I wish every day were Election Day. I wish every day were a day when most people I know are jazzed about showing up for their community, about making their voices heard. I wish every day were a day when we all paid attention to questions that may or may not even affect us personally. I love seeing the “I voted” stickers and the lawn signs. I love the donuts at the polling place! I love it all.
And now that I’m finished saying how much I love Election Day, I’ll also admit that the buildup to it can be exhausting, and depending on the ideological makeup of your neighborhood or family system vis-a-vis your own political views, it can also be stressful. So it’s just as well, I guess, that the election cycle is over (except, of course, for those areas with endless recounting — why is it always, always Florida?).
But that doesn’t mean we actually have to stop showing up for our community and making our voices heard — and I’m not talking about posting on social media. I generally feel comfortable sharing what I think (for better or for worse), but in an era when any of us can slap a poorly-thought-out comment on any subject online, I’m thinking more carefully about how to talk about politics responsibly — and about ways to be politically active that’s not just talk. As my friend Gina-Louise Sciarra, vice president of Northampton’s city council and Ward 4 chair of the Democratic City Committee, says, “The work doesn’t end between election cycles.” I’m thinking, in other words, about ways to walk the walk.
First: If you are one of the relatively few Pioneer Valley residents who isn’t registered yet, (happily, we tend to have pretty high engagement here compared to the rest of the country), make sure you’re registered for the next election. Election Day 2020 will sneak up on us faster than we think.
Find your cause. This is a tough one for me, because I have opinions on a lot of things (ahem) and it’s easy to spread oneself too thin. Reproductive rights? Climate change? Gun reform? We can pay attention to many things while focusing concrete action on one or two areas.
Get comfortable calling your legislators — on both state and national levels. I have some friends who keep the numbers for their senators and congressional reps in their phone “favorites”; they call so often that staffers recognize their voices. I don’t call nearly that often, but when a hot topic arises, nothing makes your voice heard better than literally using it.
Attend city council meetings. Okay — I’ve never done this. But it’s on my list of things to do because I know our city councilpeople are working tirelessly, and showing up in person is the best way to know what they’re actually working on. “Explore the calendar of posted public meetings and show up to see the workings of your government in action,” says Sciarra. “I greatly value and learn so much from the people who take the time to speak to us during the city council’s public comment. You can always email comments if going up to the podium isn’t your thing.”
Subscribe to your local paper. Haha, snuck that one in there! But keeping up with local news is an important part of staying aware and engaged. Writing a letter to the editor of that paper never hurts, either.
Finally — and this is harder than it might seem — stop and listen. We’re in a moment of relative calm before the next election cycle gets hot and heavy. Now is a great time to pause and try to hear voices we might tend to discount. This is one of my own biggest challenges. Many of us feel highly defended now, and with plenty of good reason, but we still live next to one another and depend on each other in ways both subtle and obvious. Let’s try to hear each other out when we can — we’ll see each other at the polls again soon.
Naomi Shulman’s work has appeared in many publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and Yankee Magazine, as well as on NEPR and WBUR. Follow her on Twitter:
@naomishulman.