29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy.
The stakes are high.
Democracy versus autocracy is more than just an abstract conflict between competing principles. When our nation shifts toward authoritarianism, it affects all of us. Quite literally, our lives, liberty, and pursuit of happiness are at stake. This may feel weighty: The stakes are high.
But it’s also an opportunity: Our democracy has never quite been what it ought to be. If it’s the framework for our entire way of life, shouldn’t we try to make it the best we can? Try to not only protect it, but also nurture and improve it?
How we respond to this moment will shape what happens next.
But can I really make a difference?
National events, and their impacts on us and our loved ones, can feel overwhelming. We may feel a sense of fear and helplessness. In the face of so much, how can we possibly get through it — much less make a difference?
There is good news: Regular citizens are the ones best suited to strengthen our democracy. This is especially true at the local level, where our sphere of influence is greatest. Consider our circles of concern, influence, and control:
Consider our circles of concern, influence, and control.
The closer things are, the more they impact us. But thankfully, this goes in both directions: We have the best shot at changing things immediately around us. When autocratic policies threaten our communities directly, we have an opportunity to act.
In truth, we are not helpless at all. Below are real, concrete actions you can start taking right away. These actions can offer not only knowledge, relief, and power — but also joy, fun, and community.
The actions listed range from simple to advanced, and not all of them will be a good fit for you. Of course, you don’t have to do all of them to make an impact. Democracy’s success is dependent on an informed electorate, and autocrats thrive on ignorance. Furthermore, without a strong community it is difficult to build the requisite power to make a difference.
So, let’s embrace our inner optimists and get started. Challenge yourself (and others!) to complete as many of these as possible in the coming year. Some will take you less than 30 seconds, some may take months, and some will never truly be complete. This mission is a generational struggle.
Most immediately, we are in control of ourselves. To defeat authoritarianism, we must commit to a healthier information diet. Doomscrolling can induce a hypervigilant state of anxiety or have a numbing effect that impedes our ability to act in the real world.
Shifting the balance of your information consumption away from social media, cable networks, and pundits and toward slower, more in-depth, and — above all else — useful information can be a first step in protecting democracy (and feeling better about the world).
We would be remiss to not promote our own high-quality, in-depth, free newsletter on democracy, If You Can Keep It, which breaks down the top issues in authoritarianism and democracy in the United States. It exists exclusively to equip you with what you need to know about what’s happening in our democracy, and what you can do about it.
Make adjustments to your subscriptions (or start your first one), with an eye toward reliability.
Consider using a tool like Ground.news, “a platform that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias and break free from algorithms.”
If your main source of information is social media, consider reducing it.
School board members (even if you don’t have kids)
Local legislators (council, etc.)
Local executives (mayor, town manager, etc.)
State legislator(s)
Governor
Member of Congress
Senators
Make sure you know who these folks are. For the purposes of this action, they are listed in order of descending importance. This knowledge will be essential in confronting the autocratic threat at every level.
If any of them are new to you, spend a little time learning about them, and even getting to know them. Better yet, ask some trusted community members what they think! Consult your local news sources (if available).
Extra credit: Take notes, and save their contact information (this will be helpful for future actions below). If you are on social media, follow them there!
In the hunt for a balanced information diet, we’ve got to equip ourselves to run into information that is not accurate; sometimes information that is spread accidentally (“misinformation”) and sometimes with intent to deliberately mislead (“disinformation”).
Note that this type of inaccurate information can come in a variety of shapes and sizes — and there’s not one entity or set of partisan players that has a monopoly on it.
For a quick overview, CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) offers a helpful, printable guide. And for those who really want to level up, Ponyter’s MediaWise offers a myriad of resources to help you spot mis- and disinformation. Once you’ve mastered these skills, you can help others learn, too.
The Authoritarian Playbook for 2025 lays out the specific threats we can expect in 2025 and beyond. The report provides a framework for understanding authoritarianism, both here in the U.S., and internationally. It also includes ten strategies for the broader pro-democracy coalition to mitigate the threat.
Leaning into slower, longer-form content is a great way to improve your information diet (and attention span). Even better, spending time at your local library lets you make connections in your community’s most accessible third place. It can also be a spot to share signs and fliers with your community, as public bulletin boards are increasingly rare in many places.
As Jennifer Howard put it in Humanities magazine, “There aren’t many truly public places left in America. Most of our shared spaces require money or a certain social status to access. Malls exist to sell people things. Museums discourage loiterers. Coffee shops expect patrons to purchase a drink or snack if they want to enjoy the premises. One place, though, remains open to everybody. The public library requires nothing of its visitors: no purchases, no membership fees, no dress code. You can stay all day, and you don’t have to buy anything … in a country riven by racial, ethnic, political, and socioeconomic divides, libraries still welcome everyone.”
Because we have a federalist system of government, many of the decisions that impact our daily lives are made at the state level. Understanding the basics of your state can help prepare you for becoming more active in its democracy. For example: How many people live in your state, and what are their demographics? What’s the median household income? Which rights are protected in the state constitution, and which are not?
A 2018 survey found that just one in three Americans would pass the U.S. citizenship test. Even citizens who have lived here their entire lives can be remarkably ignorant about our country. Having a strong command of the (not-so-basic) basics can really help put things in perspective — and will be essential to push back against autocrats.
From crime, the economy, and education to health and population, USA Facts is a great, non-partisan tool to learn more about our nation. Watch one of their videos and subscribe.
