For one reason or another, it can be hard to be politically active in the traditional way and attend rallies and town hall meetings. From your school and work schedule constantly conflicting to not being quite old enough to go by yourself, there are a lot of reasons you may miss going out to support your cause of choice. Even so, there are many ways you can still be a part of whatever it is that you believe in. Here are five ways to be politically active from home.
Call/Email/Write Your Representative
This may be the most important one on the list. Despite what your representatives may do, they actually do care about your opinion. Why? Because they want your vote. Your representative would like to stay in power and keep their job and that means keeping the majority of their constituents happy. When emailing your representative about your concerns, remember if you’re under 18 to not include your age or anything that alludes to it. (Ex. ‘I’m a student in _____ grade’, etc.) This way, your representative will assume you’re of voting age and take view your concern more seriously.
Start or Join a Political Blog
If writing is your forte, starting a political blog may be the best way for you to voice your opinions. You can choose from free hosting sites like WordPress, Blogger, Medium or Wix to get started. If you don’t have the time to start your own blog, joining a blog as a contributor can be a good route to go down. Especially if the blog already has an audience built up, which means more people reading your article! Search around online to see which blog fits your political ideology, so you can write for an audience that best suits you. Think Progress takes submissions for more liberal leaning ideologies, and if you’re more conservative, Red State also takes submissions.
Donate To Organizations That Support Your Cause
No matter what you care about, there’s a political organization or charity that also cares about it and needs your generous donation. Care about women’s health and reproductive rights? Planned Parenthood takes donations. If you care about the environment and climate change, the National Resources Defense Council needs your generous donations to support the fight ahead. Shop around online and find the organization and charity you care about the most and make it a goal to donate, even if it’s only five dollars. If money isn’t an issue, make sure to check the box that makes your donation a monthly gift to keep the support going. Political parties, both Democrats and Republicans, also take donations from supporters and have online stores where you can purchase political gear.
Make a Political Club at Your School/University
If you’re a student, making a club at your school can be a great way to get involved in politics with your friends. Your club can set up polls at your school to see who students are pulling for in campaigns, assist in class president races, or just discuss politics and rant about the opposing party. Both Democrat and Republican parties often have “Young Democrat” or “Young Republican” clubs at universities, so check with your school’s club listing to see if there’s one to join. If not, you can start your own. Both parties have a page on their websites on how to get started and have your school’s branch officially registered with the party. If there’s one for each side at your school, make sure to schedule debates and have your voices heard on campus!
Stay Informed and Educated
The most important thing that you can do when being politically active is to stay informed. It’s hard to defend a cause when you barely know the facts of the problem. Watch documentaries, read newspapers and blogs, and watch your favorite news shows to keep up to date on what’s new. Remember that if anything strikes you as biased or a falsehood, fact check with a reliable nonpartisan source such as Politifact. Government agencies such as the FBI or the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics are also excellent sources to look up statistics that give you the full story.
Activism is important, and if your busy schedule makes it difficult to participate, these are the little things you can do from home can make a huge impact. Good luck!
