Newsletters before they were 😎…

Work(s) in Progress

Welcome to the new format/platform/evolution of the Sharp Record/Sharp Connector (VoteSharp Vibe?)?? This is my launch on Substack, so I’ll go back to the basics with a refresher of how we got here, then lay out where we’re going.

In my early 20s, I wrote correspondence on foreign affairs, defense, international trade, and agriculture in the US Senate. This is where I began “Translating Politics Into English”. Returning to Kansas, I lobbied for the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY and had the newest advocacy and communications tools at my fingertips. We used them to educate, equip, and activate advocacy volunteers, resulting in the largest tobacco tax increase in Kansas history.

Months later, I ran for the Kansas House at 26. I was young, single, and cheap (read: broke). Email was free and the Sharp Record was born. I collected email addresses from constituents door-to-door, and quickly became “E-newsletter girl” under the dome. My colleagues wanted to grow their constituent engagement but didn’t have the tech or writing chops to do it themselves, so I started writing for them, and training those who wanted to try. Legislative burnout hit hard and I left for the private sector with the intent of maintaining the Sharp Record as a resource for voter information they might not otherwise have.

Along came a husband, a house, a kid, a seat on the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees, and eventually my own business writing legislative newsletters for those former colleagues. As anyone with their own business knows, clients take priority, so the Sharp Record (and its tens of thousands of subscribers) faded away 😩😭. I tried a voter resource concept (KanVote.org), but it took SO much time. I didn’t want to bias it by monetizing, so again it was backburnered in favor of client work.

While I don’t miss legislating or the legislature (other than my colleagues), I miss the constituent relationships. My ego is fed more by “I never followed state politics until the Sharp Record,” than a ballot box. For a long time, I got that fix via my clients sharing with me their positive newsletter feedback. Their email traffic increased and they needed a way to manage constituent communications, and we launched VoteSharp in 2011. It has expanded to 17 states and is now the sole focus of my business.

1. Why this?

Substack is known for conversations, while email platforms are more and more focused on marketing. Our main business now is VoteSharp, which is a relationship building tool. We want to talk with electeds, candidates, and the public, not at them. Substack is a better fit for that work.

2. Why now?

Why not? Look around at the political discourse. We aren’t going to change the world here, but if we can clean up our little corner of it and provide information to equip you to help clean up yours, those are the first bites of the “how do you eat an elephant” conundrum.

Making House Bill 1234 make sense to voters (in two sentences) gets my blood pumping. The Sharp Record started 20 years ago and hasn’t been published regularly since I left the legislature in 2008, and I STILL meet people out and about that say they loved it. If it was helpful then, we have 20 years more experience and it’s probably 20 times more needed now!

3. What to expect:

We will be posting longer pieces 2-3 times per month and starting a new bite-size segment specifically focused on acts of service. The new segment can be read in 60 seconds (or less), and will feature a tangible to-do activity or idea. Most of these will apply to the general readership as well – they’re the things that make you a good neighbor. We’re still “workshopping” the name. The words Serve, 60/Sixty, Sharp are all in the mix, but we need your input! We created a super cool gif for the segment from the VoteSharp logo:)

4. What we expect from you:

Respectful feedback and commentary and respect for each other. It’s fine to disagree with us or a commenter, but there’s enough nastiness in the world, go find it somewhere else. Don’t bring it here. That doesn’t mean we’ll be all sunshine-and-daisies – this is a political conversation in a particularly divisive time, after all – but the general rule is don’t be a jerk.

5. Share!

Smash the subscribe button if you’re new. Give the “Share” button some love and pass along to friends, neighbors, book club, wine night, small group, etc. Just like voter turnout – the more the merrier!