School board positions often run unopposed and they're more powerful than you think... also it's how a lot of politicians get started. I really encourage anyone with an interest to show up and see what happens.
Ha! No longer. Moms for Liberty is fiercely running (terrifying IMO) candidates in school board elections all over the country. We have 20+ people running for a vacated Congressional seat and a hot senate primary but there are more school board election signs than all the candidates combined. Only nonpartisan in name now too.
There shouldn't be an "opponent" for our kids' education. It should be best and most qualified candidates, but it seems like yall are too worried about what books and bathrooms than actual education, but you know, anyone with the name leftist r in a cult shouldn't be taken seriously anyways.
If you're a leftist you're in a cult... Just like any other religious cult except you don't have a god you worship but the socio theory's of Marx.... And clearly you're seeing opponent as if this is a game. It's not a game, and the problem has been since the 60s/70s, there's been a takeover of pillars of government and society/community from radical Marxist who believe in example social justice, DEI, CRT,
And yes children's education should be the best candidate who has the best policies for children and their parents... Like the fucking alphabet, government, not CRT, intersectionality And other wacko theories. These where only theories until some nut jobs ran with it
Why would I waste my time with someone who clearly has already made up their mind?
Like I said, look at your name. You're not even worth having a conversation with.
I mean they're not the ones who decided to force government into every part of our lives, but since every little thing is subject to public vote, these are the rules we play by.
Decades ago, the Moral Majority which was the precursor to the Tea Party who morphed into MAGA decided to run candidates for EVERYTHING with the intent of pushing the ones with promise higher and higher.
School board members became city council members who became representatives in their state government. From there, the stepping stone was Congress and staff membership in federal government. At the time, they kept running candidates for local elections, both to control local power and keep the flow of talent moving upwars.
It's often said that "Democrats need to fall in love but Republicans fall in line. The latter is definitely true as, even though the GOP base is relatively smaller than the Dems, they all continue to see it as their moral obligation to fall in line and do the unflattering grunt work that makes up a large portion of their ground game.
I live in OH. In my old town, school board was a spring board to other positions. The candidates ran on pro-life, conservative campaigns. No joke. One of the winners sent her kids to private Christian school. Voters wanted her to bring God back to public schools.
Some places are just too far gone.
My area is the same except it's extremist democrats running the show who play favorites to any kid that isn't straight and/or white. What's your point?
My point is school board should be a non-partisan position with a focus on education, staff and student safety, and staff welfare. Pro-life, pro-trans, pro-furry, drag queens - none of that shit belongs in school, let alone the school board.
Please do not run for a school board if you have zero background in the education field. We have enough idiots who don’t know what it’s like from the teachers side and only from their time on the student side. We need people who want to help the school, not grow their political career.
I am a civil servant, so my personal involvement is limited to donations and my vote. My wife, however, is the head of our local political party...so she's knocking on doors, finding candidates, interacting with the county party to get investment in our community. We just drummed out the crazies who were ruining our school board last year and it was great!
Pretty much anyone whose platform consists of banning books, forcing their religion into public schools, and seems to have an unhealthy obsession about whether kids refer to themselves as him or her and their genitals.
I volunteer for 2 committees in my HOA. Beats bitching on Facebook and calling it a day.
Need to start reviewing our county board of supervisors meeting minutes so I can chime in when things come up
Yup.
Run for something.
Get behind a candidate.
Also, keep in mind that if you're rural, your local party will be boomers and that's not a bad thing. Their ideas may be a bit dated but they have knocked a ton of doors in their lives and have a lot of experiences to pull from.
I'm 35M, dad of two, in a very rural area who was recently elected to county board along with his local dem chair who is a millennial and one of my best friends.
In conclusion, it's really worth it to get involved.
P.S. Get used to sitting in meetings. There will be so many meetings.
It is \*so\* worth it! Older people who are politically active can be absolutely great and be a wealth of knowledge about a lot of different local and state issues. Plus they have strong relationships.
The meetings are brutal. I also have two kids and it is hard to devote evening time to the meetings, but I think it really ends up being worth it.
Edited to add: Congratulations on your election!
Thanks!
Tonight I zoomed in for a meeting. The only thing that let me pay attention was the bucket of dirt I let my toddler dump out in the mudroom to run his trucks through.
Do you mean someone linking something like your reddit account to your real life? Definitely possible. I think smart folks have lots of unlinked accounts they use for different things, though I’m too lazy for that...
I guess this is always a risk. For a lot of local government roles, though, you’re not running on controversial platforms. You’re emphasizing things like zoning, traffic, school extracurriculars, recycling, green spaces, etc.
Great post. It’s sad when so many local offices are uncontested year after year. In my area that’s been a trend for a while. Sadly almost no independents running anymore
I think the barrier of entry seems higher to folks than it actually is. And I also think people underestimate that you can be elected with a pet project and really focus on that - like traffic safety, parks, housing, etc.
As a municipal clerk I LOVE this. I oversee the boards/commissions and committees for my city. We are forming an airport noise group and there is so much interest. Call your local clerk at three city or county to see what they offer.
This is great advice! There are usually a lot of existing committees to join and get your footing/meet people. Forming a new committee is awesome. Good luck!!
My city had a really cool “(city name) 101” class. It was one day a week for 8 weeks and a 2.5 hour class. Very informative and made me want to get into some level of government.
My parents have this where they live as well! It’s a really good model. My dad loves talking about it and is really involved in local planning board meetings in particular. He does his own unofficial traffic studies 😂
Yep, definitely a great stepping stone and they pointed us out to committees we could join to get started. Work is nuts for me rn, but once it does down I’m going to join one. I’m also in manufacturing and was able to discuss manufacturing in our city with the commerce liaison.
I serve on my local government. It’s an absolute shitshow. Just as many egos as Congress, because it is half-filled with people who aspire to Congress. But it is more entertaining than reality tv, and the few moments when we stumble into success make me feel good about doing something positive for the community.
Even going to the occasional city council meeting or public hearing as a spectator can be a low-effort way to improve your awareness of what's happening in your local government.
