KTA: Elections Don’t Mean Handing Over Our Power

While students are wrapping up the school year, there’s another group in each of our communities that is about to experience their first day and embark on a steep learning curve. The winners of the May special district elections are taking office, some of them for the first time, and they are about to be making crucial decisions about the basic building blocks of strong and vibrant communities, such as water, schools, roads, libraries, parks, fire, and recreation.

Why this Activity?

Maybe your group spent this spring door-knocking until your feet were sore, or maybe you were focused on hosting rallies or community meals. Maybe the candidate you worked hard to elect won, or maybe someone who sees things very differently from your group is now in office. Regardless of the results or the role your group played, we all should have a say in how we are governed. This feels more critical than ever.

At the Rural Caucus and Strategy Session in April, human dignity leaders from all over the state packed a room to discuss the critical role of engaging with and defending local civic institutions as a strategy to counter authoritarianism. We discussed what co-governance looks like to us and strategies to build greater power and influence of our Human Dignity Groups in elected spaces.

In that session, we talked about the common perception that after an election, we hand our decision-making power to the person chosen to represent us, whether or not we’re politically aligned. We all agreed that, instead, a just democracy looks like being in an ongoing relationship with those in elected office so that we are truly represented in every vote they cast and every policy they prioritize.

We also talked about how easy it is to forget that those in elected office aren’t so different from us. And just like everyone else, their opinions and decisions are shaped by the people around them and the conversations they have. As the federal government continues increasing the presence of ICE and undermining civic institutions and infrastructure like Medicaid and food programs that our communities rely on, the stakes of local decisions about how we weather this storm couldn’t feel higher.

What is the Activity?

This month’s Kitchen Table Activity is to start building those relationships of trust and mutual support with new elected officials in your community. The first 100 days are often the hardest for those serving in an elected position; it can be isolating and overwhelming to navigate a highly visible volunteer position. It’s the perfect opportunity for our Human Dignity Groups to show up and support them in governing for the people.

How to Complete the Activity:

1. Forward this KTA to members of your Human Dignity Group and plan a time to meet and discuss how you will complete it. 
2. Join ROP virtual office hours on Monday, June 9th, to connect with other human dignity leaders around the state who are also working on this! Register in advance here. 
3. Research: Choose one or two of your group leaders to do some research and bring that information to the next group meeting. What positions were just filled in the May elections? When do those folks take office, and what decisions will they be making that affect our communities? 
4. Connect: Reach out to your newly elected officials. Start to build a relationship. This can look like:
   1. Offering some immediate support:
      1. Send a thank-you note and drop off some sweets to folks who stepped up to run in the May elections.
      2. Offer specific support to folks who are newly in office. One Human Dignity Group organized a meal train for new city council members!
   2. Setting up a meeting and introducing yourselves:
      1. Schedule a meeting with several leaders from your Human Dignity Group. Introduce your group and what issues you care about.
      2. Talk to them about how you can keep in touch.
5. Make a plan for how your group will continue to show up, be involved, and stay in relationship with elected officials:
   1. Plan for someone in the group to track meetings and agenda items. Discuss how you would like to be present, especially for relevant agenda items: 
      1. When and where are the local meetings held? Are there virtual options? Are the meetings recorded to watch later?
      2. Will someone from your group attend every meeting? Or are there particular meetings that make sense to prioritize?
      3. Calendar: Plug all the meetings and who from the group will attend into your calendar of choice. If your group has a newsletter or social media, send out reminders or alerts.
   2. Show up when it’s most needed: Far-right groups may target or intimidate pro-democracy leaders at meetings and online. Friendly faces in the audience and words in the comment section are crucial to weather these attacks.
   3. Coffees and Teas: Host public comment and letter to the editor writing events. Set up practice sessions for folks to increase their confidence in public speaking.
   4. Recruit folks in your group to join existing committees and advisory groups. These are vital roles that shape local decisions on budgets, public safety, economic development, transportation, and beyond.
6. Report Back: Let us know how your efforts are progressing! Email stephanie@rop.org to share an update.

Help foster the accountability our communities expect from elected officials. Click here to gain inspiration from rural community members in John Day who took action to hold a mayor accountable.

Background: Kitchen Table Activism (KTA) is a monthly activity by the Rural Organizing Project. The idea is that small actions can lead to powerful collective results when groups of people gather to complete the same action across the state of Oregon. ROP works to keep each KTA easily achievable so that groups with other projects or groups with limited immediate energy can still complete the KTA each month.