Making A National Impact At Your Local and State Level
We the People is only as powerful as the collective actions of the people...
Accomplishments ALWAYS Start With ACTION...
Action…
The ONE thing that determines direction…
Many are not happy with the direction our country has been taking lately – yet how many of you are taking any form of action at ANY level to change that?
More have than usual - but why get left behind?
Why miss out on the sweet taste of winning?
Your actions do not have to be the cure-all for what is happening, however, your actions – singularly as well as collectively as a group – can be the discerning factor in which direction your local and State takes.
No one is born a leader yet many leaders are born out of actions.
Some important questions for you at this point…
Who do you talk to to get started?
What skills and knowledge do you bring to the table?
When will you act? When can you act (we all have time limitations)?
Where can you find others that want to do the same thing?
Why do you want to do something (what motivates you)?
And the biggie…How do you get started?
Wishing you could do something never gets you anywhere…
Reaching for something always brings you closer to what you want.
Four points you need to remember before starting anything, including your day…
SEE what you are looking at
HEAR what you are listening to
LEARN to think critically as it will guide you to ask the right questions
Watch the SHELL GAME, not the shells
The ‘who’ is important as it determines the direction you end up taking –
qualify who you listen to…
The ‘what’ is important as it can be utilized by those you are helping —
and they are just seeds of more skills and knowledge you can gain along the way…
The ‘when’ should ALWAYS be now unless there are life-critical situations around you –
once you put something aside for a later time, when later arrives you will be saving it yet again for a later time.
Find out what motivates you to get something done!
Passivity is the biggest killer of dreams, ideas, and lifestyles –
ever noticed regrets always start with “What if I had…”?
The ‘where’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ are going to be determined by your attitude, your mindset, your perspective, and to a degree, your location…
How To Get Involved In Local Politics
This is a list to guide you If you find it overwhelming, change your mindset and your heart - no one ever conquered Rome in a day.
Become Active
Research your elected officials
know who has been elected to what office
what accomplishments have they made (if none then what are they doing?)
what is their vision for the next few years
have they been holding other politicians accountable or seeping them under the rug
are they keeping the right priorities
how well do they know our Constitution and that of the State
Register to vote - The registry of motor vehicles, the election office, or the city clerk are the most common places to register, you might even be able to register online
Assess if a political party is for you or if being independent is best
Attend meetings
city council, board of education, and other board meetings are typically open to the public
as boring as they might sound to some people, they will help you understand the inner workings of your government and see your representatives in action
some meetings allow for audience input. Come prepared with questions about policies, rules, or viewpoints you’d like clarification on
Volunteering
work on a campaign - you will be surprised how much you can learn about a candidate by working on their campaign
serve as a poll worker - check with your local election commission for their criteria
if you joined a political party, work for one of their local organizations
Be Vocal
Attend town hall meetings
Town hall meetings differ from most meetings that election officials attend because they are created to interact directly with constituents
Attending one is a way to speak directly to your representatives about issues that matter to you
Most town hall meetings are under-attended, but they are free and take place in public places.
Check your official’s social media accounts and website or just call their office to find out when the meetings take place
Go with a friend to your first few meetings to feel more comfortable
Prepare a question to ask if there’s a topic you want to know more about.
Contact your representatives (put their contact information in your contacts, if they don’t recognize your name or voice after a while, you haven’t been active enough, seriously; they work for you, not the other way around. BUT BE NICE even when you are upset - humble them not chastise them unless the long road of humility hasn’t worked, then give them hell and share it all on social media and everywhere you can)
Let them know how you think they are doing, what you want to see them do differently, and what you appreciate about their service.
There are many ways to contact your representatives:
Use social media
Call and speak with their staff members or leave a voicemail
Write a letter
Write an email
Visit their office and speak in person
Donate - check the laws for limitations
Vote!
The bullet points above will vary in who you contact and how you get things done in many jurisdictions, your job is to discover how it all works - and it should work for the people, not for the politician.
Our Constitution puts the majority of the power in our hands, not politicians or appointed officials.
src: wikiHow.com