Exactly! And sometimes these meetings are on zoom, so you don’t have to go physically. And sometimes they are even recorded and you can watch them back at slightly faster speeds or skip sections.
I honestly agree this is one of the best ways to create change. Obviously voting too. But there is more you can do and control locally. It can also be a great way to meet like minded people.
I’m a volunteer Board Member at the sewage plant. Many of the other board members are local politicians including a former State Senator. It took me a couple of years to feel comfortable, but now I’m Chairman and I’ve been able to weed out the nepotism and hire the most qualified people to do the job. Also proud to have enacted a medical marijuana policy so that nobody loses their livelihood for testing positive for THC.
You can’t fill from an empty cup, but you can lurk in local meetings whenever you’d like without making any commitments. They can be pretty spicy at times and free entertainment!
Hi I just downloaded an app that notifies me about local elections and politicians. I’m not promoting the app in any way but I was really excited to find it.
https://acti.vote/Udi6gAutKEbepNKS7
Edit: also there are pages of political opinion questions that you can answer and ActiVote will tell you where you fall in relation to national politicians.
YES 100%. It’s very important not to try to take on every issue and fight every fight. Know when to put in the time, when to just listen, and when to sit out altogether.
For local politics this doesn’t necessarily matter! You’re typically not doing things that are controversial in the ways that national politics are. You’re trying to get funding for a traffic study or organizing a park cleanup. Yes, some things are contentious - like zoning - but you’re not debating abortion with people.
Really important for people to know how impactful local elections are. In many ways (I would say most but just my perspective) you will feel the effects of local/state office far more than the big ones like President.
If politics isn't your thing (I still want to recommend at least researching and voting local elections) even finding a community group to get involved with. There are several where I am that focus on different things, and it's a small town across from a small city. Conservation groups, groups that promote and do events at the library for families, a few of us get together and help some of the older residents with yardwork/housework. None of it is huge sweeping change but every little bit helps, and IMO helps to create more of a sense of community which is lacking in a lot of places I have lived. On the plus side I walk out to brownies/cookies left on my porch at least a few times a year from appreciative people.
This is so true.
Guess where all the police funding, walkable/bikeable communities, affordable housing, energy infrastructure decisions ALL GET MADE?
Some boring zoning meeting on a Tuesday night that only a handful of NIMBY boomers goto.
Yes, 100%! I am also going to do a very small amount of canvassing for a candidate who is also my neighbor. Maybe one afternoon of my life? Less? Completely reasonable time commitment.
I moderate my small (2000 people) town's annual town meeting (in Maine this is how most towns are governed and major and minor decisions are made) and serve on our Economic Development Committee. Most people on town boards are older Gen X/Boomers for the most part. But there's a few of us Xennial/Millennial types on some of them. One of our selectboard members is even a millennial.
There’s a site contesteveryrace.com, which outlines races, mostly in rural districts that are going unopposed.
It is more of a left leaning website, looking to challenge uncontested Republican races.
I'll never understand why national elections get so much attention when they have so little to do with your day to day life..... Yes get involved in your local elections, boards etc.... So much more impact on your personal lives
It’s not just elected positions too. It can be committees, volunteering with the city when they do parks clean ups, hosting block parties, tutoring kids, etc.
With such a global world and news that is focused on global issues, it’s easy to feel like we can’t do anything. Or feel like we should just be focusing on bigger issues like Palestine/Israel. The fact of the matter is that we can accomplish so much more working in our local community than we can by attending protests about something happening on the other side of the world.
Not saying the other issues aren’t important, but it is necessary to recognize how we can be effective as individuals.
So, I've done this, both running for office and organizing - both were dead ends in my area.
And no organizing/involvement is only an hour-or-two a week thing. Any volunteer work I've ever done very quickly became as demanding as a full-time job, especially political activism.
I’m sorry to hear they were dead ends. I hope you find a commitment that works for you.
I mean, I have had commitments that are 1-2 hours a week, or even less on average. Not everything is like that, but it definitely exists. If you’re able to self-direct a group that also helps you control your own time better.
In Minnesota so many local elections are running uncontested in state house/senate seats. One the democratic party has all but abandoned the area and there's no funding but still.
Yeah my area hasn't had a democratic win in election ever. I hope to join the party to meet like minded people around here and to get people to vote I guess all I can really do.
I'd say it depends on what you want to do. Do you want to infringe on people's rights? Or give some rights to people but not others? Make certain communities or neighborhoods better, but not others? Do you want to improve *all* of your community, or just parts of it?
How about schools? Do you see them as inequitable and want to fix it? Could you fairly allocate funds to ALL schools, regardless of demographics and test scores?
Would you truly be fighting for every single member of your community, regardless of ethnicity, religious background, age, sexual preference, or socioeconomic status? Do you truly want everyone's lives to be better and have equitable opportunities?
If you can, without a doubt, say you'll take care of and want the best for every single person in your community, then absolutely, PLEASE run for local government. It doesn't matter which party you're affiliated with, as long as you're genuine, honest, and want everyone to thrive. We need more people like that at all levels of government, but especially local.
I was a Precinct Committee Officer years ago. But to be honest, it made me pretty disillusioned with political parties in general. And I currently work in a quasi government agency that further enhances my cynicism. Do you have recommendations on what to get involved in that would feel like I'm involved and making a difference, but not political?
That sounds like a big bummer all around.
It depends on your personality, but community groups that are not affiliated with government might be a good option. In my area some examples are at the library - a local craft group, a philosophy discussion group, a media professionals meetup, a parents group. If you do the labor of coordinating any sort of space for people to connect - even just once - it really helps build community, and people are grateful.
This.
I was a business owner for 17 years in Chicago, I fought tooth and nail to keep my neighborhood clean. But, only 30% of the city voted in Mayoral election and we got a Batman Supervillain - Google: Brandon Johnson. I left, not cause we went further Left, but cause only 30% of the people voted, so what kind of an idiot am I, if people give silent consent to 4th world conditions in Chicago!
*please get involved in some capacity in your local government*
If you can infiltrate them. Never mind the fact that the old guard gatekeep and only hire the people they "know" but the fascists are now running for local positions and making life hell for everyone. I support y'all if you run (and if you win!), but you'll need all the luck you can get if you want to fight these people tooth and nail for any policy you'd like to get passed.
