Skip to content

z 16.7 Representation

Jump to bottom
BusyBee edited this page Jun 4, 2024 · 11 revisions

Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.

United States

Lay Person Tasks

  • Do one hour or one thing per week of political action. This is a responsibility, to prevent political neglect.

  • Stay informed about local, national, and international issues and decision-making processes that affect your community.

  • Participate in public consultations, town hall meetings, and other forums where decisions are being made that impact your life.

  • Exercise your right to vote in elections and make informed choices by researching candidates' platforms and policies.

  • Engage with elected representatives and decision-makers by communicating your concerns, suggestions, and feedback.

  • Support and amplify the voices of marginalized or underrepresented groups to ensure their perspectives are included in decision-making processes.

Actions contributing to systemic change:

  • Advocate for reforms that increase transparency and public access to information about decision-making processes at all levels.
  • Support initiatives that promote civic education, political participation, and leadership development, especially among underrepresented groups.
  • Encourage the adoption of inclusive and participatory decision-making models, such as citizen assemblies, participatory budgeting, and public consultations.
  • Advocate for measures that ensure the representation and participation of diverse groups, including women, minorities, and marginalized communities, in decision-making bodies and processes.
  • Hold decision-makers and institutions accountable for their responsiveness, inclusiveness, and adherence to democratic principles through active citizen engagement and advocacy.
  • Support independent media, civil society organizations, and watchdog groups that monitor and report on decision-making processes and governance issues.

Informational Resources

Action Tasks

Potential Organizations

Political Organizing

Campaign volunteering

  • Help Run for Something http://runforsomething.net/volunteer-for-something/ endorsed candidates with phone banking and other volunteer activities! https://runforsomething.net/volunteer-for-something/

  • The BLUE Institute https://www.theblue.institute/) trains diverse young people of color to lead progressive political campaigns in the South and Southwest U.S. https://theblue.institute/

  • Creative Cabinetis all about connecting talented designers, writers and creative professionals to progressive candidates. It’s a great way for people to donate their skills. https://creativecabinet.org/

  • Move On’s mobile team works to mobilize Move On members to take resistance actions via phone and text. https://front.moveon.org/

  • Open Progress coordinates social media messaging and text banking for campaigns large and small focusing on progressive candidates! https://www.openprogress.com/

  • Red 2 Blue focuses on peer-to-peer text message and phone banking campaigns for flip opportunities and down-ballot races. https://www.red2blue.org/

  • Tech for Campaigns focuses on state races across the country with short-term projects. Despite the name, they’re looking for remote volunteers in many areas: marketing, design, product management, analytics, software engineering, and more. https://www.techforcampaigns.org/

  • Work with Young Democrats of America to mobilize young people under the age of 36 to participate in the electoral process to elect Democrats, influence the ideals of the Democratic Party, advocate for progressive issues, and train the next generation of progressive leaders. Find your local charter to volunteer. https://yda.org/

Potential Organizations (help candidates, but don’t provide volunteer opportunities)

  • The Arena PAC provides coaching and direct assistance to candidates as they launch campaigns, develop strategy, and implement plans. https://arena.run/

  • Participate in Ascend PAC which aims to identify and provide financial support to emerging Democratic candidates running for local office, including school board, city council, mayor, and state legislature.
    https://actionnetwork.org/groups/ascend-pac

  • The Collective PAC is working to fix the challenge of African American underrepresentation in elected seats of power throughout our nation. They offer training for campaign operatives in addition to candidate training and recruitment. https://collectivepac.org/about/

  • CPD Action works on campaigns that expand the voice and power of workers, communities of color, and immigrants on issues of economic and racial justice. https://cpdaction.org/about

  • Emerge America recruits, trains and connects women candidates in order to hone their skills to win! https://emergeamerica.org/

  • Forward Majority is focused on helping Democrats take back state legislatures. https://forwardmajority.org/

  • Higher Heights is the only national organization providing Black women with a political home exclusively dedicated to harnessing their power to elect Black women, influence elections, and advance progressive policies. https://www.higherheightsforamerica.org/

  • It Starts Today makes it easy to make one monthly donation to support every Democratic nominee running for U.S. Congress. https://everystateblue.org/

  • Latino Victory Project builds power in the Latino community so the voices and values of Latinos are reflected at every level of government and in the policies that drive our country forward. https://latinovictory.org/

  • Next Gen does political work for candidates who are advocates for prevention of climate disaster, promotion of prosperity, and protection of the fundamental rights of every American. https://nextgenamerica.org/volunteer/

