So far, 2020 has really been a rough year. With Election Day coming up for one of the most volatile presidential races in U.S. history and the country rocked by the coronavirus and civil unrest, it’s more important now than ever that we understand and answer to our civic duty as Americans. 

While voting and volunteering are often the first things people think of when hearing the terms “civic duty”, the first, and often most overlooked, step to take before attempting any form of active civic participation is to be socially-informed. By gaining a deeper understanding of social issues that impact your community, you are better able to form your own opinions and understand other viewpoints. Luckily, for us living in the modern digital age, this has become significantly easier, as it only takes the click of a button or the swipe of a thumb to find out information related to current events or ongoing social issues. 

However, while information has become far more accessible to the general public, wading through article after article and post after post to dig into a social issue can often be overwhelming. For those who aren’t sure about where to begin, reference sources like social media or Wikipedia are a good way to start exploring. Advocates for change on social media will often post threads or infographics to get information out to a wider audience, and even things like Twitter trends can bring imminent issues into focus. Wikipedia also provides references at the bottom of their articles, in case you’re interested in gathering more information about a certain topic. While social media and Wikipedia aren’t always 100% reliable and might need fact-checking, they can offer a good overview of most topics and serve as a starting point. 

In addition to actively seeking out more information about a certain topic, reading the news regularly is also a good, low-intensity way to stay socially-informed about a variety of issues. Many articles also tend to embed and hyperlink information from other sources for a more in-depth look at related topics. Audio sources, such as podcasts, documentaries, or even late night comedy can also serve as resources.

While social awareness in itself without any action isn’t really going to bring about any tangible change, it still serves as the bedrock of all forms of civic participation, as being socially-informed allows you to make meaningful, well-informed decisions. However, with the wave of civil unrest and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that has swept the country in recent months, many people have taken to social media and online platforms to raise awareness and advocate for change, blurring the line between so-called “performative” activism–done to preserve one’s self-image rather than actual dedication to a cause–and actual activism. 

“I think being socially aware is a great way to create a change within our population, but on its own, it’s not going to do anything,” senior Anthony Chiang explains, “For example, let’s consider someone who reads about basketball all the time and is a fanatic. Just because they read all about this activity, does not mean they are a competent basketball player; they may not even play basketball at all. In the same way, just learning about social awareness is not going to make us activists. We have to put the power of knowledge into action and live what we speak and what we consume in activism.”

With this in mind, some ways to take meaningful action include volunteering, being a part of non-profit organizations, voting, or even taking part in a political movement, all of which offer exposure to new people, viewpoints, and social issues. 

Describing her experience as a volunteer, sophomore Cindy Lu recalls, “I have volunteered for the homeless in our community, allowing me to dedicate time and assistance to a group of people who are often misrepresented and misunderstood. I learned through this experience that individuals can make a meaningful impact by volunteering. The least we can do is recognize our privilege and use it to help others.” 

While physically going out and volunteering or seeking to join a local chapter of a non-profit organization can be difficult and unsafe during the pandemic, it’s possible to engage in other acts of goodwill from home, such as writing cards to seniors in nursing homes or those in isolation. 

In addition to being a productive community member, staying politically active is also really important, especially in highly politically-charged times like this. One of the most important ways of doing this, of course, is to vote. While each of our individual votes might seem insignificant, it still grants us some power in the way our government runs. 

Voting “is an opportunity for me to support an official who represents my views and has the power to influence issues I care about,” Lu notes, “It’s an important part of being a citizen because it enables us to participate in a democracy and choose who we want representing us in the government.”

Those ineligible to vote can also make a difference by urging those who are eligible to vote to do so. Ineligible voters can also help facilitate the absentee ballot voting process for relatives unable to vote in person due to coronavirus concerns.

Engaging in other forms of civic participation, like taking part in a protest or being a part of a political movement, are also great, as long as you stay lawful, safe, and abide by coronavirus measures.

Civic participation is undeniably an essential part to maintaining America’s democracy, but it’s also important to note other factors that play into how the government functions. Unfortunately, while most of the power is supposed to belong to the citizens, like how a representative democracy would theoretically work, this is now rarely the case in the U.S. Often times, special interest groups, especially business and industry groups, tend to wield more influence in policy-making than the vote of the ordinary citizen, in part due to America’s divided power system. As specified by the framers of the Constitution, the government’s power is divided among multiple branches–the executive, legislative, and judicial. While this system provides checks and balances to ensure no one governmental body has excessive power, it also allows interest groups many points of entry, such as Congress, the White House, and executive agencies. 

By lobbying–generally defined as lawfully attempting to influence policymakers, often by hiring professional advocates or by fundraising and paying officials directly–special interest groups are able to effectively push the policies they want. These groups also have some sway in determining the outcomes of elections through Political Action Committees (PACs), which collect voluntary donations to raise funds for certain candidates.

Additionally, government officials who are elected into office by the people, such as Congresspeople or the president, sometimes don’t accurately represent their constituents, another problem with the American political system that has become apparent in recent years. The Electoral College, the group that votes directly in an U.S. election, is an example of this. This group, which is composed of House Representatives and Senators, is based on a single-member district system, meaning that only the members of the district that vote for the winning candidate get represented. 

Anthony explains, the Electoral College “completely dilutes individual feelings into an all-or-nothing electoral vote. It does not truly represent the people.” With party polarization on the rise, this has proven to be quite problematic, as many districts with slightly higher percentages of voters of one party cannot be adequately represented by a single policy maker.

Nonetheless, civic participation is still necessary to maintain a democracy like the U.S. While other influences like the Electoral College or interest groups do detract from the power of the people, the popular vote actually does make a difference. Besides the popular vote itself, popular opinion also tends to heavily influence policymakers, especially because government officials that are elected into office, such as Congresspeople, rely on their constituency for reelection. Many instances of social change throughout American history, such as women’s suffrage and abolition, have also been driven by widespread political movements, another example of the power of the people at work.

In uncertain times like these, it becomes more important than ever for each and every one of us to not only realize the impact we can have, but to also reach out and look for ways we can make a difference. While the efforts we make to have our voices heard and to improve our communities may seem inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, civic participation is still essential to ensuring the survival of our society and democracy.

Graphic courtesy of PUBLICDOMAINPICTURES.NET