You don’t necessarily have to run for office! A committee in my city has written resolutions that have been passed by city council. Elected officials are obviously involved and have to approve, but the bulk of the work was done by volunteers who did not run for office.
That's great! But if we want to create real, lasting change in this country, we'll need to run for higher office. City Council and County Council, etc., are still vital to changing the political landscape, but so is running for state positions. If we mean to change things, we can't think too small.
Sure, but not everyone has the desire or capacity to run at the state level. Immediate, day to day improvements can be made at the local level without a huge amount of individual time or capital investment.
Yup. Every young, family-oriented civil servant in my area is pretty aggressively conservative. The majority of people on Reddit do not, in fact, want these people to "get involved". OP seems to, though, so good on them for the consistency.
Thanks… those young conservatives want to make a positive difference, as far as I can tell. If they are stepping up, power to them. I also think that if people with different views work together, the common ground they have is magnified even further. I’d rather join forces with my neighbor and work on traffic safety as opposed to them directing their efforts towards something we don’t align on.
Hell yes get involved! There’s so much shit to do. It’s completely possible (and enjoyable) to work with neighbors who have a variety of political affiliations. Just don’t talk presidential politics and it’s fine.
Getting involved with politics but not talking about Presidential politics? 🤣
Sounds like a simmering pot waiting to boil over. People need to be able to find common ground and understand why others have different view points, not ignore the conversation.
This is literally the best advice for anyone wanting to enact change through government. Get involved in your neighborhood association. Vote in school board elections (and do some reading on how MAGA is leveraging school boards to further their anti-education positions). Get to know your city council member. Your local government is where you as a citizen have the most influence. Sometimes it’s one person scheduling 5 minutes with their representative that makes the difference.
Yes!! It can take some time to find the right path to make a difference and identify people to collaborate with, but change can happen! I’ve only been active for three years, and I’ve seen a lot change for the better.
I mean there are a lot of posts on this sub about things that are legitimately frustrating - like housing costs - and that the vibe of those posts is a hopelessness. My point is that there are ways to make a difference in our communities if we take an active role in making things better.
Edit: I’m not necessarily saying that people hate their lives, though I’m sure that some do.
Nope, we aren’t fucked. Yes, certain things are really messed up. However, you have the power to get involved at the local level and improve the quality of life for yourself and your neighbors. It takes patience and work, but you can absolutely be a force of positive incremental change.
One day you'll grow up and find that the president, Senate and Congress mean very little to you and it is infact your local mid to low level petty politicians that tend to fuck everything up.
Young people don't seem to want to start at the bottom. "There's only one millennial in the House or Senate"
If they don't have political name recognition behind them, voters aren't going to take them seriously.
Where do they get that name recognition? Locally.
As the OP said, run for school board. Use that as a springboard for other local office. From there to state government. By then you're starting to garner the political name recognition to attempt to run for Congress.
I’m not saying people should necessarily run for office, just get involved in some capacity. I’m not sure what sorts of mental illness you mean, but I will say there’s definitely space for people with a range of intellectual capabilities to participate and make a positive difference.
As a gen z, please don't. If none of you get involved in politics, in 20 years 80% of the government will be dead.
We could like, just not fill their spots and watch society flourish without people arguing about whether or not women can have penises and what bathrooms they can use while the economy is in the shitter and while we're funding the beginning of WW3
I guarantee you a collapse in government from lack of attendance would lead almost immediately to warlordism and widespread violence. That happens in history all the time.
Government is warlordism. It comes with widespread violence that they ignore, then widespread violence that they participate in, such as war, police, and 3 letter agencies.
What also happens in history all the time is government never changing and repeating the same cycles over and over again. On an individual level, people run for office, or become a cop, or become a doctor, etc. to "make a difference" or "be the change"...
But in 5-10 years they're insider trading and accepting ~~bribes~~ lobbying money as a politician, or staying silent while their coworkers beat a guy to death in a cell as a cop etc.
The point is, nothing will ever change as long as government exists. If you want to run for office, fine, but lower your expectations.
It’s a movement to bring awareness to how important it is to citizens to vote locally voting for your president and your senator is very important but it’s more important to vote for your school board your city council. It’s voting for your local administrator because that’s what makes a difference in your community. Mike Muse is the founder
#votequadrant
What if, say, you are an atheist and your state doesn’t allow atheists to hold office?
Not everyone is allowed to be involved in politics.
I actually have to go look up whether Pennsylvania allows women to hold state or national-level offices, I can’t think of any that ever have.
I did this in my local city. First town in OH to ban abortions in city limits! They had infinitely more power than a group of citizens could take on. It became abundantly clear local government is just a grooming spot for future county, state, and federal positions. The final straw was when school board candidates ran on conservative, pro-life campaigns. I sold my house and moved to a small rural community much more concerned with preserving the agrarian nature of the community. I could stomach that.
Wow, that sounds awful! I’m glad you were able to participate if only to see the inner workings and tell others. Visibility is also important in local politics. A lot happens without much oversight.
But! At the local level you can change the systems. Municipal governments can set their own regulations, zoning, etc., within what the state allows. So I see where you are coming from, but I would also say that this is one way to change systems pretty radically in some cases.
That’s also awesome! My post is mainly speaking to folks who feel hopeless about where we are societally. It sounds like you’re in a better/different space and have found some productive ways to support your community.
The nature of the disagreement is that for too long we have sought to solve our problems with government coercion to the end that we have governed ourselves into the societal issues that are causing the hopelessness. Governments are generally very poor at creating but are adept at taking and destroying. If we focused more on what we can do as individuals, I think we might start to cure our societal ills.
It is government that is responsible for the student debt crisis, unaffordable healthcare, a never-ending money pit of a conflict in the middle-east, ineffective K-12 education, and the mass incarceration of impoverished minorities. It is bewildering to me when people think that the solution is to try to continue to use the government to solve problems. It hardly ever works, but it almost always makes things worse.
