Cascade Bicycle Club’s work to educate riders and improve bike safety and infrastructure goes in vain without elected leaders who share our values. They make the laws; they hold the budget strings. That’s why it’s critical that we work to elect pro-bicycling candidates to office. Join us Tuesday, Sept. 27 for a trivia night and party in support of BikePAC.

Every election year, we work to elect bike-friendly candidates who share our vision for communities with safe, connected bike routes that make it possible for anyone to ride for transportation and recreation. In 2010 we supported 50 candidates with contributions from BikePAC. We built an alliance of lawmakers who helped us pass the Vulnerable User Bill this spring. This election season, you can help us support more leaders in cities and towns from Spokane to Bellingham who will help achieve our mission - RSVP today for the BikePAC Trivia Night and Party.

Cascade Bicycle Club can’t help but put a fun twist on the typical fundraiser. Last year, we handed out enviable prizes — like Ortlieb bags — for people who guessed answers about our political advocacy, and the competition was fierce.

This time, we’ll have a full round of bike-themed, pub-style trivia mixed with politics and pop culture. So brush up on your bike knowledge and gather a team of your geekiest friends this year for BikePAC trivia. There’s bound to be a prize for the best team name in case you think your bike nerd knowledge isn’t quite up to snuff. At least come for the drinks and hors d’oeuvres, and of course to help elect our bike-friendly candidates.

Here’s a teaser question to get you on the right track:

What bike-powered cabinet secretary in the Obama administration was disappointed that, for security reasons, the Secret Service would no longer allow him to burn off energy on the way to work?

Send your answer along with your RSVP for the party. And if you can’t make it, please give to BikePAC today. We’ll put your contribution to work electing leaders for a pro-bike agenda this fall.

In June Cascade’s board of directors approved the early endorsement of 10 local elected officials who have made a difference for bicycling in the Puget Sound Region. Today they finalized their endorsements for the August 16 primary election. Ballots are being mailed right now, so keep an eye out for your ballot in the mail over the next few days!

You can learn more about Cascade’s endorsement process and how to get involved at our Elections Page. We will update this page as we continue to evaluate candidates into the fall, and we’ll post the latest news here on the Bike Blog.

Last year we opened up our endorsements to state legislative candidates from around Washington in order to press for important laws like the Vulnerable User Bill. In our travels and our research we’ve met many local leaders who are working to make more bicycle-friendly communities. From Bellingham to Spokane, this year’s endorsements recognize budding bicycle movements in many of our cities. Below, we’ve listed our endorsements as they stand today.

Monday marked the beginning of Filing Week, when hundreds of candidates in Washington officially begin their runs for the November election. Cascade Bicycle Club is one of only a handful of bicycle advocacy organizations around the country that endorse candidates for office. Members are notified by email, through the Cascade Courier and other communications about which candidates have been endorsed. Cascade members, staff and board also make voluntary financial contributions to candidates using Bike PAC.

You can contribute to Bike PAC to support bike-friendly candidates

Local endorsements are important because elected officials in our cities and counties have the most control over the safety and state of repair of the roads we use every day. Funding is a major challenge given the state of the economy and the fact that the gas tax has not kept up with construction costs. Local governments are forced either to delay repairs and new projects, or to raise new money to repair local roads. Since bicyclists are even more affected by potholes and other road problems than drivers are, we have a vested interest in local ballot measures like Seattle’s Bridging the Gap levy in 2006 and may spend significant resources to ensure their passage.

The first step for candidates seeking Cascade’s endorsement is to fill out an endorsement questionnaire using the following links as soon as possible. The questionnaire gives background on bicycle issues to educate candidates and allows Cascade to hold them accountable to their stated positions. It is is slightly different for:

1. Most jurisdictions;
2. Cities with Complete Streets Policies; and
3. Seattle.

More than the next shiny new trail, Cascade’s priority is making sure decision makers — and transportation and public works departments that build roads — have the right tools to include bicycling in the planning process. Complete Streets is a growing movement around North America to design roads to encourage for all types of transportation.

Cascade Bicycle Club has developed a guide to Complete Streets for several King County cities, using examples of those like Kirkland and  that have policies in place. You can download it here (pdf). Governor Gregoire recently signed a bill that will create a statewide Complete Streets grant program, and cities from Spokane to University Place are developing local policies to be competitive and receive these and other potential funds.

Bike-friendly candidates often are not those who ride the most miles themselves. Cascade endorses those candidates who we feel will help get more people bicycling, more often, more safely. This means working with our organization on policy changes and seizing opportunities for new infrastructure.

Ballot measures can be crucial to keep roads from deteriorating and build bike infrastructure

Once questionnaires are evaluated, Cascade staff make a recommendation to the board of directors, who discuss and vote on candidates in accordance with Cascade’s Endorsement Policies and Procedures (pdf). We expect to endorse a small number of candidates in the August primary election, the majority of whom may be incumbent office holders with bike-friendly records. Staff and board will have time to evaluate more candidates for November’s general election.

Stay tuned for a first round of endorsements, and direct any questions to campaigns@cascadebicycleclub.org. If you know of bike-friendly candidates for office, please encourage them to proactively contact Cascade and seek support. And if you’re thinking about throwing your own hat in the ring, remember to file with King County elections or your county auditor’s office this week!