The Leon County Democratic Party announced today the launch of its
Leon Dems in 30 Seconds political television ad contest, with the winning ad to be aired in the
weeks prior to the November 7th general election. The winning ad will be selected by a panel
of judges including Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, Florida
Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman and local community leaders.
"The Leon Dems in 30 Seconds TV ad contest is a prime example of the grassroots ingenuity
that will help Democrats win this fall. I'm honored to be one of the judges in this contest and
look forward to reviewing the ad submissions," Chairman Dean said.
The winning submission will be professionally produced by the Leon County Democratic
Party and aired on local television during the month before the November election.
Submissions may be in the form of a narrative, script, storyboard sketch, or digitized video.
The contest will focus on local, state or national issues that affect Leon County residents, with
submissions addressing the topic of "Why Leon County voters should vote Democratic."
Any resident of Leon County is eligible to participate, and the Leon County Democratic Party
is heavily promoting the contest to the Political Science and Journalism schools at Florida
State University, Florida A & M University, and Tallahassee Community College.
In conjunction with the contest, the Leon County Democratic Party is also conducting a
fundraising drive to raise money for multiple airings of the winning ad.
"This contest is unique within Florida and the Leon County Democratic Party hopes it will
become a model for encouraging local community participation in the political process - a
process that too often treats voters as consumers instead of active participants," said Rick
Minor, Chairman of the Leon County Democratic Party.
"The Leon Dems in 30 Seconds contest is about getting the people of Leon County involved
in the political process in a fun and innovative way. We believe that the greatest ideas for this
country do not come from politicians or paid consultants, but from the diverse voices of the
citizens," said Monica O'Neal, Vice-Chair of the Leon County Democratic Party.
Ad submissions are due by midnight, September 26th, 2006, with judges announcing the
winning entry on October 2nd.
Contest rules, political advertising resources, detailed submission instructions, and a contest
blog can be found at www.LeonDemsIn30Seconds.com. Selected ad submissions and the
winning entry will be posted on the website once judging has been completed.