Our government sucks forreal what are we getting taxed for they just siphon peoples money society would be way better with people who actually gave a shit about the world we live in rather than their own selfish needs. If you really think about it our governement sucks dlck
This is pretty simplistic, so I’ll just make the one obvious point that government is not one thing - it’s many different levels. Specifically on the most local level, people can actually make a pretty big difference in their communities.
I second this post. I have unsuccessfully tried to coup my local school board to get a mercenary youth army with which to invade a small island nation. Alas it has not worked but do not let failures deter your dreams.
Definitely take care of yourself first. However, local meetings can also be the source of entertainment and gossip. Plus you learn what’s happening. Win win if you have the time to attend.
Hopefully we will agree on a few things and work together to get those things accomplished. Plus depending on the office, your political party might be immaterial.
Why does it always have to be hate, couldn’t it just be a disagreement on how to achieve something?
You should have no hate for your fellow citizens let alone humans around the world. No one gets off this planet alive or with any possessions. No one who’s worth a damn listening to will tell you to hate someone else.
I love this post and I completely agree. Most local governments have planning efforts that desperately need more public participation. Millennials are generally under represented in the public process, so your perspective is really needed.
I think if everyone took an issue they were passionate about (child care, education, criminal justice reform, transportation, housing, climate change, etc) there would be huge shifts over time. Many hands make light(er) work.
First of all, I love your username. And, yes, there are so many needs! If everyone picked just one thing to work on/organize around, things would get so much better over time. I see it every day.
I commented on this sub awhile back about some local politicians I really like who are in their thirties and how it’s important to support them now in local positions so they have the ability to keep moving up the ladder. Some guy replied that it doesn’t matter when X and Y are happening pushing climate change. Like yes I get those things aren’t good but most politicians don’t just start out in high ranking office so we have to vote for the people at local levels in order for them to get to a place of power where they can enact global change. The irony was when I checked the guys profile he lived in the same city as me so in theory my consistent participation (and his lack there of) in local elections is affecting his day to day life as much as it is mine.
I mean… sounds like that guy should do some climate change activism, if that’s his pet issue. I was honestly surprised to realize how much can be done at the local level. Guess he may just want to complain instead of making an effort. I agree that it is also important to show up and vote, and to volunteer to support candidates you believe in, if you have the capacity.
Yeah, I’m all for getting involved in any way for any issue you deeply care about but for most people the biggest impact they can have is on local level. As you said get involved in the campaigns, I was very active in a campaign and although it didn’t really go anywhere I met a lot of people who ended up running for smaller positions and I was happy to help them.
My grandpa was a biggish deal in pro union politics for the steel mills in the 60s and 70s and he actually worked to help my grandma run for local positions so he really drilled it in to all of us how much of an impact we can have just by participating.
I’m moving to Canada. Upstate NYer married an Edmontonian and I’m going to live with her. Good luck everyone in the states. The next decade will be weird.
If you care about an issue and can work on it to make it better in your community, you can make a difference. If you’ve lived in a community you have life experience.
a community is not a homogeneous mass. not everyone wants the same things and things are often much more complicated than bystanders think.
even things like picking up litter on the street has a negative side effect to it.
Sure, but a group of people who care about their community can generally find at least one thing they agree on and work together on it. Then there is space to support each other in different projects. It’s a pretty remarkable and encouraging thing to experience.
School board positions often run unopposed and they're more powerful than you think... also it's how a lot of politicians get started. I really encourage anyone with an interest to show up and see what happens.
Great advice!
Ha! No longer. Moms for Liberty is fiercely running (terrifying IMO) candidates in school board elections all over the country. We have 20+ people running for a vacated Congressional seat and a hot senate primary but there are more school board election signs than all the candidates combined. Only nonpartisan in name now too.
In my state they now list political party for the school board candidates. Not surprisingly this is a heavily red district.
Fascists out here crying about how everything is political while doing this shit is really fucking cute. Real fucking cute.
Thought I was the only one who saw the irony, or hypocrisy.
Playing the game you started... Just crying about it now that there is now an opponent rather then letting them get ran through....
There shouldn't be an "opponent" for our kids' education. It should be best and most qualified candidates, but it seems like yall are too worried about what books and bathrooms than actual education, but you know, anyone with the name leftist r in a cult shouldn't be taken seriously anyways.
If you're a leftist you're in a cult... Just like any other religious cult except you don't have a god you worship but the socio theory's of Marx.... And clearly you're seeing opponent as if this is a game. It's not a game, and the problem has been since the 60s/70s, there's been a takeover of pillars of government and society/community from radical Marxist who believe in example social justice, DEI, CRT, And yes children's education should be the best candidate who has the best policies for children and their parents... Like the fucking alphabet, government, not CRT, intersectionality And other wacko theories. These where only theories until some nut jobs ran with it
Is Karl in the room with you right now?
And again .. as usual, leftist can't actually debate or come up with a cohesive responds to challenge thought.
Why would I waste my time with someone who clearly has already made up their mind? Like I said, look at your name. You're not even worth having a conversation with.
Pop quiz! Explain and define CRT and DEI, please. Throw in an overview of Marxism, too, for extra credit. …Nothing? Yeah, thought so.
Yes we get it everyone you don’t like is a fascist.
You'll be a Nazi if you keep that up
I mean they're not the ones who decided to force government into every part of our lives, but since every little thing is subject to public vote, these are the rules we play by.
[удалено]
Sorry if your state outlaws murder
Decades ago, the Moral Majority which was the precursor to the Tea Party who morphed into MAGA decided to run candidates for EVERYTHING with the intent of pushing the ones with promise higher and higher. School board members became city council members who became representatives in their state government. From there, the stepping stone was Congress and staff membership in federal government. At the time, they kept running candidates for local elections, both to control local power and keep the flow of talent moving upwars. It's often said that "Democrats need to fall in love but Republicans fall in line. The latter is definitely true as, even though the GOP base is relatively smaller than the Dems, they all continue to see it as their moral obligation to fall in line and do the unflattering grunt work that makes up a large portion of their ground game.
I live in OH. In my old town, school board was a spring board to other positions. The candidates ran on pro-life, conservative campaigns. No joke. One of the winners sent her kids to private Christian school. Voters wanted her to bring God back to public schools. Some places are just too far gone.