  • Onward Together lends support to organizations and leaders — particularly young leaders — kicking off projects and founding new organizations to fight for our shared progressive values. https://www.onwardtogether.org/

  • She Should Run focuses on expanding the talent pool of women running for office in the United States by providing community, resources, and growth opportunities for aspiring political leaders. https://www.sheshouldrun.org/

  • Vote Run Lead works to educate diverse women to unleash their independent political power, seek public office and transform American democracy. https://voterunlead.org/

  • Working Families is a growing progressive political organization that fights for an economy that works for all of us, and a democracy in which every voice matters. https://workingfamilies.org/about/

Not candidate specific.

  • Work with the Obama Foundation https://www.obama.org/ to equip civic innovators, young leaders, and everyday citizens with the skills and tools they need to create change in their communities. (This is an organization, doesn’t have action items) Organizing for America is another orgaization related to Obama. Apparently they have chapters but not sure. https://www.obamaalumniassociation.org/ofa-trainings/ Can anyone give feedback on this org?

Not Organized

  • Brennan Center for Justice - A nonpartisan law and policy institute that focuses on issues related to democracy and justice. They work on voting rights, campaign finance reform, redistricting, and more. There are action items and articles.  https://www.brennancenter.org/ 

  • Common Cause - A nonpartisan grassroots organization that advocates for open, honest, and accountable government. They work on voting rights, money in politics, redistricting, and ethics reforms. https://www.commoncause.org/ 

  • RepresentUs - A nonpartisan anti-corruption organization focused on passing state and local laws to stop political corruption and fix broken elections. They promote small donor public financing and anti-gerrymandering reforms. They have action items. https://represent.us/ 

  • League of Women Voters - A nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. They provide voter education and advocacy on issues like voter registration, voting rights, election reform, and more. They have action items.  https://www.lwv.org/ 

  • Issue One - A crosspartisan alliance of over 200 former congressmen, governors, cabinet secretaries and others pushing for bipartisan solutions to fix our broken political system. They promote campaign finance reform, transparency, and anti-corruption measures. They have research. https://issueone.org/ 

  • FairVote - A nonpartisan champion of electoral reforms like ranked choice voting that give voters more voice and power. They advocate alternatives to winner-take-all elections. Has information on ranked choice voting. https://fairvote.org/ 

  • Public Citizen - A nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization that champions citizen interests on issues like money in politics, voting rights, government ethics and transparency. Has action steps. https://www.citizen.org/ 

  • National Democratic Institute - Works globally to support democratic institutions and good governance. https://www.ndi.org/ 

  • Democracy Fund - This organization supports other democracy-focused organizations with funding and advice. https://democracyfund.org/ 

  • Rock the Vote - Mobilizes young voters through voter registration drives and education. https://www.rockthevote.org/ 

  • IndependentVoting.Org - Advocates for reforms that give independent voters a greater voice.(This looks interesting, like its political organizanizing for people who don't associate with any party? I have concerns that it could be conservative. If anyone can confirm whether it's conservative or not, that would help) https://independentvoting.org/ 

  • Declaration for American Democracy - Coalition of public interest organizations advocating voting rights reforms. Currently focuses on the Freedom to Vote Act https://dfadcoalition.org/ 

  • Democracy Works - Provides data for online voter guide websites they partner with. https://www.democracy.works/ 

  • Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget - Non-partisan advocates fiscal responsibility to ensure stable, effective governing. https://www.crfb.org/ 

  • IssueVoter -Sign up to get reminders for bills and easily contact your representatives. Provides impartial information on candidates/issues to promote informed voting. https://issuevoter.org/ 

  • Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) - Uses legal actions and research to expose unethical conduct and conflicts of interest by government officials. https://www.citizensforethics.org/ 

  • Campaign Legal Center - Focuses on litigation and advocacy surrounding campaign finance laws, ethics, and voting rights. https://campaignlegal.org/ 

  • Protect Democracy - This website has a lot of really interesting resources, however it seems like they have a centrist stance rather than a non-political stance, which is at odds with the stated goal of protecting democracy from authoritarianism. Felt suspicious.  https://protectdemocracy.org/ 

  • Government Accountability Project - Protects whistleblowers exposing government and corporate wrongdoing that threatens the public interest. https://whistleblower.org/ 

  • Project On Government Oversight (POGO) - Investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and profiteering by the government. https://www.pogo.org/ Has action items. 

