CULTIVATING COMPASSION
Voting as Resistance... ...continued from page 37
ference, and it’s easy and fun to do in a group. To learn more and get started, check out Vote Forward (https:// votefwd.org/) and Reclaim Our Vote (www.centerforcom - monground.org/reclaim-our-vote). ● Volunteer for a campaign. Get behind a candidate you be- lieve in and help get them elected. 2. Stand up and speak out. What are your County Board of Elections and state legislatures doing to protect — or undermine — voting rights and free elections? Follow them closely. Write and call your elected reps, at all levels. Stay on top of Congressional activity and call or write often. Use tools like the Five Calls app to track issues and contact your reps (https://5calls.org/), or sign up for action alerts from Indivisible (https://indivisible.org/get-in - volved/take-action/). Continue to take part in public demonstrations and rallies when and where you can. Another No Kings nationwide day of action will be held across the country on March 28, as millions of Americans stand up against ICE’s reign of terror, with a flagship event in the Twin Cities. (See www.nokings.org/ to find an event or create your own). Participation in nonviolent, peaceful demonstrations are growing at a phenomenal rate, and we must keep it up. The “3-3.5% rule” for resisting authoritarianism is based on research into 20th century revolutions and nonviolent resistance campaigns, which found that sweeping change can be achieved when only 3.5% or less of the population is engaged in nonviolent grassroots action. Peaceful protests are a critical part of that. Public protests, espe- cially in large numbers, have the power to change policy and sway public opinion. 3. Join a group — or start your own. There really is strength in numbers. (Plus, it helps to have buds.) The obvious route is to connect with an existing group you feel some affinity for, one al - ready active in your community, and see if they’ve committed to voter engagement this year. If not, offer to start a voter outreach program for them. If you’d like to start your own group, reach out to people you know, and people those people know, and get started! An easy en - try is to start a ‘volunteer corps’ type of group with no ongoing or - ganizational structure — a group that recruits and organizes voting volunteers for other organizations in your community. In 2024, a large group of people in one Asheville neighborhood organized themselves as a group of volunteers ready to sign up for voter out- reach activities organized by existing organizations. They showed up in large numbers for nonpartisan voter registration with two groups, nonpartisan canvassing with our voter outreach coalition, and partisan canvassing and phone-banking with the Democratic party. They didn’t have to organize the activities, they just orga - nized themselves and showed up. You might also consider starting a local group connected with a national organization, such as the Indivisible network (https:// indivisible.org/resource/guide-for-new-groups/) or Red Wine & Blue (https://redwine.blue/troublenation/). National organiza - tions can provide startup help, organizing tools and resources, and ongoing group support.
Safeguarding Democracy: What You Can Do To Support Voter Turnout None of us can do everything. But each of us can do something. Find whatever fits for you — and do it. URGENT ACTION NEEDED RE: THE SAVE ACT 1. If your representative voted for the SAVE America Act, call them out on it, publicly. (Quick tip: Every Republican rep voted in sup - port.) • Write and call, letting them know that the harm they chose to inflict on voters is unacceptable. Remember, constituent feedback is recorded! Let them know you’re watching their actions and hold - ing them accountable. • Write a letter to the editor in a local news outlet based in your rep’s Congressional district. List the harms to millions of American citizens that would result from this bill, specifically calling out your rep for having supported it. Letters to the editor and published opinion pieces are watched closely by members of Congress. 2 . Write and call both of your Senators, urging them to OPPOSE the SAVE America Act and its blatant attempt at voter suppression. Although it’s unlikely to pass the Senate, it failed last year because of widespread public opposition. So make sure your senators hear from you, loudly and often. 3. Stay on top of continued attempts at voter suppression and election interference. Speak up at every opportunity. And double down on your commitment to voter outreach and engagement. Re- member, every vote matters. In a democracy, our vote is our voice. Do not be silent. And do not allow them to silence others’ votes through any means. BETWEEN NOW AND THE ELECTIONS: 1. Start small. Start by checking your own voter info — registra- tion status, polling place, dates and locations of upcoming elections, early voting options — and see what’s on your ballot. A good place to start is your state board of elections website. You can also find your ballot and candidate info using the lookup tools at VOTE411 (https://www.vote411.org/. Then consider taking on one specific project. Here are some suggestions: ● Sign up with your local League of Women Voters or your party precinct to help with voter registration. ● Find out who’s doing door-to-door canvassing and give it a try. (Nonpartisan deep canvassing is highly recommended: it’s easy, respectful, and leads to authentic and rewarding conversations.) ● Hold “Know Your Ballot” parties for friends and neighbors. Share ballot lookup tools and bring info on candidates and races that voters don’t know much about. It’s a fun way to share information and get ready to vote. ● Sign up to be an Election Protector. Visit https://protect - thevote.net/ to learn more. ● Write to voters. While not as effective as in-person con - versations, letter-writing and postcarding does make a dif-
38—PATHWAYS—Spring 26
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs