This post “Beginners Guide to Getting Involved in Politics” was originally written in September 2020. It has been updated for 2022.
It’s no secret that the world is burning down around us. If you think everything is fine and want to keep America great, then maybe this beginners guide to getting involved in politics isn’t for you.
Here are just some challenges we continue to face:
- Our country leads the world in COVID deaths, recently reaching the 1M mark.
- The Washington Post reports the our economy could be headed towards a recession in 2023.
- Women’s health rights are on the brink of being overturned by the Supreme Court.
- The New York Times reported that school closures have caused major learning losses in children.
- There have been 198 mass shootings as of May 15, 2022.
- Gas prices have hit an all-time high.
In 2020, we faced one of the most contentious elections in my lifetime. We would be foolish to think that our country isn’t a powder keg ready to explode all over again.
I am trying to sell them the world. Any decent realtor, walking you through a real shithole, chirps on about good bones. This place could be beautiful, right? You could make this place beautiful.
From Good Bones by Maggie Smith
Three Things I Did To Become Politically Active
I am one person. A “suburban housewife,” nonetheless. I asked myself in 2016 what I could do to make a change and become more politically active.
The first thing I did was to change my party affiliation. A long-time registered Republican that always skewed and often voted left, I knew it was time to make it official.
Make the change now: How to change your voter registration party status
Second, I volunteered with an organization called Postcards to Voters. Its mission is to handwrite postcards to targeted voters in hopes to give Democrats a winning edge in close, key races coast to coast. This was a grassroots effort in 2017 and has grown to over 75,000+ volunteers today.
Related: Organizations that need your support
Finally, I voted. I voted in every local and state election since 2016. This is a really good article from none other than Ben & Jerry’s about why voting in local elections is important.
2022 United States Senate Election
34 Senate seats are up for election in 2022. Republicans only need to gain one Senate seat to gain control of the Senate.
I live in California and our 2022 California Primary will be on June 7, 2022. Our ballot includes candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Representative in Congress, and others.
You can find your state or local election website here: SEARCH FOR YOUR ELECTION OFFICE
Is Volunteering Enough?
Do what is best for your family and circumstance. But, if you even have a few bucks to spare to a campaign, consider ActBlue – a nonprofit online fundraising platform that acts as a conduit for individual contributions sending grassroots donations to the campaigns that are using the platform for fundraising.
Read: Find Races in States Where You Can Help
Vote Save America is a great website that walks you through simple steps to get out the vote.
Have the Hard Conversations with Your Kids
Election or not, there are some serious injustices happening in our world and these conversations need to start at home. We’re fans of The Week Junior for helping facilitate these conversations.
Subscribe to The Week Junior via Amazon.
The world can be a beautiful place again. Let’s do our part.
From the Archive: When to Vote in the 2020 Election
Mail-in-voting is under fire right now in our country. Heck, the United States Postal Service is likely to lose all funding under a Trump presidency. If you are voting by mail in the 2020 election, you need to allow at least 14 days for your ballot to get to its polling precinct. This means, you must mail your ballot no later than October 20, 2020.
You can also drop your ballot in a secured ballot drop box. I already saw one installed near my home. You can drop your ballot as soon as it is allowed. Google “Where to drop off a ballot + your state” to find where these secure boxes are located in your county.