No More Excuses for Sitting on the Sidelines
Outrage, contempt, fear for our country’s future — the 2024 U.S. election has created levels of anxiety unprecedented in the lives of today’s voters. Yet, as has been true for years, few Americans channel their anxiety and passion into active participation in the democratic process.
There used to be better excuses for lack of engagement — significant barriers to participating directly in elections. But today, those barriers are lower than ever, and hundreds of organizations stand ready to help people play an active role in the electoral process. With a few clicks of a mouse, any American can find opportunities that match their interests, talents, and political views. And the need for civic participation has never been greater. Our decentralized election system faces a critical shortage of poll workers, and, having realized the outsized impact volunteers can have on the outcome of elections, campaign and issue-oriented groups are hungry for volunteers.
This year, it's easier than ever and more important than ever to engage in the electoral process. So for those who care about American Democracy, there are no excuses for being an armchair quarterback. Here are a few ways to get involved.
Become a Poll Worker
Jurisdictions across the country face a critical shortage of poll workers for the 2024 election. This shortage threatens not just public confidence in election results but voters’ ability to exercise their rights without undue delay or confusion. Signing up to be a poll worker is one of the easiest and most effective ways to contribute to our democratic election system.
State and local governments manage presidential elections, and there are more 10,000 local entities administering elections at roughly 150,000 polling locations. In recent years, election officials — the full-time professionals who administer elections — have retired and resigned at an unprecedented rate, in part because of the increase in threats and harassment from those claiming election fraud. The departure of these experienced election officials places even more importance on the hundreds of thousands of temporary poll workers who ensure that elections run smoothly. Most jurisdictions have reported that it is difficult to recruit and retain poll workers. A lack of trained poll workers can lead to longer lines on election day, more disruptions at polling places, and a lack of trust in the election system.
Signing up is easy. Training varies by jurisdiction, but it’s typically not burdensome, often taking just a few hours. Power the Polls is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization formed in 2020 to help recruit and place poll workers. It offers one-stop shopping for interested applicants across the U.S. In addition, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission provides resources for those interested in becoming poll workers. Alternatively, local election officials can provide information about becoming a poll worker.
Be a Poll Watcher
Unlike nonpartisan poll workers, poll watchers and observers are often, though not always, appointed by the political parties. They play an important role in ensuring transparency and election integrity. They monitor the election process, ensure that poll workers follow proper procedures, and immediately report irregularities or violations of law. They serve as an early warning system if there are problems at the polls.
The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee have announced an unprecedented goal of deploying 100,000 partisan poll watchers and volunteer attorneys at polling locations across the battleground states. There has been concern that partisan poll watchers could be disruptive, particularly if they attempt to engage in mass challenges to voters, which could result in longer lines and lower turnout. Indeed, police were recently called in to a Milwaukee-area polling location where partisan poll watchers challenged every single ballot, without cause. This threat magnifies the importance of having conscientious poll watchers from both parties to report abuses by poll watchers — or anyone else — attempting to disrupt the process.
The U.S Election Assistance Commission has a helpful link for people interested in serving as poll watchers. In addition, Protect the Vote provides information and tools for those interested in becoming poll watchers.
Work on a Campaign
It has never been easier to find opportunities to participate in campaigns. Numerous organizations have sprung up in recent years to help Americans play a direct role in campaigns and elections. One example: Common Power, formed in 2018, is a one-stop shop for citizens wanting to volunteer to work for ballot initiatives and candidates. Common Power, which supports Democratic campaigns and left-of-center issues, provides opportunities to engage in voter-registration efforts, canvassing trips to battleground states, and phone banks, among other campaign activities. Common Power also provides training for would-be volunteers. For those who live in districts or states with few competitive races, Common Power provides a way to get involved in purple congressional districts and battleground states.
New organizations have also emerged among affinity groups, such as university alumni. A group of Harvard alumni founded Crimson Goes Blue (CGB) in 2019 to engage Harvard alumni, faculty, staff, and students, as well as their friends and families. CGB applies “Moneyball” analytics to identify races where volunteers and contributors can have the greatest impact. They organize canvassing trips to swing states, set up phone banks, and channel volunteers in other ways.
There are also numerous Republican and conservative-leaning organizations that facilitate volunteer opportunities. VoteSmart provides a helpful list of such organizations, broken down into fiscally conservative and socially conservative categories.
The above organizations and others provide vehicles for any citizen to engage actively in consequential elections and causes. For those who care deeply about the political leadership and policy directions of the United States, there is no excuse for failing to get involved.
Be a Bridge Builder
It’s no secret that partisan polarization has grown dramatically in recent years. A Pew Research Center poll showed that majorities of both Democrats and Republicans say that members of the other party are closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, and unintelligent. This partisan hostility not only strains relationships among family and friends but also harms democracy by increasing support for partisan violence, encouraging criminalization of cross-partisan conduct and speech, and fostering legislative gridlock.
In the face of this growing polarization, there has been an explosion of organizations over the past few years seeking to bridge the partisan divide. The Listen First Project now lists over 500 organizations dedicated to bringing Americans together to overcome what it describes as an “escalating crisis of toxic polarization.”
There are organizations in every state and for every demographic, from students to seniors. One of the most successful is Braver Angels, a national organization founded by Republicans and Democrats after the 2016 election. Braver Angels has sponsored more than 4,000 events bringing cross-partisans together to foster understanding and civility. One of their founders is a professor specializing in family therapy, and the techniques from that field proved tremendously effective in creating more light and less heat in political discussions.
We cannot address the dysfunctions in our politics and government until we learn to talk with each other, rather than yell at each other. It is not easy, and it is not quick, but it is essential. Braver Angels and similar organizations provide the resources for anyone to begin this journey.
Summary
If there is a silver lining to the current hyper-partisan state of American politics, it is that it has prompted the creation of hundreds of organizations dedicated to helping Americans of all backgrounds and political views to become active participants in our great democratic experiment. Whether one’s interests lie in working for candidates, ensuring an orderly voting process, or addressing the toxic polarization that infects our political and civic discourse, it has never been easier to engage.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., said that “as life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time at the peril of being judged not to have lived.” And Judge Michael Luttig has noted that “American democracy and the rule of law are the causes of our time.” There are ample opportunities for all Americans to actively participate in these causes — and few excuses not to.
About the Author:
Rex VanMiddlesworth is a 2023 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow and current Senior Editor for Democracy, Law, and Human Rights for the Harvard ALI Social Impact Review. He has practiced public law and litigation for over 40 years and is currently Of Counsel to the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers. VanMiddlesworth serves on the national executive board of the pro-democracy organization Keep Our Republic and as co-chair of that organization's 2024 Anti-Subversion Task Force, where he leads efforts to prepare for threats to the 2024 U.S. presidential election.