Tuesday’s election results were an intense wakeup call for me, a call I wish I had gotten years ago. Or maybe I did get and I wasn’t listening. Regardless, it’s time for action. Here are the things I have done so far that seem to help that you can probably do too.
Call Your State Representatives
It’s very easy to find out who represents your area in your state’s legislature. Call their office, tell them you are worried about the safety of your friends and your family, and ask them what you can do to help them enact concrete changes at the state level to grant aid and protections to our most vulnerable and marginalized neighbors.
Call your DC Representatives
It’s also very easy to find out who represents your area in the house and the senate in Washington DC. Call their office, tell them you are worried about the safety of your friends and your family, and ask them what you can do to help them enact concrete changes at the federal level to grant aid and protections to our most vulnerable and marginalized neighbors.
Support the National Popular Vote
Michigan and other states may already have submitted a bill supporting the National Popular Vote. The NPV Interstate Compact, if adopted by enough states, would ensure that the popular vote winner would get enough electoral votes to also win the White House, without changing the constitution or doing away with the electoral college. One person, one vote. Michigan like many other states is at an extreme electoral disadvantage - we have the third fewest electors per voters in the whole country, right behind Wisconsin and Ohio. Join the 61% of Republicans and 66% of Democrats who believe that everyone’s vote should be equal. Many state legislatures will be meeting several times before the electoral vote is actually cast in December. If your state has already submitted a bill, call the offices of your bill’s primary sponsor and offer your support and your help.
March in Protest
The gap between the popular and electoral results this year, combined with the reprehensible rhetoric of the president-elect and his supporters, absolutely justifies constant public protest. Stand in public and voice your dissent, especially if it’s safer for you to do so than someone else.