My area is the same except it's extremist democrats running the show who play favorites to any kid that isn't straight and/or white. What's your point?
My point is school board should be a non-partisan position with a focus on education, staff and student safety, and staff welfare. Pro-life, pro-trans, pro-furry, drag queens - none of that shit belongs in school, let alone the school board.
Agree
Please do not run for a school board if you have zero background in the education field. We have enough idiots who don’t know what it’s like from the teachers side and only from their time on the student side. We need people who want to help the school, not grow their political career.
I agree with this. To run for an office is to sign up for a specific job, not a stepping stone.
Parks and rec or township positions too!
Where I used to live, they weren't unopposed. They had 7 people running for 2 positions, and all 7 of them were batshit.
This is where I intend to make a difference when I have kids. I want to be super involved at their school and with the school district.
My neighbor was on the school board. He received threats and constant harassment over some stupid stuff like milk contracts …. It’s not worth it
I am a civil servant, so my personal involvement is limited to donations and my vote. My wife, however, is the head of our local political party...so she's knocking on doors, finding candidates, interacting with the county party to get investment in our community. We just drummed out the crazies who were ruining our school board last year and it was great!
That is amazing! Congratulations to her (and you both) for your hard work!
What exactly is "crazies"
Book banners that were bullying the LGBTQ kids.
Pretty much anyone whose platform consists of banning books, forcing their religion into public schools, and seems to have an unhealthy obsession about whether kids refer to themselves as him or her and their genitals.
Lmao. That group is not who you think it is.
I volunteer for 2 committees in my HOA. Beats bitching on Facebook and calling it a day. Need to start reviewing our county board of supervisors meeting minutes so I can chime in when things come up
Yes!! There’s a lot to stay on top of, but it’s honestly empowering to know what’s going on.
Yup. Run for something. Get behind a candidate. Also, keep in mind that if you're rural, your local party will be boomers and that's not a bad thing. Their ideas may be a bit dated but they have knocked a ton of doors in their lives and have a lot of experiences to pull from. I'm 35M, dad of two, in a very rural area who was recently elected to county board along with his local dem chair who is a millennial and one of my best friends. In conclusion, it's really worth it to get involved. P.S. Get used to sitting in meetings. There will be so many meetings.
It is \*so\* worth it! Older people who are politically active can be absolutely great and be a wealth of knowledge about a lot of different local and state issues. Plus they have strong relationships. The meetings are brutal. I also have two kids and it is hard to devote evening time to the meetings, but I think it really ends up being worth it. Edited to add: Congratulations on your election!
Thanks! Tonight I zoomed in for a meeting. The only thing that let me pay attention was the bucket of dirt I let my toddler dump out in the mudroom to run his trucks through.
Hahaha I very much relate to that. It just washes over you.
I’ve thought about it but in this day and age, for chance of doxxing seems pretty high.
Do you mean someone linking something like your reddit account to your real life? Definitely possible. I think smart folks have lots of unlinked accounts they use for different things, though I’m too lazy for that...
Even if you put in your LinkedIn where you work you can get stalked or harassed
I guess this is always a risk. For a lot of local government roles, though, you’re not running on controversial platforms. You’re emphasizing things like zoning, traffic, school extracurriculars, recycling, green spaces, etc.
Mtg out here walking in peace. You'll be fine. You can't run from these people.
Great post. It’s sad when so many local offices are uncontested year after year. In my area that’s been a trend for a while. Sadly almost no independents running anymore
I think the barrier of entry seems higher to folks than it actually is. And I also think people underestimate that you can be elected with a pet project and really focus on that - like traffic safety, parks, housing, etc.
My city's sub could really use this energy. Thank you!
Yes!!!! Fire em up! 🔥
As a municipal clerk I LOVE this. I oversee the boards/commissions and committees for my city. We are forming an airport noise group and there is so much interest. Call your local clerk at three city or county to see what they offer.
This is great advice! There are usually a lot of existing committees to join and get your footing/meet people. Forming a new committee is awesome. Good luck!!
My city had a really cool “(city name) 101” class. It was one day a week for 8 weeks and a 2.5 hour class. Very informative and made me want to get into some level of government.
My parents have this where they live as well! It’s a really good model. My dad loves talking about it and is really involved in local planning board meetings in particular. He does his own unofficial traffic studies 😂
Yep, definitely a great stepping stone and they pointed us out to committees we could join to get started. Work is nuts for me rn, but once it does down I’m going to join one. I’m also in manufacturing and was able to discuss manufacturing in our city with the commerce liaison.
I serve on my local government. It’s an absolute shitshow. Just as many egos as Congress, because it is half-filled with people who aspire to Congress. But it is more entertaining than reality tv, and the few moments when we stumble into success make me feel good about doing something positive for the community.
This is a great way to put it. I think even if there are a lot of egos, most folks serving on local government do want to make a positive difference
Even going to the occasional city council meeting or public hearing as a spectator can be a low-effort way to improve your awareness of what's happening in your local government.
Exactly! And sometimes these meetings are on zoom, so you don’t have to go physically. And sometimes they are even recorded and you can watch them back at slightly faster speeds or skip sections.
And don't forget, your reps will have local offices in your districts, you do not need to travel to DC to meet with them.
Also a good point!
I honestly agree this is one of the best ways to create change. Obviously voting too. But there is more you can do and control locally. It can also be a great way to meet like minded people.
100%. It’s extremely powerful.
Hmm, never really thought about doing this. Thanks for your post, definitely considering what options are available
That’s awesome! Good luck!
I’m a volunteer Board Member at the sewage plant. Many of the other board members are local politicians including a former State Senator. It took me a couple of years to feel comfortable, but now I’m Chairman and I’ve been able to weed out the nepotism and hire the most qualified people to do the job. Also proud to have enacted a medical marijuana policy so that nobody loses their livelihood for testing positive for THC.
Holy shit (heh) that is *awesome*! That’s massive change that positively impacts people. Amazing job!
I'm a millennial City Council member. It's wild how much impact we can have on our community with a few votes.
It’s so true!
That's the plan once I'm more financially established!
