What it means to be civically engaged in the age of Trump

When I worked for Congress only a few years ago, it was not uncommon that I met people who didn’t know who their representative was. It was even less common that they had ever called their lawmaker’s office or attended a town hall meeting. While many of the people I spoke with had political opinions, they often didn’t take the next step to communicate those opinions.

This election changed that

In the months since the election and inauguration, the amount of interest in contacting lawmakers has been staggering. I now meet people who have called their representatives, and they’ve done it weekly or even daily. They know who their representatives are, how they are voting, and have educated themselves on the political process.

And all of this activism is happening in the face of apathy and disbelief from those who believe our system is hopelessly corrupt and unwilling to listen to any opinion that doesn’t have large campaign donations behind it.

When I wrote last fall about the most effective ways to contact your lawmakers, I did so with the experience I had working for two representatives and knowing how they listened to their constituents and used that feedback to make policy. Calling and contacting your representatives does make a difference. But, it’s not as simple as one call equaling the exact action you want.

Taking the next step

By calling your representative, you’ve taken a step toward becoming an active participant in your government. It’s an easy but effective way to express your opinion and make clear how you want to be represented. However, I hope that’s not where you stop.

What I’ve discovered is that people who are willing to call their representatives are also willing to attend town hall meetings, where they’ll meet other likeminded people. These friendships and groups turn into discussions about policies and meeting candidates and aligning with activist or action organizations. And, while it’s impossible to constantly be engaged on every issue, they’ll pick a few important issues and look for the best candidates to represent them.

What happens next

Imagine a system of government where every citizen and resident felt empowered to talk to and influence their lawmaker. It’s a reality that’s within our grasp, but it does take work — and it’s frustrating work much of the time. The system is slow and entrenched in its old ways. But, it’s a course that can be reversed with the momentum of millions of people who insist that it start working for them.

My hope is that sometime in the future, a handful of the thousands of people calling Congress will decide that they can run for office and start making change of their own.