How To Make A Real Difference In Our Political Landscape
Many of us feel that we have no say in our government, our votes don’t matter, and our voices are not heard.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Your voice CAN be heard–you CAN make a difference.
There are many different ways to get involved and make this a better place for you and your neighbors.
Here’s how:
Be an Active Citizen
These are some of the simplest actions you can take to make a difference. These actions only take a few hours a month.
Vote
Your vote DOES count. If it didn’t, they wouldn’t try so hard to keep people from voting.
- Register to vote.
- Update your registration if you have any major life changes.
- Check your registration a few months before an election.
- Research candidates and ballot issues.
- Encourage others to register to vote.
- Encourage others to vote.
Talk to friends and family, post on social media, spread the word however you feel comfortable.
Engage Your Community
The best way to get to know your community and neighbors is to become more involved in the community. If you are able, here are some suggestions:
- Join a community sports team.
- Join or start a book club or movie club.
- Join or start a gaming group.
- Attend local events like parades, festivals, and seasonal events.
- Take classes like crafting classes (check libraries or craft stores).
- Go on a walk, talk to your neighbors.
- Volunteer!
- Check for activities for your age group. Youth groups and senior centers have activities to keep people engaged.
Any community you might be interested in will do, they don’t necessarily need to be directly involved in politics. Getting out and spending time with your neighbors in the community can go a long way to find common understanding.
If getting out of the house is difficult, our modern world makes online communities accessible to everyone.
While you’re bonding with your new community group, you can encourage your new friends to vote!
Stay Informed
It’s hard to make good choices if you are not well informed. Make an effort to stay on top of local, national, and world news as you can.
- Get news from trustworthy sources.
- Get news from more than once source.
- Do not spread unverified news.
- Point out false news in discussions and social media.
We suggest getting your news from only the sources listed in the top green dotted box in the chart below. This chart is updated regularly.
Want to make a much bigger difference?
Even a few hours a week can amplify your influence. Check out how to become an Activist Change Maker!
Become An Activist Change Maker
When you want to do more than just voting and engaging your community, it’s time to get directly involved. Volunteering more of your time and energy will allow you to become more involved with local politics.
Volunteer
Volunteer for a group or organization that is actively addressing your concerns and fighting for what you believe in.
- Volunteer help to your local Democratic party.
- Join your local Democratic party Executive Commitee.
- Volunteer with a local or national candidate to help them with their campaign.
- Volunteer with a local activist group or ballot issues organization.
- Volunteer to help people get to the polling stations or drop off ballots.
The most important thing that any of the political organizations need are people willing to use their time, knowledge, skills, and connections to help
Donate
Everyone is sick of solicitations for donations. But the sad fact of the matter is, in America it takes a lot of money to get anything done.
Corporations are able to dump huge amounts of time and money into campaigns for candidates and lobbying efforts. It has become more important than ever to have citizens’ money and voices back into campaigns.
- Donate to the local Democratic Party.
- Donate to the state Democratic Party.
- Donate to the federal Democratic Party.
- Donate to your favorite candidates that fight for you.
- Donate to activist groups aligned with your beliefs.
- Donate to the ACLU or other watchdog groups.
Donate to whoever you can whenever you can. These donations do make a difference and are a solid way to support these groups.
Speak Out
Some activities that you can do from your home:
- Call your local representatives.
- Submit comments to school board or city council meetings. Some meetings are recorded, and can be watched at home.
- Submit letters to the editor of local newspapers.
- Share/comment on social media posts from respected sources/candidates to bring visibility to events, fundraisers, voting deadlines.
Protests and demonstrations are at the very foundation of our democracy. They attract media coverage and help current office holders get a real sense of what people want.
- Attend protests if injustices happen.
- Attend demonstrations to support your beliefs.
- Attend marches in support of marginalized groups.
- Go to city council meetings, speaking up if possible.
- Go to school board meetings, speaking up if possible.
- Go to HOA meetings.
Be present at these events and be mindful of their intent. These events can make powerful statements in support or a demand of change.
Want to directly shape our society's path forward?
Is it time to go all in and make the biggest difference possible? Keep on reading below to become a Political Powerhouse!
Become a Political Powerhouse
Be the change you want to see in the world. Go from asking leaders to make changes to being the leader that makes changes.
Run For Office
You likely have skill sets and passions that match up with the many different parts of the system. This variety makes it easy to find one that might fit you.
- Join a local governmental committee or council.
- Run for a position in the local party.
- Run for school board.
- Run for local office.
- Run for state office.
- Run for federal office.
- Run for a union leader position.
- Apply for jobs with influence on our government or communities.
The time and effort commitment for these positions vary from several hours a month to to full time, but these positions hold the power to make meaningful changes that impact your day-to-day life.
If you are interested, click the button below and let us know! Not sure what to run for? No problem, we can help!
Become a Leader
Use your drive for change to take on a leadership role in local organizations. Some roles are elected and some are appointed.
- Run for union leadership.
- Become a leader in your company’s ERG or affinity group.
- Apply for leadership jobs at activist organizations.
- Volunteer to head committees.
- Attend community organization or party meetings and determine what need you can meet.
As a leader in a political organization you not only have a lot of say in the direction of the group but you also have a lot of people willing to work hard and make a difference with you.
Create New Groups
Oftentimes when involved in organizations we find that the subjects we’re very passionate about are not well represented.
When you’ve identified a need, check for interest and start a new group to work toward your specific goals!
- Create an activist group about a specific issue.
- Gather like-minded people into a committee to discuss solutions.
- Step up and an organize a group willing to do something but not sure how to do it.
- Form a group to brainstorm ideas and solutions for a new problem.
- Create a union.
This can be some of the hardest but most rewarding type of involvement–often moving into uncharted waters.
However, they can often help to lead to new solutions and help unstick “old ways of thinking”.
This is how we make change.
Hopefully these ideas got you thinking, perhaps in a whole new direction.
Getting involved may not be easy but the more time and effort you put into your involvement, the more you will influence the system.
America is supposed to be “By the People, For the People”.