How to Do Better On National Voter Registration Day: The Already-Registered-Edition #1
By Ender Austin, III
So you’re registered to vote. Your registration is current. No one has to tell you where to go cast your ballot in the next election. Yes. You voted for President. Yes. You plan to vote in the 2018 midterm elections. Yes. You participated in your local elections for mayor, councilmember, school board, district judge, alderman, dog catcher — you’ve got this voting thing locked down. Excellent. Now, it’s time to level up. It’s time to #DoBetter!
Here’s how you can #DoBetter this National Voter Registration Day, from a few people who kick all the a$$ when it comes to doing better: our Make It Work Ambassadors.
#1: Know why you are committing to do better and who you are committing to do better for.
Be honest with yourself about where you are in this moment, and what or who will drive your commitment to do better.
I’ve always been civically engaged, but this year was my first time getting this involved. I got to testify a few times on a number of different bills: minimum wage; the pink tax; I testified on a lot of criminal justice reform bills, some of which brought me to tears. On one occasion, my 5-year-old was with me, and my 2-year-old was in my arms, knocked out, waiting all day for me to testify [during the Nevada 2017 legislative session].
That means so much to me to be able to pass that onto my boys. My kids aren’t getting arrested for sit-ins, but they know when daddy says he’s going to a meeting, he’s helping people who can’t help themselves.
#2: Do better by refusing to settle.
If you settle for being practical, we won’t be able to do the incredible things we need to do in this moment.
If you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl. I don’t want to say be realistic, but be what you can. Because being realistic is I’m only a youth pastor with two kids, so what do I have to say to this body of legislators?
But this is my duty. This is what’s reasonable for me to do for my community. So I may not be able to go to Carson City to visit our state legislature every week, or be in my lawmakers’ faces and knock on doors, but if all I can do is put up a Facebook post, then I’m going to crawl and keep crawling until I’m strong enough to walk.
The reason that lawmakers [at the state or Congressional levels] are able to pass harmful policy is because there’s little backlash, but having a critical mass matters.
#3: Do better by making room.
Use what privilege you have to make room for whoever isn’t at the table.
We have to help those who are at the very bottom. So many people like to say, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” No! A lot of boats that are small dinghies get crashed by the waves. If all I have is this two-paddle canoe, I’m going under. So we have to help the canoes first. If that means me as a cisgender, educated man needs to step back, cool. Once we’re at the table, let’s move to who is really the most at-risk.
