League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
San Mateo, Santa Clara County, CA June 3, 2008 Election
	Diane H. Rolfe Answers Questions Candidate for Member, Democratic Party County Central Committee; County of Santa Clara; State Assembly District 21

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What would you do to increase the number of voters registered in your party?

Since retiring in 2001 I have been fully engaged in working for the Democratic Party and increasing the number of Democratic voters. In 2003 I was asked to lead the Democratic Party Voter Registration effort for North Santa Clara County by becoming the North County Voter Registration Chair. I have been involved registering voters every year since 2000. In 2004 alone, I worked with our hard-working volunteers to register 7,000 voters for the 2004 Presidential Election: At community fairs and festivals, farmers' markets, schools, and other public sites. My job has been to recruit volunteers, organize each event, train party activists on how to do voter registration, and keep track of all voter registration forms collected and related materials.

In addition, I have worked to expand the outreach of the Democratic Party by educating the public on issues facing our state and nation: Health care, education, civil rights, the environment, and ending the war in Iraq have all been major areas of interest.
Related to that has been my work to build a Progressive Community that includes not only Democrats, but environmentalists, health care reform advocates and those interested in voter integrity, funding our schools, and the public financing of elections.

2. What would you do to help the campaigns of candidates of your party?

Since I was in college I have participated and organized voter registration events, walked precincts, held receptions and fundraisers for candidates from city council members to Presidential candidates. The only way to elect Democrats is to get out and work. For example, the voter registration work in 2004 was critical to the challenging campaign that elected Ira Ruskin to the California State Assesmbly. That particular campaign was a excellent example of the importance of grassroots activism. That is the key to growing the Democratic Party and electing its candidates.

3. Why did you become a member of this political party?

When I was only 15 I met John F. Kennedy, then a young Senator who was running for President. His idealism and the values of social justice that he embraced clarified for me that I was a Democrat. Since that time I have been an activist in the Democratic Party. Building community and caring about our fellow Americans are important ideals that are fundamental to being a Democrat. Those values are expressed in Social Security, the GI Bill of Rights, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Medicare. To strengthen those values, I have served the Democratic Party by being an officer or Executive Board Member in numerous Democratic Clubs and organizations.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 6, 2008 12:27
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