How to Get into Politics

Problem

Let’s talk about Voting.

This may be shocking to some of you, but most people don’t vote. In a really good presidential election, 62% of people might vote.¹ In a really good midterm election, that number falls to about 52% of eligible voters.² Then in a local election, the data is a lot less clear, but the number is closer to 20% with some reports showing cities with turnouts in the single digits.³  

As seen in the chart above, when looking at consistency, Pew Research found that between the national elections in 2018, 2020, and 2022 only 37% of potential voters participated in all three elections. Another 30% didn’t vote at all, and the rest voted in a combination of one or two of the elections.⁴  

Putting all of the facts and figures aside, here’s my point. Voting is the most basic form of political involvement and most people don’t do it. More complex forms of involvement like volunteering for a campaign, writing to an elected official about an issue, donating to a campaign or cause, or running for office are even more uncommon.

Solution

In my day job, I’m a political consultant, which means that it’s my job to eat, sleep, and breathe politics. This places me in a position where I am surrounded by people who are super involved, and almost every day I talk to candidates, volunteers, and other consultants who are also exceptionally active. When I talk to these people about the problems surrounding voter engagement, I often hear words like disengaged and apathetic used to describe those who either don’t vote or only do the minimum.

Recently I’ve started to question this way of thinking. While it’s true that some people don’t care about politics at all, when I talk to people who are less involved, I often hear that they would like to be but don’t for some reason or another. Often the problem is that they don’t know how to get started. Since politics is new to them they don’t know who to talk to and where to go to find information.

In that vein, I would like to suggest some steps you can take to get involved and provide some resources that might help you along the way.

Step 1 - Register to vote

The simplest way to get involved is to start voting, and that begins with registering in the place you currently live. Most people register to vote at the DMV but these days it’s even easier in most places. In Utah for example, all you need to do to update your registration is go to the link below.

Most other states have similarly easy ways to register. Just look up “[State Name] voter registration”. Once you’ve done that, just don’t forget to cast your ballot in November.

Step 2 - Learn More and Decide

The next step is to find a candidate or cause you’re interested in supporting. As you do your research and consider the candidates and organizations that you might want to work with, here are some other useful tips that will help you succeed.

• Use the internet. Most advocacy organizations, candidates, elected officials, and state parties have websites that make it easy to learn about what those groups stand for.

• Don’t be afraid to reach out. If you have questions you can’t find the answer to online, most of these websites will have a contact form or contact information allowing you to ask your questions via call, text, or email.

• Find a candidate or cause that you have some passion for. This will give you the motivation you need to make a difference.

• Your decision isn’t permanent. It’s not the end of the world if you have to try working with a couple of different groups before finding one you want to be a part of. Sometimes you find that the candidate you initially liked wasn’t the right one.

Step 3 - Find an Opportunity

Once you’ve done some basic research and chosen a candidate or organization you like, the next step is to find a way to get involved. Candidate, party, and other organizational website often do their best to make it easy to volunteer. In most cases, they will have forms, embedded in the website allowing you to send your info to the campaign. In some states, the timing may be different, but in Utah, right now is the perfect time to get started. Candidate filing ended yesterday so most candidates are just getting started. If you reach out now you can get in on the ground level and have a real impact on your candidate’s race.

Step 4 - Take Action

Once you’ve found what you want to do and who you want to do it with, all that’s left is to start. Fill out the form to volunteer, and answer when the organization you’re volunteering with asks for help. Sometimes you might just be asked to put a sign in your yard or invite friends to a meeting in your area. Even if you feel like your contributions are small at first, remember that small things done by a lot of people add up to something big.

If you’ve taken these steps already, enjoy the fact that you’re adding something back into the system. You’re playing an important part in the process and making a difference in the world around you. If you haven’t made it that far, now is the perfect time to get into politics.