  • Sunlight Foundation - Advocates for open government globally and uses tech to make government more accountable, focusing on local governments.  https://sunlightfoundation.com/ 

  • American Promise - Mobilizes support for amending the US Constitution, called the For Our Freedom Amendment, which is to limit the influence of money in politics.  https://americanpromise.net/ 

  • Human Rights Effort aims to organize a constitutional convention.  https://www.thehumanrightseffort.com/ 

  • American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - Works through litigation and advocacy to defend individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution.

  • Constitutional Accountability Center - Progressive legal organization that works to uphold the Constitution through scholarship, advocacy and litigation. This site has super interesting resources.  https://www.theusconstitution.org/ 

Stocks

  • This is how to join political action committees https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRTEvKqP/

  • Congressional Representatives: Day in the life: https://youtu.be/R6reyiSpKuw

  • Senator

  • House Representative

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._statewide_elected_officials

  • Governor: The chief executive of the state, responsible for implementing and enforcing state laws, administering the state budget, and serving as the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard.

  • Congressional staffers: https://www.quora.com/What-is-daily-life-like-for-a-congressman-or-a-congressional-staffer

  • Lieutenant Governor: Serves as the second in command to the Governor, and assumes the role of Governor if the Governor is unable to serve.

  • State Attorney General: The chief legal officer of the state, responsible for representing the state in legal matters and providing legal advice to state agencies.

  • Secretary of State: Responsible for overseeing state elections, maintaining official state records, and handling other administrative duties.

  • State Treasurer: Responsible for managing the state's finances, including investing state funds and administering the state's debt.

  • State Auditor: Responsible for conducting audits of state agencies to ensure that they are operating efficiently and effectively.

  • Superintendent of Public Instruction or Commissioner of Education: Responsible for overseeing the state's public school system and enforcing state education laws.

  • State Legislature: Each state has a legislative branch, usually consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Members of the legislature are responsible for passing state laws and approving the state budget.

  • Judges: State judges are responsible for interpreting and applying state laws in court cases, and are typically elected by the people of the state.

  • In addition to these positions, some states also have elected officials such as the State Agriculture Commissioner, State Insurance Commissioner, and State Labor Commissioner, among others.

  • The specific elected official positions for cities and counties in the United States can vary somewhat from place to place, but the following are some of the most common:

  • Mayor: The head of the city or county government, responsible for implementing and enforcing local laws, managing city or county services, and representing the city or county to the public.

  • Day in the life of a mayor:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ty08KYFB7Q

  • Same person, shorter video, a year ago:

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aLUC_eJQXc

  • City Council or County Board of Supervisors: The legislative body of the city or county, responsible for passing local laws and ordinances, setting policy, and overseeing the operations of city or county agencies.

  • City Council: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjZRiqa9iS4

  • Board of Supervisors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY_zoLnMsTk

  • City or County Attorney: The chief legal officer of the city or county, responsible for representing the city or county in legal matters and providing legal advice to city or county officials.

  • City or County Auditor: Responsible for conducting audits of city or county agencies to ensure that they are operating efficiently and effectively.

  • Day in the life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYqPrr21HE4

  • Sheriff: Responsible for enforcing local laws and ordinances, serving warrants, and managing the local jail.

  • Day in the life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E6bubeHU1A

  • Assessor: Responsible for determining the value of property in the city or county for tax purposes.

  • Clerk or Recorder: Responsible for maintaining official records of city or county meetings, proceedings, and actions.

  • Treasurer or Tax Collector: Responsible for collecting and managing local taxes, fees, and other revenue sources.

  • Superintendent of Schools: Responsible for overseeing the local school district and enforcing local education policies.

  • Municipal Judges: Responsible for presiding over local court cases and interpreting and enforcing local laws and ordinances.

  • Constables or Marshals: Responsible for enforcing local laws and ordinances and serving warrants

Current information flows

  • People often only learn about government in K-12 education. If they do not use the information, they forget it.

