Vote

Voting is an important civic duty. It is one of the ways that we, the people, get to have some say in how we are governed. I know it can feel like small potatoes – but you’ve got to start somewhere! Being informed on the candidates and the issues that are up for discussion helps make you more aware of who you’re dealing with when you have an issue you want to bring up and how you might approach them and how your issue fits into the general political climate.

If you’re a woman or African-American, by voting, you are also honoring the sacrifices and dedication that activists before you have made. More recently, disability activists have been working to guarantee voting accessibility for you! The same information that sighted people get in the mail about candidates and ballot measures are supposed to be available for blind people as well – there are laws and governmental acts to guarantee this and there are people working to see that it does happen. You also have the right, as a visually impaired and/or blind person to have an accessible and private way to cast your vote.

Click here to find the phone number to call in your state for voter registration and polling place accessibility info!

Getting involved in your community is often more comfortable for people in a familiar religious setting. Sometimes, however, all that is familiar about the religion is your upbringing! Speaking at a religious function or getting information in a bulletin or newsletter about one of the topics that is important to you - from guide dogs to a recycling program to domestic violence awareness - is a great way to get the word out and to strengthen the bonds between you and your chosen religious community. And if organized religion isn't your thing - that's fine - we just wanted to put the option out there for you. Actually, some individual churches or synagogues, etc. are happy to put information about a good cause that is brought to their attention in their newsletter or on their website even you aren't a member of their congregation. Also, you can consider volunteering at your local religious insitution for causes that both you and they are interested in. Talk with the leader of the activity to find out how an activity can be adapted, if necessary, for your participation. Finally, for some issues, contacting religious organizations may really help to gain momentum for a cause or may be a natural fit. For example, genocide in Darfur is something that the Jewish community should be vocal about, and contacting Jewish organizations to encourage that is a good idea no matter what your religious beliefs are.

Why phone calls? Why not e-mail? After all, e-mail is quick, it’s easy, etc. Well, it’s also really easy to delete an e-mail. It’s really easy to ignore an e-mail. It’s really easy to not get – or to claim to not get – an e-mail. It’s easy to miss an e-mail in the massive amount of e-mail that everyone gets. And it’s easy to not make a personal connection with e-mail. Yes, the internet, the world wide web, is wonderful for its potential to bring us together, but it also makes us more distant in some ways too. Live, real gathering places aren’t as important. Many people have written about the alienation that can occur with the new forms of communication.

But the thing about phone calls is that you can reach a human being. They have to hear your voice and you hear theirs. They become real and you to them in a way that an electronic message cannot. You can hear the tone in their voice, they can hear yours. When you speak about women being harmed, with grief and sorrow in your voice, that comes through so much more clearly than reading it alone.

Sometimes, when you call, you will reach someone who had no idea that their company or their organization was helping to promote or profiting off of whatever you’re protesting. They may not believe you initially. They may go look for themselves and find out the truth. They may then quit. That’s really great, because if there is no one to help people make money off of violence and hate, than violence and hate will be a lot harder to peddle.

Even if their quitting is the extent of their action at that time, it’s still better than nothing. Then when you call back, you’ll get another person you can connect with. It can work the other way around too. Maybe you’ll get a call and the person (often a woman) will know all about the evil, but doesn’t feel they can quit – because they have kids, they’re a divorced single parent, they don’t have a lot of skills or education, etc. – and you may be moved and affected by their story. And you may then be motivated to look at their problems in a wider sphere – educational opportunities for women, child-care, etc. and add that to your list of things to be active about. And you may be able to be an encouragement to them - letting them know that they can make changes, and that can work someplace that isn’t so soul-killing. They may quit, they may protest what’s happening or they may start going back to school or finding some other way to change their situation so that they don’t feel they have to be a part of a company that promotes hate. These kinds of conversations have happened on phone calls. You may not always be aware or become aware of the effect on the person taking your call – it doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

When you call, you are taking up time in a more tangible way, it is more demanding and more insistent than an e-mail. They have to deal with you and your concerns, or at least note them or hear them, before they hang up. It raises the issue more dramatically.

So take the time to call, make your voice heard, and help pave the way for a better, more just, world!

Vote

Working With Communities of Faith

Contact Your Elected Representatives

Why Make Phone Calls?