TAKE ACTION
A democracy is only as strong as the people who participate to protect it.
Not all methods of participation are equal but every method of participation is important.
Below you will find ways to participate. We have organized them by level of commitment.
Choose the ones that work for you so that you can protect and participate in the democracy.
Just a few minutes to spare
The important first step of participating in a democracy is to state your intent to participate. You do that by registering to vote. It’s very easy but you will need a couple of things.
- Your Driver’s License or State ID
- Your Social Security Number
- Your accurate legal address
By clicking the “Register to Vote” button, you can register online in just a few minutes. Instructions are provided on the website. Other valuable information about voting is also provided on the website.
Already registered to vote? Fantastic! There are still a couple things you can do.
- Check the status of your registration. The election laws in the state of Florida changed during the last legislative session. The LWV suggests everyone take a minute to verify the status of their registration. You can do that on the same website.
- Help someone else get registered to vote. Empowered people are the hallmark of democracy. You can help to empower someone you know by redirecting them to this website and helping them get registered to vote.
This is the most important thing that you can do to uphold, protect, and participate in a democracy.
You can Vote. Vote in every election, for every race and every ballot measure. Voting is your voice. It is the political power that all citizens have. We encourage you to use it wisely and often.
Click the button to visit the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections office to learn about upcoming elections. Stay tuned to the LWV to get ready.
Donate money to a political party, candidate for office, pro-democracy/voter rights organization, or other political action organization that you want to support.
Sometimes, the only resource we have to offer is money. If time is a limited resource for you, consider making a donation to something you support. No donation is too small but, in the case of political candidates, there are limits. The LWV cannot provide links to all the possible donation recipients but we have provided a button to donate to our efforts. You’ll be redirected to our donation page. Simply select your contribution amount, tell us a little about yourself and why you donated to our efforts and you’ll be redirected to PayPal to finish the transaction. All of our donations are tax-deductible and used in our efforts to register, educate and empower voters. We are a grassroots organization that runs on the power of people.
Have some time, here and there
Join a Pro-Democracy or Voter Rights organization. May we suggest the League of Women Voters of St. Lucie County?
We are not the only non-partisan pro-democracy/voter advocacy group available but we are local and dedicated to this community. The National LWV has been around for over 100 years; working on behalf of all voters to ensure free and fair elections, accessibility to voting, and voter education. Learn more about membership by clicking the button.
Join a political party.
As a non-partisan organization, the LWV is not affiliated with (nor do we endorse or oppose) any political party. As a private citizen and registered voter, you can join the party that aligns with your beliefs. If you choose to join the LWV, we encourage our members to get involved as much as possible, and this includes party membership.
By joining a political party, you can help elect candidates that share your values, get citizens registered to vote, educate voters about upcoming elections and candidates, and generally help shape the future of political action in your community.
In the United States, there are two major political parties (Democrats and Republicans) and several minor parties. Due to our non-partisan status, we cannot provide links to the party websites but the button will take you to Ballotpedia.org; a website with tons of information about elections nationwide. You may want to bookmark it…it’s a good one!
Follow the League of Women Voters of St. Lucie County on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
We use social media platforms to help keep voters aware of upcoming elections, legislative actions, and general political happenings. We also use social media to bring candidates to the electorate. By following us on Facebook and Instagram, information will be brought directly to you on your “wall”. By subscribing to our YouTube Channel, you will be alerted every time we upload a valuable video about St. Lucie County and Florida elections.
Click the icons to follow us!
Talk to your family and friends about your views and thoughts.
We know the old advice about family gatherings: Never discuss politics or religion. We also know that we are living in a very unsettling political environment right now. There are ways to talk to others about your views and thoughts, even if you disagree. Just follow a few simple rules:
- Keep it civil, respectful and leave emotions out of the discussion.
- Stay focused on the things you both agree on; such as a better life for your children, quality medical care for yourself and your family, better job opportunities, etc. Finding common ground helps keep conversations productive.
- Ask questions, without judgment, about why someone feels or believes what they feel or believe.
- Stick with issues and avoid specific candidates or elected officials.
We have provided a link (button) to an evidence-based conversation method that is proven to help promote productive communication. It’s called the Race Class Narrative.
Have time, will work
Now we’ve gotten to the real work! If you really want to start making a difference and you’re already registered to vote, maybe you joined an organization, but you are ready to do more, these are the methods of participation for you.
We have separated these into two parts:
- Year-round activities that you can do at anytime, regardless of an election. These activities can be worked into your available time but have high impact.
- Election-specific activities that occur during an election cycle that happens at least every two years. These activities require a bit of commitment but for a short period of time.
Have time, will work
Part 1: Year - Round Participation
Know what your elected officials are doing.
This one takes a commitment to be educated.
- Read the newspaper or a reliable online news source
- Watch the local news
- Follow your elected officials on social media
- Attend local government meetings
- Follow local government on social media and subscribe to their newsletters
- Educate yourself about issues that are new or important to you.
Local and state politics impact your daily life much more than national politics, so pay attention to what those elected officials are doing on your behalf. It will help you be prepared for future elections and speak with others about things that are happening that affect your everyday life. Also, elected officials need to be reminded that the voters are watching; this holds them accountable for their decisions.
The buttons will take you to the official websites of different government entities. On their websites, you will find meeting dates and times, an opportunity to subscribe to their email newsletters, as well as links to their respective social media accounts.
Of course, stay with the LWV to stay current on governmental activities. January and February are the months of legislative session for the state. We will routinely update our website and social media with the happenings in Tallahassee.
Now that you are knowledgeable about what your public officials are doing, start talking to them. Public officials are elected to represent the people and to work in the best interest of the people. Whether you agree or disagree with the decisions they have made, let them know.
If you are following them on social media or receiving their newsletters, you may be notified of public events they are holding to talk to voters. Take those opportunities to get to know your public officials and express your support or opposition to their decisions.
You can also write to them, either with traditional post or email. Below are buttons that, with just one click, will take you to each public officials contact information.
Remember, holding public office is a service and an act of patriotism and bravery. Be respectful, honest, direct, and use as much concrete information as possible to state your position and defend it. Include in your message a way to contact you by post, by email, and by phone.
Have time, will work
Part 2: Election-specific Participation
Every two years, we hold elections nationwide on the “Tuesday after the first Monday in November”; occurring sometime between November 2nd and November 8th. Presidential elections occur every four years and between those elections, we hold the “mid-term” elections. Here are a few ways that you can participate in elections:
- Volunteer to be an election worker. This is a very important job and vital to the election process. Consider contacting the Supervisor of Elections office (button) to learn more about this patriotic civic duty that helps secure our elections.
- Find a candidate you really like and volunteer to work on their campaign. Quality candidates make for better elections. If you find a candidate deserves your vote, they may also deserve your time and talent. Visit the Supervisor of Elections website to see who is running for what.
- Encourage others to get involved. You can do this in different ways. Maybe they want to be a poll worker too, or work on a campaign, or maybe you could work together to plan a group voting event. However you can get others involved, that’s one more person participating in the democracy.
- Join one of those pro-democracy/voter advocacy groups and organize a voter registration event in your neighborhood or at your church or the service organization you work with.
- And the biggest of all the participation methods: Run for Office! If you have great ideas, want to make your community a better place, see something that needs fixed and want to be part of the solution, consider running for office. Click the button to find out how to qualify as a candidate.