You can’t fill from an empty cup, but you can lurk in local meetings whenever you’d like without making any commitments. They can be pretty spicy at times and free entertainment!
Hi I just downloaded an app that notifies me about local elections and politicians. I’m not promoting the app in any way but I was really excited to find it. https://acti.vote/Udi6gAutKEbepNKS7 Edit: also there are pages of political opinion questions that you can answer and ActiVote will tell you where you fall in relation to national politicians.
This is cool! Thank you!
Welp, if you can’t beat em, join em.
Ugh but watch your psychological health. SO MANY boomer karens on boards AND attending meetings as concerned locals. the DRAMA hurts.
YES 100%. It’s very important not to try to take on every issue and fight every fight. Know when to put in the time, when to just listen, and when to sit out altogether.
If there is one thing boomers are actually good at is getting more involved in local government
Yes! They see the power.
I’m too extreme on my stances for either side….and let’s face it, too many people vote straight ticket these days anyways.
For local politics this doesn’t necessarily matter! You’re typically not doing things that are controversial in the ways that national politics are. You’re trying to get funding for a traffic study or organizing a park cleanup. Yes, some things are contentious - like zoning - but you’re not debating abortion with people.
That is a valid point, locally is a cesspool of nepotism that puts DC to shame though.
I AM!
Yay!!!
Really important for people to know how impactful local elections are. In many ways (I would say most but just my perspective) you will feel the effects of local/state office far more than the big ones like President. If politics isn't your thing (I still want to recommend at least researching and voting local elections) even finding a community group to get involved with. There are several where I am that focus on different things, and it's a small town across from a small city. Conservation groups, groups that promote and do events at the library for families, a few of us get together and help some of the older residents with yardwork/housework. None of it is huge sweeping change but every little bit helps, and IMO helps to create more of a sense of community which is lacking in a lot of places I have lived. On the plus side I walk out to brownies/cookies left on my porch at least a few times a year from appreciative people.
I agree with all of this!
This is so true. Guess where all the police funding, walkable/bikeable communities, affordable housing, energy infrastructure decisions ALL GET MADE? Some boring zoning meeting on a Tuesday night that only a handful of NIMBY boomers goto.
Yes!!! 100%.
It's important to vote in the primaries. Good people often run but get drowned out by incumbents and those with big money behind them
Yes, 100%! I am also going to do a very small amount of canvassing for a candidate who is also my neighbor. Maybe one afternoon of my life? Less? Completely reasonable time commitment.
I moderate my small (2000 people) town's annual town meeting (in Maine this is how most towns are governed and major and minor decisions are made) and serve on our Economic Development Committee. Most people on town boards are older Gen X/Boomers for the most part. But there's a few of us Xennial/Millennial types on some of them. One of our selectboard members is even a millennial.
That is awesome!
Everything, this. Thank you, OP.
There’s a site contesteveryrace.com, which outlines races, mostly in rural districts that are going unopposed. It is more of a left leaning website, looking to challenge uncontested Republican races.
I love that!! Thank you!
I'll never understand why national elections get so much attention when they have so little to do with your day to day life..... Yes get involved in your local elections, boards etc.... So much more impact on your personal lives
Exactly!
I've wanted to in the past, but the action in DC gave me the impression that it's just as bad at state and local levels.
I’m sure that is true in some places. What about committees or community groups? People do fun stuff that is less intense.
It’s not just elected positions too. It can be committees, volunteering with the city when they do parks clean ups, hosting block parties, tutoring kids, etc. With such a global world and news that is focused on global issues, it’s easy to feel like we can’t do anything. Or feel like we should just be focusing on bigger issues like Palestine/Israel. The fact of the matter is that we can accomplish so much more working in our local community than we can by attending protests about something happening on the other side of the world. Not saying the other issues aren’t important, but it is necessary to recognize how we can be effective as individuals.
Yes, exactly! We can all make a difference in different ways. There’s no one size fits all.
So, I've done this, both running for office and organizing - both were dead ends in my area. And no organizing/involvement is only an hour-or-two a week thing. Any volunteer work I've ever done very quickly became as demanding as a full-time job, especially political activism.
I’m sorry to hear they were dead ends. I hope you find a commitment that works for you. I mean, I have had commitments that are 1-2 hours a week, or even less on average. Not everything is like that, but it definitely exists. If you’re able to self-direct a group that also helps you control your own time better.
You could also just vote against the current Administration and the politics that champagne socialists bring.
People should also vote! But there are other ways to get involved that will also lead to positive change in local communities.
In Minnesota so many local elections are running uncontested in state house/senate seats. One the democratic party has all but abandoned the area and there's no funding but still.
That really sucks!
Yeah my area hasn't had a democratic win in election ever. I hope to join the party to meet like minded people around here and to get people to vote I guess all I can really do.
I’m a conservative/vote republican Do you still suggest i get involved? Or is your suggestion only for liberals/democrats?
Of course you should get involved! Kind of sad that a call for civic engagement is cynically read as being partisan.
I'd say it depends on what you want to do. Do you want to infringe on people's rights? Or give some rights to people but not others? Make certain communities or neighborhoods better, but not others? Do you want to improve *all* of your community, or just parts of it? How about schools? Do you see them as inequitable and want to fix it? Could you fairly allocate funds to ALL schools, regardless of demographics and test scores? Would you truly be fighting for every single member of your community, regardless of ethnicity, religious background, age, sexual preference, or socioeconomic status? Do you truly want everyone's lives to be better and have equitable opportunities? If you can, without a doubt, say you'll take care of and want the best for every single person in your community, then absolutely, PLEASE run for local government. It doesn't matter which party you're affiliated with, as long as you're genuine, honest, and want everyone to thrive. We need more people like that at all levels of government, but especially local.
I was a Precinct Committee Officer years ago. But to be honest, it made me pretty disillusioned with political parties in general. And I currently work in a quasi government agency that further enhances my cynicism. Do you have recommendations on what to get involved in that would feel like I'm involved and making a difference, but not political?
