Answering your questions: What you can do

October 7, 2025

Every week, I dig through the hundreds of questions members send in to have me answer. Normally, I try to pick three or four to answer. But this week, one question was recurring: what can people do to protect democracy? Here is just one example:

What can a concerned citizen who is not an attorney do? I live in Louisiana and have repeatedly called my senators and representatives and gotten strongly worded responses. I don’t know what else to do, though.

— Rozanne

This question might be the most important question I answer. I don’t have any magic solutions or novel ideas. Yet, the answer to it may be the most important to the future of democracy. So here it goes.

We’re living in a time where it’s easy to feel helpless, but we are not. The mere act of asking this question is doing something. Searching for answers, not shying away from the news, and reaching out to representatives are all critical actions in the fight against the Trump administration.

In fact, most of my suggestions may seem like small steps, but it is the accumulation of these actions that produces real change. They also take time. The first time you call a senator, you may not make a difference. But you don’t know whether the sixth or seventh call might yield a different result. So don’t stop trying.

1. Speak to your friends and family

The most important step you can take is the easiest — or the hardest, depending on how you look at it. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors about the issues facing our democracy. If they’re not engaged, send them links to articles or social media posts where they can learn something. Ask them where they receive their news. Inquire into why they don’t want to talk about what’s going on. Oftentimes, people aren’t engaged because they feel overwhelmed or helpless.

If they agree with you, then ask them to share the same messages and information with their own friends and family. If they have a different perspective, do not shy away from engaging them. Try to understand why they see things differently from you and explain the stakes facing the country. When you reach an impasse, don’t disengage — engage further. Ultimately, the hard work of democracy is convincing others to care as much as you do.

2. Volunteer on a campaign

Another way you can help is by volunteering on a campaign. Campaigns are always looking for more people to help hand out literature, deliver lawn signs, and knock on doors. And the closer we get to election day, the more important these jobs become. For many campaigns, half of the battle is awareness — especially during an off-year, when people are more inclined to stay home on Election Day.

State and local elections are far too important to sit out — especially now. School boards are being stacked with MAGA Republicans intent on banning books and rewriting history. State legislatures are gerrymandering congressional maps on behalf of Donald Trump. State supreme court justices are making decisions that will make or break our democracy.

If you just want to help candidates in general, volunteer for your local Democratic Party. They generally focus on getting out the vote for the entire ticket and helping people understand their rights. As Republicans try to suppress voters, this job is more important than ever.

3. Send tips to media organizations you trust

As the attacks on our democracy increase, Democracy Docket will continue to report on threats to free and fair elections, the rule of law, and the role of the courts. If these attacks are happening, we want to hear from you. Reach out to us if Republicans are suppressing voters. Let other independent media organizations know if there’s an ICE raid in your area, like the inhumane arrests in the Chicago apartment building. Send tips if you think there’s an attack on democracy that we’re not covering.

Donald Trump often advertises his crimes loudly on Truth Social, but his administration is also certainly working quietly to dismantle pillars of our government while we’re not looking. There are more of us in the pro-democracy movement than there are them — and we have eyes everywhere. If you see something, say something.

Finally, don’t take the pressure off of the legacy media. Let them know that they’re not covering issues you care about. Public pressure matters — it’s what helped put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air. If enough of us speak out and put our money where our mouth is, maybe — just maybe — they’ll stop capitulating.

4. Find joy

Actually, this step is the most important one. Protecting our democracy is a marathon — not a sprint. We can’t afford to get tired at mile one. Find joy in the little things in between the chaos. Go outside, spend time with loved ones, read good books, and watch good shows. If they can’t steal our joy, they haven’t beaten us yet.