Abraham Lincoln -16th President of the United States

Many people feel its hard to get involved in the political system. However, political parties can benefit from small things you do in your community from handing out flyers to organizing rallies.  Below are a number of ways that anyone can help their party.

1. Choose a Party.
Regardless of one’s political views, there is a party that can match them relatively well. If one wants to support either of the two major parties, one should be prepared to be part of a big tent spanning a number of ideologies. Given that the Democrat party is large enough to encompass Blanche Lincoln and Dennis Kucinich and the Republicans include both Bobby Jindal and Mike Huckabee, one will likely be working to achieve a broad goal with people who may differ on details.

2. Register to Vote.
Registering is necessary and will increase the membership of your chosen party.

Remember to Vote!

3. Vote.
In the presidential election of 1960, if just one voter in every precinct in the country had voted for Nixon instead of Kennedy, Kennedy would have lost. The 2000 Bush-Gore election and the 2008 Minnesota senate race between Coleman and Franken are two more examples of races where just a couple of hundred votes could have changed the outcome of the election. Remember that elections frequently occur multiple times per year when primaries are considered. Just voting once every four years is not enough.

4. Donate Money.
Political parties are very large institutions with a broad range of activities. Furthermore, money given to parties is very flexible, allowing for it to be used in the best way possible to achieve the party’s goals. More than the financial support, though, having a broad donor base points to a party’s influence and importance.

5. Get Party Emails.
Every party has an email list where they can stay in contact with their adherents. Not only will it keep one informed, but it also saves the party a great deal of money.  Sharing the email with friends and family with similar interests can be very helpful as well.

6. Influence The Government.
Know who represents you district, and let them know what you think. Most parties will provide guidance on how to talk with elected officials, as well.

7. Participate In Discussions Online and Off.
There are many local and national discussions happening on websites, radio, TV, and in your communities.  Social networks are an easy place to get started and connected.

8. Get a Lawn Sign.
For many candidates, especially local ones, being elected is a simple matter of name recognition. Lawn signs make a big difference in close elections.

9. Talk About The Party.
Although politics had been considered a taboo subject in casual conversation, that is no longer necessarily true in all situations anymore. One should be vocal, but not obnoxious, about one’s views and share them with friends who are interested.

10. Volunteer for the Party.
Whether it be writing copy, stuffing envelopes, or even cleaning the office, the more help that parties receive, the more they can do to support candidates.

11. Hit the Phones.
Phone banks are effective ways to drive action on important issues and to get people to turn out to vote.

12. Help Get Out the Vote.
On Election Day, many parties help voters who are sympathetic to their goals to get to the polls. One can help by driving those people to vote.  And remember, there are many local elections and primaries that you could be making a big impact on.

13. Go to Conventions.
Parties set their platforms based on what their members want. By attending local and regional party conventions, one can have much more influence than one might expect.

14. Remember Local Politics.
Although much media attention is paid to national races, local races for seemingly small positions, such as school boards, city assessors, utility boards and the like can have a gigantic effect on people’s day to day lives. Just a few votes can make a big difference.

15. Run for Political Office.
Given the large number of uncontested local elections, there are a number of ways in which people can get more involved and help their party achieve their goals. Politics of all types starts from the ground up.

Sources
www.gop.com
www.democrats.org
www.gp.org
www.lp.org
patriotdreams.us/jonisfrontporch/2010/01/09/14-quick-ways-to-get-politically-active/
www.dosomething.org/actnow/actionguide/how-get-involved-local-politics
www.ici.umn.edu/products/impact/172/over2.html

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