What is people power?

Make Calls

My first serious foray into phone banking was for state legislative candidates across the country, with Sister District in pre-Covid times. Several of us ended up hosting phone banking parties at our homes. We brought our phones and computers and needed good internet if we were in the yard. After cookies and fruit and a bit of training we took our tea or coffee and found a quiet place and lit into our phones. It turned out to be easy especially when we just needed to leave a voicemail which was most of the time. I think many people are a bit anxious about talking to a stranger on the phone - I certainly am - so it was great to be able to leave messages. Now the technology has improved - I call with the Center for Common Ground and the computer makes the call so our personal phone number doesn’t show up anywhere. And the results show that even with just voicemail, voters were 16% more likely to vote (and when we actually talked to the voter they were a whopping 47% more likely to vote) ,
—NG

Talk to Neighbors

One way to get involved in our community is by participating in voter information work through “precinct-walking”. Non-partisan issues, like a school bond or any citizen-generated initiative, give us an opportunity to talk to our neighbors and give out information about an issue. Usually you will be assigned a few blocks in the area surrounding your own home, so you can walk down familiar streets and talk to familiar folks. Many voters won't be home, so you just leave a piece of literature at the door, but often you will have pleasant conversations with neighbors and find that you have similar views on an issue. I've walked neighborhoods in Redwood City and have enjoyed seeing interesting gardens and houses, meeting kind people, and talking about topics that are important to me!
—MB

Talk to Elected Officials

Like many people, I do not like public speaking. The good news about speaking up at a county meeting is that they only give you two minutes to talk. So at least it's over quickly! But it's vital that our elected officials hear from us in between elections if we want them to be responsive to the community. I got involved with Fixin' San Mateo County, a grassroots organization that wants our county to have independent oversight of the Sheriff's Office. One of our activities is making public comments at the Board of Supervisors' meetings. Being part of an organization meant that I wasn't showing up alone, and I had other people who could help me figure out exactly what I wanted to say. I've spoken at several Board meetings, and I've met directly with my own county Supervisor. As a result of that work, our county now has a civilian commission that helps bring community concerns about the Sheriff's Office to the Board; the work isn't done, but it's an important step forward. It's really rewarding to know that by using our voice, and staying persistent about it, our community has a whole new resource that it never had before.
—CM

Join a Committee or Commission

Here’s my story on how an interest morphed into co-chairing a county-wide committee. I am passionate about voting—getting every eligible person registered and casting a ballot. In 2017 San Mateo County began asking for community input into the implementation of the Voters Choice Act (VCA), a major change to the way elections were to be run. I attended the presentation by the League of Women Voters and the Asian Law Caucus about the Voters Choice Act. The San Mateo County VCA Hub was created as a result, a coalition of organizations such as SFPPP, the League of Women Voters, Asian Law Caucus, National Iranian American County, San Mateo County Union Community Alliance, Belle Haven Action, Thrive Alliance and many others. I volunteered to be the “scribe” for this group to provide input to the Elections Office on the VCA implementation plan. This evolved into a recommendation to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors (BOS) to establish an ongoing county-wide education and outreach committee made up of community-based organizations. That recommendation resulted in the establishment of a very active Voter Education and Outreach Advisory Committee of which Thrive and SFPPP (me!) remain the co-chairs. The VEOAC has also been able to secure over $100K in funding from the Elections Division for community-based organizations to do voter outreach in each election cycle.
—DL

Engage Others

I consider myself a proactivist (i.e., one who takes a proactive approach to address emerging problems, or challenges) with a big focus today on helping others find or amplify their voices in supporting causes aligned with their passions. I’m relatively new to active civic engagement, only realizing late how much my voice matters and the importance of community discussions of policy concerns. I wasn’t always so engaged: I came from an environment where it was expected that we vote, but where we never discussed “politics” or how we voted, and where “activism” was a dirty word that connoted aggression or militant action. Today I am sympathetic when friends or neighbors tell me they are angry at the internal attacks on our democracy and they add that they’ve voted but feel there is nothing more they can do. I’ve been in their shoes and feel lucky to have the chance to help them realize that indeed “action is the antidote to despair”. I enjoy working with them to help them find their voice. What cause(s) do they want to advocate for? How can I help them find their own answer to the question “what is mine to do?”. Whether their passion is in protecting voting rights, social security, or immigrant rights or in opposing book bans and whether they want to start by protesting, writing get-out-the-vote postcards or letters, joining a phone bank or speaking up at local government meetings, I help them find their own personal on-ramp to action.
—RS