Just Do It
August 1, 2008 by James
It is, of course, an election year. While many of us are thinking about the presidential election, there are many seats in political office open this year and you can make a difference. Your own level of political action and involvement is personal, of course, and may be decided based on your own priorities, your time and more. You may want to volunteer for a local politician or work through your local gay and lesbian organizations in order to help publicize issues that matter to you. Not only might you want to consider who you’re voting for and who you’re working to get into office, but also the issues, including ENDA, don’t ask don’t tell, marriage legislation and more.
One of the best options for political action this year is to work locally. Working locally is often more motivating, more relevant and can allow you network within your community. You may find that there is a local political group that works specifically on GLBT issues and this can be a good jumping off point. Local activities sponsored by moveon.org can be another possibility within your community. You can also find information about the local organizations for the Democratic Party at democrats.org/local . Conveniently, working with these sorts of organizations on a local level can help you to stay informed about issues that may matter within your community specifically. Often, local organizations need help on the phones, in person, or even with tasks you may be able to work on from home when you have time.
Read more at dailydoseofqueer.com or register to vote here.
Thank you James – I wish more in the community kept this in mind, which is exactly why I registered my domain (gayvotescount.com) and started my own blog to raise awareness. Hopefully, we can reach even just a few people and convince them to register and vote who would not otherwise have done so.
Another good point that there is more at stake here than just the presidential election. There is much, much more going on here at all levels of government – city, county, state and federal. Candidates, propositions, state constitutional amendments, you name it. We are under attack from every direction, on every level.
We also must remember that the struggle does not end when the November election is over! Many regions have special elections starting again as early as next February, some of which will have some key issues and candidates.
Again, thank you for bringing this up.
Bob Parker, Founder
http://vote.gayvotescount.com