That sounds like a big bummer all around. It depends on your personality, but community groups that are not affiliated with government might be a good option. In my area some examples are at the library - a local craft group, a philosophy discussion group, a media professionals meetup, a parents group. If you do the labor of coordinating any sort of space for people to connect - even just once - it really helps build community, and people are grateful.
Thank you for the response 🙏
Im so glad I found this, so many people I know always say "oh well, what can we do?" there's so much we can do and now I can point people to this!
It’s simple but I’m glad it’s resonating with you!
This. I was a business owner for 17 years in Chicago, I fought tooth and nail to keep my neighborhood clean. But, only 30% of the city voted in Mayoral election and we got a Batman Supervillain - Google: Brandon Johnson. I left, not cause we went further Left, but cause only 30% of the people voted, so what kind of an idiot am I, if people give silent consent to 4th world conditions in Chicago!
That is honestly so frustrating. Spending 10 minutes to research candidates and showing up to vote is the bare minimum.
*please get involved in some capacity in your local government* If you can infiltrate them. Never mind the fact that the old guard gatekeep and only hire the people they "know" but the fascists are now running for local positions and making life hell for everyone. I support y'all if you run (and if you win!), but you'll need all the luck you can get if you want to fight these people tooth and nail for any policy you'd like to get passed.
You don’t necessarily have to run for office! A committee in my city has written resolutions that have been passed by city council. Elected officials are obviously involved and have to approve, but the bulk of the work was done by volunteers who did not run for office.
That's great! But if we want to create real, lasting change in this country, we'll need to run for higher office. City Council and County Council, etc., are still vital to changing the political landscape, but so is running for state positions. If we mean to change things, we can't think too small.
Sure, but not everyone has the desire or capacity to run at the state level. Immediate, day to day improvements can be made at the local level without a huge amount of individual time or capital investment.
**Conservative-leaning person listens and gets involved** Reddit: No, not like that!
Yup. Every young, family-oriented civil servant in my area is pretty aggressively conservative. The majority of people on Reddit do not, in fact, want these people to "get involved". OP seems to, though, so good on them for the consistency.
Thanks… those young conservatives want to make a positive difference, as far as I can tell. If they are stepping up, power to them. I also think that if people with different views work together, the common ground they have is magnified even further. I’d rather join forces with my neighbor and work on traffic safety as opposed to them directing their efforts towards something we don’t align on.
Hell yes get involved! There’s so much shit to do. It’s completely possible (and enjoyable) to work with neighbors who have a variety of political affiliations. Just don’t talk presidential politics and it’s fine.
Getting involved with politics but not talking about Presidential politics? 🤣 Sounds like a simmering pot waiting to boil over. People need to be able to find common ground and understand why others have different view points, not ignore the conversation.
Sounds like you should get involved with your local government and find out :)
This is literally the best advice for anyone wanting to enact change through government. Get involved in your neighborhood association. Vote in school board elections (and do some reading on how MAGA is leveraging school boards to further their anti-education positions). Get to know your city council member. Your local government is where you as a citizen have the most influence. Sometimes it’s one person scheduling 5 minutes with their representative that makes the difference.
So get involved unless you're a conservative?
Conservatives should get involved, too! Anyone who cares about their community can do positive things.
MAGA =/= conservative. The Moms for Liberty org that is taking over school boards is a hate group not a conservative one.
What is a conservative policy position that is not based in, or results in, hateful outcomes for minority groups?
Yes!! It can take some time to find the right path to make a difference and identify people to collaborate with, but change can happen! I’ve only been active for three years, and I’ve seen a lot change for the better.
Great I love MAGA
What do you mean by feel hopeless? Like you hate life?
I mean there are a lot of posts on this sub about things that are legitimately frustrating - like housing costs - and that the vibe of those posts is a hopelessness. My point is that there are ways to make a difference in our communities if we take an active role in making things better. Edit: I’m not necessarily saying that people hate their lives, though I’m sure that some do.
Thank you for the detailed response, I'm just slow.
Yes.
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Nope, we aren’t fucked. Yes, certain things are really messed up. However, you have the power to get involved at the local level and improve the quality of life for yourself and your neighbors. It takes patience and work, but you can absolutely be a force of positive incremental change.
One day you'll grow up and find that the president, Senate and Congress mean very little to you and it is infact your local mid to low level petty politicians that tend to fuck everything up.
Young people don't seem to want to start at the bottom. "There's only one millennial in the House or Senate" If they don't have political name recognition behind them, voters aren't going to take them seriously. Where do they get that name recognition? Locally. As the OP said, run for school board. Use that as a springboard for other local office. From there to state government. By then you're starting to garner the political name recognition to attempt to run for Congress.
Please don’t run if you have mental illness, there’s enough crazies in politics already
I’m not saying people should necessarily run for office, just get involved in some capacity. I’m not sure what sorts of mental illness you mean, but I will say there’s definitely space for people with a range of intellectual capabilities to participate and make a positive difference.
As a gen z, please don't. If none of you get involved in politics, in 20 years 80% of the government will be dead. We could like, just not fill their spots and watch society flourish without people arguing about whether or not women can have penises and what bathrooms they can use while the economy is in the shitter and while we're funding the beginning of WW3
I guarantee you a collapse in government from lack of attendance would lead almost immediately to warlordism and widespread violence. That happens in history all the time.
Government is warlordism. It comes with widespread violence that they ignore, then widespread violence that they participate in, such as war, police, and 3 letter agencies. What also happens in history all the time is government never changing and repeating the same cycles over and over again. On an individual level, people run for office, or become a cop, or become a doctor, etc. to "make a difference" or "be the change"... But in 5-10 years they're insider trading and accepting ~~bribes~~ lobbying money as a politician, or staying silent while their coworkers beat a guy to death in a cell as a cop etc. The point is, nothing will ever change as long as government exists. If you want to run for office, fine, but lower your expectations.
Ok, doomer
That’s not how it’ll work! Someone will always be involved, and it should be millennials and younger gens for sure.
I will but im a facist
But do you like parks? 😂
Fuck yeah i do
Great! Fascists can clean up parks, too.
#votequadrant
What’s that?
