Ways to Get Involved This Election Cycle

By Rhiannon Winner on July 26, 2016

Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or something else, this election seems overwhelming. Up and down the ticket, there are vital seats up for grabs, or that your party is desperate to retain. If you want to get involved, there are plenty of options, both official and unofficial, and for people of all ages. There’s a job out there for everyone!

REACH OUT 

This may seem obvious, but the easiest way to get involved is to ask. There is no such thing as having too many volunteers. Campaigns are always looking for supporters to pitch in. Monetary donations are appreciated, but you’d be just as helpful laying groundwork where the campaign needs you to. Call or email a campaign, or search their website for a volunteer button. They usually respond quickly, and would be happy to take you on! If working for a specific candidate isn’t quite your style, see if there’s a local party office around. Local branches often need volunteers to staff the front desk, answer calls, et cetera. You would be helping out the party generally, rather than specific candidates.

ORGANIZE FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

Chances are that not all of your friends or family members agree with you politically. For those who you disagree with, if you’re the kind of person inclined to debate, go ahead! Even if you don’t change their mind, you’ll get them thinking, which is a good thing no matter what. If you’re too shy for such a thing, don’t worry. Organize those who do share your political leaning. Make sure everyone is registered to vote (yes, even your friends who are voting for that candidate you HATE), suggest volunteer opportunities, host debate watching parties, and encourage them to turn out on election day!

NETWORK 

Most of the time, your fellow party members will be happy to speak with you. Attend political events and see if you can have a conversation with the speaker afterwards, or mingle with others and ask what they’re doing to help out. You wouldn’t believe how many opportunities you’d stumble across just by being present and chatting up some new people!

DONATE

If you’re short on time, donation is an option. It’s not as fun as volunteering or going out to local meetings, but dollars are the life blood of campaigns. Even if you can only supply the campaign with a couple of dollars, you bet they’ll appreciate every penny they can get their hands on. If you’re not too excited at the prospect of donating, know that it can be more glamorous than clicking a button on a candidate’s website. Check out their campaign store! They’re stocked with t-shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, and plenty of other cool things. When you buy from there, the money goes straight to helping that candidate get into office!

SHARE EVERYTHING

Sometimes it’s as simple as sharing your preferred candidate’s or the party’s message on social media. Amplifying their voice so that your Facebook friends or your Twitter followers see something they might not have otherwise is massively important. If there’s an article or a picture or a post that could inform others, don’t hesitate to share it. You never know who might click and learn something new!

INTERN

This one applies to a quite limited number of people, but if you’re available to intern, you should definitely apply. Even if you’re planning to pursue a career that doesn’t appear to connect with politics, interning with a politician or a party will look great on any resume. Plus, you get to make an impact on the election! Most interns are not compensated, however, you may be able to find higher ranking fellowship positions that pay. You could also intern at a political organization that champions one or a couple of causes, but is affiliated with no party.

KEEP UPDATED 

Honestly, why are you even supporting a candidate if you don’t know what they’re doing? How are you going to refute claims made by your opponents when you don’t know what’s happening in the world? Downloading a news app and browsing it when you have a few minutes to spare, watching the nightly news, downloading politically themed podcasts, or subscribing to news aggregator are all good ways to get started.

In the end, there are a million ways to get involved. How you choose to participate in the election is up to you, but no matter what you decide on doing, the combination of your efforts and those of your fellow supporters are what bring about change.

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