Tired of Politics as Usual? Here's How You Can Change It
by Tami Hackbarth
photo by Colin Lloyd
In the 80s you couldn’t turn the TV on without seeing a woman with bouncy blonde hair, (I am looking at you Heather Locklear), without hearing about how the shampoo she used was so good she told two friends about it, and they told two friends and so on and so on.
People love hearing from their friends about products, services and issues. It helps people make all kinds of decisions: where to eat, where to send their kids to school, what car to buy and what kind of vacation to take. People feel like they are getting an honest opinion from someone they know, like and trust. It helps people feel informed and like they’ve made good decisions. It even helps them feel like they are part of a group because we do what the people around us do.
Reviews from friends make a huge difference in human behavior.
If you wanted to hire a personal trainer you’d listen to your friend’s recommendation before you’d pick one off a random website. If you were looking for somewhere to host a retirement party you would check online reviews and feel a lot of confidence in the place your neighbor raves about. Recently a friend asked me about a new brand of jeans I was wearing and within minutes she’d purchased her own based on my rave review.
This is the power of our personal influence.
Now imagine if we did that for creating the world we want to live in: one with high quality, low or no cost education and child care, high quality, affordable and easily accessible mental health services, access to abortion and affordable life-saving prescription drugs, banning assault weapons, civil and human rights for all.
What if we shared our vision of a better future and how voting for the right kind of candidates will get us there? What if we all told two friends that we are voters? What would change if we all told two friends, helped them make a voting plan and got them to the polls? What effect would that have on voter turnout and ultimately electing people who align with our values?
If we can influence our friends about what jeans to buy we can also help them believe in a better future for all of us.
2024 is a pivotal election year. We can either ride the wave of massive GenZ turnout for progressive change or we can fall further into the depths of fascism. The decision is ours.
Creating the world you want to live in doesn’t require you to change the minds of people who are committed to believing there is nothing you can do to make the world a better place. There are people who believe their vote doesn’t matter or doesn’t make a difference. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! Some elections are decided by just a handful of votes. (Source: NPR)
In fact it was just 537 votes that got us a President Bush instead of a President Gore in 2000 - (source: CNN) What would the world look like if the founder and chair of the Climate Reality Project had been president instead of the other guy?
Let’s instead focus our attention on seeing a vision of what is possible and asking those who want the same thing to join us in moving towards a better future.
Perhaps once they decide to vote because they are friends with a voter. They are also likely to tell two friends about it and so on and so on.
This month’s action: Call or text your two best friends and tell them you are 100% voting this year. Ask them to join you. Decide to become voters.
Feeling fancy? Put a voter education slot on your monthly calendar for 2024. Use that time to check your voter registration, put the primary election date on your calendar, make your voting plan, write postcards to voters, and find a voters guide to help with your issue and candidate research.
Feeling extra fancy? Attend a candidate event or host a meeting with your friends to talk about your voting plans.