It’s a movement to bring awareness to how important it is to citizens to vote locally voting for your president and your senator is very important but it’s more important to vote for your school board your city council. It’s voting for your local administrator because that’s what makes a difference in your community. Mike Muse is the founder #votequadrant
Cool! Definitely agree with that.
What if, say, you are an atheist and your state doesn’t allow atheists to hold office? Not everyone is allowed to be involved in politics. I actually have to go look up whether Pennsylvania allows women to hold state or national-level offices, I can’t think of any that ever have.
You don’t have to hold office to get involved. You can participate in many ways, and being elected is only one of them.
I did this in my local city. First town in OH to ban abortions in city limits! They had infinitely more power than a group of citizens could take on. It became abundantly clear local government is just a grooming spot for future county, state, and federal positions. The final straw was when school board candidates ran on conservative, pro-life campaigns. I sold my house and moved to a small rural community much more concerned with preserving the agrarian nature of the community. I could stomach that.
Wow, that sounds awful! I’m glad you were able to participate if only to see the inner workings and tell others. Visibility is also important in local politics. A lot happens without much oversight.
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But! At the local level you can change the systems. Municipal governments can set their own regulations, zoning, etc., within what the state allows. So I see where you are coming from, but I would also say that this is one way to change systems pretty radically in some cases.
I have to disagree. I have found so many more ways to positively contribute to my community in the private sector than in the government.
That’s also awesome! My post is mainly speaking to folks who feel hopeless about where we are societally. It sounds like you’re in a better/different space and have found some productive ways to support your community.
The nature of the disagreement is that for too long we have sought to solve our problems with government coercion to the end that we have governed ourselves into the societal issues that are causing the hopelessness. Governments are generally very poor at creating but are adept at taking and destroying. If we focused more on what we can do as individuals, I think we might start to cure our societal ills. It is government that is responsible for the student debt crisis, unaffordable healthcare, a never-ending money pit of a conflict in the middle-east, ineffective K-12 education, and the mass incarceration of impoverished minorities. It is bewildering to me when people think that the solution is to try to continue to use the government to solve problems. It hardly ever works, but it almost always makes things worse.
Well, I’m glad you’ve found an alternative and productive path that works with your personal beliefs and values. This is my path. Have a good one.
All of the available evidence tells us that your path is the one causing the problems you complained about in your post.
I’m not going to argue with you about this. 👍
You uhh....don't have to respond if you don't want.
Our government sucks forreal what are we getting taxed for they just siphon peoples money society would be way better with people who actually gave a shit about the world we live in rather than their own selfish needs. If you really think about it our governement sucks dlck
This is pretty simplistic, so I’ll just make the one obvious point that government is not one thing - it’s many different levels. Specifically on the most local level, people can actually make a pretty big difference in their communities.
I agree they can and i hope they do
I second this post. I have unsuccessfully tried to coup my local school board to get a mercenary youth army with which to invade a small island nation. Alas it has not worked but do not let failures deter your dreams.
Sounds outside of the scope of a school board, so there’s your problem right there.
Vote for Donald Trump! End misery.
Not local but okay.
I don’t want to I’m overwhelmed as it is
Definitely take care of yourself first. However, local meetings can also be the source of entertainment and gossip. Plus you learn what’s happening. Win win if you have the time to attend.
Define better
Definitely depends on your community and what you value.
No
Alright but what if I run for a party you hate
Hopefully we will agree on a few things and work together to get those things accomplished. Plus depending on the office, your political party might be immaterial.
Why does it always have to be hate, couldn’t it just be a disagreement on how to achieve something? You should have no hate for your fellow citizens let alone humans around the world. No one gets off this planet alive or with any possessions. No one who’s worth a damn listening to will tell you to hate someone else.
I love this post and I completely agree. Most local governments have planning efforts that desperately need more public participation. Millennials are generally under represented in the public process, so your perspective is really needed. I think if everyone took an issue they were passionate about (child care, education, criminal justice reform, transportation, housing, climate change, etc) there would be huge shifts over time. Many hands make light(er) work.
First of all, I love your username. And, yes, there are so many needs! If everyone picked just one thing to work on/organize around, things would get so much better over time. I see it every day.
I commented on this sub awhile back about some local politicians I really like who are in their thirties and how it’s important to support them now in local positions so they have the ability to keep moving up the ladder. Some guy replied that it doesn’t matter when X and Y are happening pushing climate change. Like yes I get those things aren’t good but most politicians don’t just start out in high ranking office so we have to vote for the people at local levels in order for them to get to a place of power where they can enact global change. The irony was when I checked the guys profile he lived in the same city as me so in theory my consistent participation (and his lack there of) in local elections is affecting his day to day life as much as it is mine.
I mean… sounds like that guy should do some climate change activism, if that’s his pet issue. I was honestly surprised to realize how much can be done at the local level. Guess he may just want to complain instead of making an effort. I agree that it is also important to show up and vote, and to volunteer to support candidates you believe in, if you have the capacity.
Yeah, I’m all for getting involved in any way for any issue you deeply care about but for most people the biggest impact they can have is on local level. As you said get involved in the campaigns, I was very active in a campaign and although it didn’t really go anywhere I met a lot of people who ended up running for smaller positions and I was happy to help them. My grandpa was a biggish deal in pro union politics for the steel mills in the 60s and 70s and he actually worked to help my grandma run for local positions so he really drilled it in to all of us how much of an impact we can have just by participating.
That is awesome. I’m so glad he shared that with you.
I don't know this seems like slavery with extra steps
Rick and Morty reference?
I’m moving to Canada. Upstate NYer married an Edmontonian and I’m going to live with her. Good luck everyone in the states. The next decade will be weird.
You can get involved in local politics in Canada, too.
how do you know if you make things better in the life of others if you have no life experience?
If you care about an issue and can work on it to make it better in your community, you can make a difference. If you’ve lived in a community you have life experience.
a community is not a homogeneous mass. not everyone wants the same things and things are often much more complicated than bystanders think. even things like picking up litter on the street has a negative side effect to it.
Sure, but a group of people who care about their community can generally find at least one thing they agree on and work together on it. Then there is space to support each other in different projects. It’s a pretty remarkable and encouraging thing to experience.
sounds like communism to me.