Civic Engagement: Yes, it’s about voting and…
7 More Ways to Engage in the Civic Process
Imagine the tightest of races for the state Senate. The Democratic candidate is practically unknown to the community at large and the Republican is a former state Representative with good name recognition. No Democrat has ever won in the history of the seat so everyone thinks she’ll be the probable loser. But something happens over the summer and leading into fall no one expected; a grassroots effort driving enthusiasm and volunteering that sweeps the district. This energized volunteer team walked, talked, and literally drove people to the polls all the way up to ten minutes before closing.
As you can imagine, on Election Night, there was no clear winner. The two candidates' numbers were going back and forth all night…and the next day…and weeks. Despite frequent computer refreshes on the county clerk’s website, the race was stuck at such a slim pace that the final results weren’t known until almost three weeks later. On November 20th, the race barely missed a recount and was finally won at a .053% margin.
Who won? The unknown, underfunded, unlikely Democrat; me. I was a long-time volunteer and first-time candidate who won by about 1 ½ votes per precinct. In one of the precincts, that one volunteer car ride at 6:50 pm might have been the deciding two votes there. Or the last ten calls of the evening. Who knows. But for certain, it took a band of community rebels who just took a few (or a lot) hours of joyous work to make it happen. We all felt the miracle of that election alongside the win of our first Black President at the same time.
Without those community volunteers and those who took the time to vote that year, the trajectory of the district’s representation would have been very different. As a white woman ally, I felt honored to be able to sponsor and vote for legislation that helped move the equity needle in restorative justice, voting rights, access to healthcare, civil unions, harm reduction with children and families, etc. Did I cause harm in any of my Senate work? Probably. I’m human. Civic engagement isn't about being perfect. It’s about taking responsibility for the betterment of the people in your community and for those who live in the margins.
Yes, I’m trying to convince everyone to vote in the current election because I’m living proof that every vote really does count. I was privileged to serve as a Colorado state Senator until I was term-limited. I have seen many elections come and go, and each relies on people actually voting. If you’re in Colorado, you have one of the best voting statutes in the country with numerous methods and times to vote. If you’ve never voted here, no problem. Just go to your county clerk’s website and follow the instructions (available in accessible formats and languages).
What’s an equitable vote? And why does it matter?
But, let’s get real. You’re most likely voting for people you’ve never met, whose histories or voting records you don’t know, and possibly ballot initiatives you’ve never researched. I get it. There’s a lot going on in your world other than civic engagement – kids to feed, work to get to, parents to assist, and so on. We lead busy lives. So, if that’s all you can do, no worries. Your vote (with equity in mind) is helpful.
If you’re voting with an equity lens, you’re voting with community in mind, not only your own self-interests and values. Have you thought through how those in the margins will benefit or be harmed by your vote? Are you voting for candidates whose lived experiences have kept them in the margins and who might be able to carry that perspective into their public service? Or perhaps they are strong allies and advocates of socially-just policies that will reduce or prevent harm done to those on the fringes.
In conscious equitable voting, we’re intentionally choosing candidates to represent us and ballot initiatives that will not serve the “common good,” but will be “just.” Voting for the common good means maintaining the status quo of the dominant culture; the ones who are most likely living with layers of privilege. Today, that population already benefits from the existing laws and elected officials’ actions. But voting for justice means you’re voting to lift up the voices of those who have been historically ignored or silent in our representation or laws. This means you’re course-correcting the past or current harms and reducing or preventing future harms to those who have been at the negative effect of those unjust policies. Every vote you make has the power in it to benefit or harm. What do you choose?
In our nation right now I believe some of us are taking voting for granted. In recent years, through devastatingly restrictive legislation and Supreme Court decisions, we’ve seen even more clearly that who sits in those seats in the chambers at the Capitol or in the Oval Office intimately matters. Each of us public servants walks onto the floor or into the office with our values, principles, and lived experiences in tow. As hard as we might try to secede from them, they are with us when we craft policy and vote…every time. So, one of our greatest responsibilities to further an equitable society is to elect those who either represent or advocate for those who need to be written into our laws justly.
Civic engagement takes a village all year long.
But I also want to be clear. Voting is the last step in the civic engagement process. If you’re only doing that, your community is grateful. Yet civic engagement is a continual process. As we’re now experiencing, sustaining a democratic society that works for everyone, not just for the White, able-bodied, and wealthy, is hard. It requires all of us to come together in community to listen, give input, and develop empathy for each other. If you say you want an equitable world and keep complaining about systemic racism built into our policies, then do something about it. It takes more than mere talk to make that happen. The elected officials can’t do this on their own. They need your feedback, ideas, and help so they’re not crafting policies only from their individual perspective.
Before and after voting, here are just a few things you can do to turn your complaints into positive action:
Go to the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website and find out who your elected officials are: https://www.lwvcolorado.org/
Sign up for your elected officials’ newsletter emails and find out what they’re doing and how they’re voting.
Go to the General Assembly website and find out what bills are moving through the legislative process. In Colorado, anyone can show up and testify and share their opinion on pending legislation in committee. https://leg.colorado.gov/
Attend or read city council proceedings to see how your local policies may affect your community. Constituent input is welcome there as well.
Connect with a community organization that advocates for a topic of interest, eg. equal access to healthcare or affordable housing
Find out how the process works and where you might want to engage in it. As an example, here’s a link to The Last Bill, a Senator’s Story that covers the Colorado legislative process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La2Jx2EPeEg
Volunteer for one of your public servants. Whether it’s on a campaign or in their office, there’s no better way to really find out how the system or the elected official works. See it from the inside.
*These links are Colorado-based. You will need to search for those in your area.
One more thing…
Please know we’re all in this together – voters, candidates, electeds, advocates, and governmental workers. There doesn’t need to be an us vs. them. We shape community together because we are community together. Interdependence is the only way to a democracy based on equity. We all have parts to play. How are you civically engaging?