No More Waiting: How to Fight for Change—Regardless of Who’s in Office

Win or lose, your voice matters—take action and shape the policies you care about

It’s election eve, and it feels like everyone is holding their breath. The country is so polarized that both presidential candidates are throwing insults at the people they hope to govern and we can’t agree on what works in favor of the common good. We are all bracing for the results–however, they tally up.

Whoever wins the election, a significant percentage of the population is going to be devastated come Wednesday morning. There is even talk of civil war. It’s hard to say what such a war would look like, and I for one am not in favor of bloodshed. 

So how about this, let’s outline some general ways that citizens can still peaceably advocate for the laws that are important to them, regardless of who wins.

Clarify Your Priorities

We invest so much energy in who wins an election, but true change often lies in the policies and actions that follow. Separating our identity from election results lets us focus on practical solutions, encouraging open-minded, fact-based conversations about what we need from government.

It is worth noting that as bitter as the rhetoric got, ironically, both sides agree that they don’t want an authoritarian future.

This gives us a footing to begin conversation. Conversation can make room for cooperation, and some cooperation will be required to pass and implement new (hopefully better) policies, provided we can stop trying to control each other.

Make no mistake, our country has a huge uphill battle ahead to regain trust in our institutions, processes, and each other. But even if we go through a period of more intense fighting, the path back to unity is the same–Finding what we can agree on and investing our energy into what works toward the common good.

Now that we each know what we want, and have created enough emotional distance from any given outcome that we can pursue our goals with flexibility, let's take a tour of how to navigate the system.

Start Locally

Whatever your idea, the first step is to become involved locally. Across the country, there are local groups of Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, other parties, and interest groups that meet monthly to discuss what they care about and what they want.

Try a few, share your thoughts, and see where they resonate. If you are open to input, and you should be, you may find out aspects to the issue that change your perspective. Local old-timers will know current and historical dynamics that could shed light on the pros and cons surrounding your issue. Think of this as an opportunity to hone your idea or shift to a new one.

Going to Court

If there is law that covers your situation, it might be worth it to file a lawsuit. While lawsuits can take a long time and are expensive, they are often the more productive path to strike down a bad law or uphold a good one, especially where state law conflicts with federal law.

An important factor in your decision to move forward in court will be judges. When you go to court, especially federal court, judges matter, and it is the winner of the presidential election that picks federal judges. Senators and House members who share the President's party will often recommend nominees.

Once federal judges are appointed, they have no fixed term. So they serve until they retire, die, or are impeached and convicted by the Senate. A handful of federal judges will go on to become members of the Supreme Court. Who is on the bench may be a major complication if the sitting judge in your area is well known for making judgments contrary to what you want.

Learning the judicial lay of the land, will improve your odds of success, and give you an idea of what you might be in for if you file suit. While you can appeal a judgment you don’t agree with, that would make for a long expensive legal battle.

Work with Your State’s Attorney General

Depending on the situation, it may make more sense to reach out to your state attorney general. Attorney general’s have an interesting role and even when they can’t solve a problem, they may be able to draw attention to it by making an interpretation of the existing law. These are some things that are in their wheelhouse:

• Issuing a formal opinion on the law. Ie clarify what is legal or not legal

• Proposing new legislation

• Enforcing current environmental law

• Representing the state in federal court

• Handling criminal appeals or major criminal prosecutions

• Representing the public interest in child support enforcement, antitrust lawsuits, utility regulations, consumer protections, charitable trusts, and solicitations.

• Running victim compensation programs.

Because they can be so busy, you may need to reach out to your State Representative and ask them to forward your issue to the attorney general. If you do that, make sure to be clear to your State Rep that is what you want. Improve your odds of being heard even more by writing a brief presentation with important points highlighted. Think of it as helping them to help you.

State and Federal Agencies

If you haven’t thought of this already, numerous state and federal agencies may have domain over your area of concern. It is outside the purview of this article to cover all state and federal agencies but be aware that this is a huge part of government. While they may serve to either help or hinder your efforts, it is important to know they exist and should be researched.

Contact Your Legislators

If your concern won’t be settled with a lawsuit and you can’t find any agency that can help, you can reach out to either your State or Federal Representatives and Senators to alert them of what is happening in their district. Local news is not what it used to be, and your input may be the first they hear of an issue. Even when they know, they won’t know how their constituents feel about something unless you tell them.

For success, be mindful that on a state level, most of these folks are holding down other work to pay the bills. For all levels of government, your officials either elected or civil servants, are also still people. Your situation can make you purple with anger, but if you take it out on them, you are limiting your chances of ever getting help.

Sending an email or letter may be the best way to get started, especially if you primarily want to weigh in on upcoming legislation. My prior post on problems in counseling covers how you can do that effectively.

In Conclusion

Whatever happens tomorrow, the future of our country will rest on how we react as much as who wins the White House. Can we find agreement, will we choose to listen to each other, can we stop trying to control each other and make compromises that we are not thrilled about but will bring peace? These are all dependent on group action. The major parties want us afraid, we are easier to control that way. But knowledge of how to navigate the government will help us pick where we want to go.

While there are other ways that you can get involved, consider this a primer on how to get started influencing your government. Like anything else, expect it to take some time and hard work. When you find a group that feels the same way as you do, things will start moving faster. If you believe there is an issue that needs to be addressed, this is how you begin. 

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About

Diogenes in Exile began after I returned to grad school to pursue a Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s degree at the University of Tennessee. What I encountered, however, was a program deeply entrenched in Critical Theories ideology. During my time there, I experienced significant resistance, particularly for my Buddhist practice, which was labeled as invalidating to other identities. After careful reflection, I chose to leave the program, believing the curriculum being taught would ultimately harm clients and lead to unethical practices in the field.

Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to investigating, writing, and speaking out about the troubling direction of psychology, higher education, and other institutions that seem to have lost their way. When I’m not working on these issues, you’ll find me in the garden, creating art, walking my dog, or guiding my kids toward adulthood.

You can also find my work at Minding the Campus