Current feedback loops (mixed with system traps)

  • Shifting burden to intervenor: People often incorrectly believe issues caused by local and state government are caused by the federal government. Many do not consider candidates other than the president.
  • People with narcissistic personality disorder are attracted to elected positions because of the power, attention from the public, and easy implementation of narcissistic abuse dynamics
  • Future faking- broken campaign promises
  • Blaming minority groups- scapegoating
  • Public speeches and press conferences- attention as supply
  • People with machiavellian personality traits are attracted to elected positions because they can use those positions for personal benefit
  • People with dark personality traits are attracted to elected positions because they can maximize the harm they cause
  • Success to the Successful: People who are wealthy can easily become state and federal politicians because they can use personal resources to support their campaign strategy. They are also resourced in their free time and social connections.
  • Bought-out: Politicians serve who donates to their campaign, because their goal is to maintain power through re-election
  • Politicians serve who votes for them, because their goal is to maintain power through the most votes.
  • Politicians serve who contacts them, because their goal is to maintain power by re-election.
  • Letters to the editor influence local and state politicians to take action.
  • Letters to representatives in support of bills, especially when sent by groups of people, influence politicians to take action or vote in favor.
  • Exposes in local newspapers spur reforms. Local newspapers have been going out of business due to success to the successful issues with media companies online not required to follow libel laws (fake news)
  • Fake news has caused psychological problems for many people, and hits vulnerable populations hardest- those with anxiety disorders, CPTSD, cognitive or developmental disabilities, those who had poor-quality public education or homeschooling. The psychological impacts of fake news has caused people to attempt to overthrow the government from all levels-city to federal.

Current system traps

  • The Democratic party and big-city politicians ignore the needs of those living in rural areas, leading to anger from people in rural areas.
  • Neglect. People don’t take action, which causes more problems due to nothing being prevented or abuse increasing, which makes taking action more difficult in the future because more needs to be acted upon. (Fact check? Maybe neglect is just a flow issue)
  • Often progressive people don’t think voting matters, which leads to higher percentages of conservative voters, which leads to more conservative legislation, which leads to more progressive people believing voting doesn’t matter. (This point isn’t necessarily related to political parties)
  • Ratchet effect- Both the Democrat and Republican party are conservative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LPuKVG1teQ
  • The rich gut government programs and funding for services, then blame the government for being inefficient, so people with resent the government and help them continue to remove funding.

Current paradigms

  • “I've been deeply involved in local politics here for the past decade, and my first realization is that one can absolutely rely on politicians to be the last people to take action. The entirety of their career teaches them to be timid. We have to create for ourselves the reality we want to see, and only turn to the politicians when we have something specific we need them to implement and already have assembled the public support to get it done.”

Informational Resources

Rules

  • Ban people with abusive traits, such as dark triad abuse, from running for office, and make it a fireable offense to display those traits.
  • Require C Span in every state. (For now, you might be able to view legislative meetings live on their website.)

Information Flows

  • Educate people on contacting their representatives. Calling is the quickest way. You can also write letters. https://radpride.wixsite.com/start-posting/post/notes-on-letters-to-representatives
  • Educate people on why voting is an important harm-reduction measure
  • When thinking about “fix it or start over?” Consider doing both at the same time.
  • To make reading bills and other government documents easier:
  • Identify unfamiliar words and use the google doc find and replace feature to switch it to a more simple word
  • For bills, if it’s something you heard about on the news, look through articles to see what sections you want to read and use the “find word on page” feature to jump to it

Stock-and-flow structures

  • Remove incentives to those with narcissistic personality disorder by reducing their exposure to sources of supply- ban campaign speeches and replace them with resumes and records of what they have done, both positive and negative, as well as pre-written legislation they intend to pass.
  • Improve elections by: https://radpride.wixsite.com/start-posting/post/improving-current-united-states-elections
  • Promoting Run for Something and having a guide for people to understand what information they need to know to do a good job, what the deadlines are, and what positions they can make the most impact in
  • https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_elections,_2024 https://runforsomething.net/
  • Make a list of sustainable-development oriented legislation specific to states so candidates can feel confident running. (see 16.b) Also make a list of past progressive legislation that did not pass, so it can hopefully be passed again.
  • Improving online voting guides by volunteering to collect information for the guide

Feedback Loops

What the US would look like if it was politically active:

  • Everyone would know who their representatives were are write to them
  • In every major city, at least one person writing letters to the editor on progressive issues
  • Everyone would vote
  • Left-wing political parties
  • City budget alliances
  • People would write and sign petitions and ballot measures
  • Non-working union (a union for people who do not work. Ex. disabled)
  • If politicians messed up, they wouldn’t get reelected, because people would run for office and people would vote for them
  • Protests once a week in every major city.
  • In every major city, someone working to unionize the biggest employer that does not have a union (and other unions too!)
  • Sustainable development goals collaborator, to unite forces and achieve the goals
  • Virtuous cycle: the more people that cared and participated, the easier and more accessible it would as people fought for what they believed and completed projects.
Clone this wiki locally