How to Do Better On National Voter Registration Day: The Already-Registered-Edition #2
By Carmella Gadsen
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: If you don’t know where to start, find someone you trust who can help.
Doing better by all of us means finding people who can help you fill in your knowledge gaps.
It was easy for me, because I was already plugged in with Make It Work. I was already aware of groups who do policy. Being plugged into those groups allowed me to jump into the work.
It’s important to find someone you know and latch on. I wouldn’t be able to navigate this if I didn’t have someone else who was involved to help guide me.
#2: Start where you are.
Literally, start where you are. Doing better can mean starting local.
This was the first time I really got involved in the legislative session [in Nevada]. I never paid attention to it more than I have this year. I attended a training to learn about the session and learn about the online bill tracking system. It used to feel like a lot of arbitrary letters and numbers, but this was the first time I was letting others know what was going on. I submitted testimony online, I testified in favor of the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment), which was a symbolic passage in our state. I submitted testimony in favor of SB 361 (paid safe days for victims of domestic violence), and I had the chance to offer the perspective of someone working in the field.
#3: Make room for who you don’t see.
Use what privilege you have to make room for whoever isn’t at the table.
The question I’ve been asking myself is, “What’s missing?” I see special issues like women and families, but that may not speak to a 19-year-old queer kid. We have our coalitions, and they’re very specific, which has been effective [in achieving wins on specific policies]. But I don’t feel like there is any one particular movement to say to younger people, “Here are all the things you could help progress or dismantle.” We don’t want to be fathered or grandfathered [into an establishment]. We want to see something intersectional that addresses our whole selves.
#4: There will always be a lot going on. Focus on what you can do.
Do better by pacing yourself.
It’s impossible to know everything. Connect with someone you trust and go from there. I wish I could do more, but I don’t have the human energy nor the scheduling to be involved at the level that I want to. But we’re needed. Especially people of color. We’re missing, and policy needs our voices at the table.
