional Leadership have made this a priority issue. A list of all our members is distributed to a core group of volunteers. The list is broken down into groups of approximately 10 names. A telephone tree urging each of the members to vote is then initiated. Each individual on the list is contacted. If they state they didn't receive a ballot, we make sure they get one or urge them to vote online. We try to learn as much as we can about each candidate so that if they are unfamiliar to the voter, we can help educate them. The GI units in hospitals and ambulatory centers are also called to make sure that all their eligible voters have done so. We have found this approach to be successful.

I urge all regions to try to incorporate a similar plan. It should be your mission as a regional member to motivate and energize your membership. Remind them that they do have a voice in their national organization.

Kathryn Miller, RN, CGRN

Region 9, Connecticut