Now that you’re a deeply informed advocate for democracy, it’s time to get out into the world and try to make some changes beyond your immediate circle of control. This can feel daunting for the more introverted. But it’s fundamentally necessary to the sustenance of our way of life, as the whole point of democracy is to provide a mechanism for collective decision-making and action.
In his book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam writes that “the reduction in all the forms of in-person social intercourse undermines the active civic engagement, which a strong democracy requires from its citizens.” To really have an impact on democracy, you need to build a strong local network beyond yourself.
It may seem odd, but this is probably the most powerful action you can take on this list. Spend time reviewing your contacts, and consider putting them into categories. If you’re only in touch with some people on social media, now is the time to send them your real contact information and request the same.
You cannot rely on social media to manage your contacts, or for the purposes of outreach and advocacy. Your network is your most powerful asset, and you want to have as much influence over it as possible. Social media networks can collapse, get banned, or be purchased by an autocrat.
Note that this action is best done with a decent-size screen and a keyboard (if you have these things):
Use a single platform to store and manage contacts (Google Contacts, iCloud, a spreadsheet, or whatever works for you).
Clean up your existing contacts.
Reach out to friends/family (even the ones with difficult politics) via social media to get their real contact information (phone, email), and add them to your contacts. Augment your contacts with more useful information (like birthdays, mailing addresses, and even pictures if you like).
Add local community activists to your list (regardless of their respective issues or whether you know them personally).
Add local elected officials to your list.
Organize your contact list into categories/groups (such as local, family, work, college friends, softball league, church, etc). You don’t have to go overboard, but these lists will be really useful later.
Extra credit: Find a respected loved one or community leader, and offer to help them do this action, too.
An encrypted messaging application like Signal is far more secure than traditional text messaging. It also allows you to set messages to automatically disappear after a certain time period — and as an added advantage, you can use it across all your devices (including your desktop).
There will be times when national actions are necessary, but you will be in a better position to respond if you have already built a strong local network, and if you have already established genuine relationships with those you seek to influence.
A great place to start is a local community meeting (think school board, town hall, council meeting). And while you can go just for the sake of becoming more locally focused, of course if you can also find one relevant to an issue you care about, all the better. The more of these you attend, the more informed you’ll be, and the more your local network will rely on you to keep them in the know, too.
Find one local community or government meeting that you’re interested in. Add it to your calendar.
Bring a friend! They may end up being the next great community leader.
Try to meet at least one new community member at the meeting, and ideally get their contact information. Follow up with them, even with just a short “Nice to meet you!”
If the meeting turns out to be interesting and a good use of time, email your list of local contacts with details for the next one.
Extra credit: When inviting others, attach a calendar invite with the date, time, and address so it’s already in their calendar. Offer to give them a ride if you can, and grab a beverage after to discuss how it went. In other words, make it as easy as possible for them to make (and enjoy) it.
This one is especially for the leaders reading this guide. You’re not the only one worried about how things are going or who has ideas about how conditions can be improved. Within your network are plenty of people ready to help; they just need to know what to do. You don’t need anyone’s permission, or anyone’s blessing, to start organizing these people towards action.
Maybe start with a short email about your ideas, hopes, and concerns. Ask if they’re interested in getting more involved. Or organize a party/cookout/coffee klatch/book club, etc., to get people together in person. Become a connector of people, and you will unlock tremendous power in your community. Remember, these events don’t necessarily need to be about democracy or politics.
Even just getting people together and building local community is a great start:
Send a message to potentially like-minded folks, and see who is interested in getting together/involved. These are most effective with direct messages. (Goal: 20 recipients)
Organize an event, and ask people to bring a friend. (Goal: five attendees)
Extra credit: Organize a second event. (goal: ten attendees)
Super extra credit: Organize a third event. (goal: 20 attendees)
This is a tough one, and in some cases may even be impossible. But if you can do it, it will bring you to the next level in the fight to save our democracy. Find a way to sit down and have a conversation with someone you think (or know) may see things differently.
This is important: At this point, your goal is NOT to convince them they’re wrong. It’s to understand why they think the way they do and see if you can help them understand why you see things your way. There’s a good chance during this conversation that one or both of you will feel angry, and that’s OK. Try to keep it civil and keep the door open for future conversations if you can.
If you need help on this one, check out the Sustained Dialogue Institute. They can help you bring people of different views together in an intentional way. There’s also a great West Virginia Public Radio podcast called Us & Them, which explores all sides of the cultural issues that too often divide us.
When you’re ready:
Sit down with someone who disagrees with you, and discuss a difficult topic (like democracy).
Listen, and understand why they feel the way they do (doesn’t mean agree with them).
Help them understand why you feel the way you do. (This may need to wait for the future conversation below, and it doesn’t mean convincing them of your perspective.)
Extra credit: Have a follow-up conversation in a few weeks.
As autocracy impacts local communities, existing groups on the ground can push back and help those most impacted. But they need resources to do their work. Compared to most other countries, Americans tend to give a lot more to philanthropy. But this giving is often sporadic, and can make it difficult for organizations to budget and make long-term plans. Further, one-off gifts come with more overhead for nonprofits, so they’re not terribly economically efficient.
For this action, it’s ideal to provide reputable groups with a dedicated, recurring source of revenue. Better to dedicate $10 every month than $120 all at once. And as with prior actions, you may want to focus on local groups.
Set a sustainable monthly (or annual) giving budget (ideally a percent of your income).
Make a list of local organizations doing good work.
Set up recurring monthly donations to these organizations that align with your budget. (You can always increase or decrease later depending on your circumstances.)
Extra credit: Email your contact list and ask them to do the same, or make a pitch for one of the groups you support.
Extra credit: Reach out to the groups you’re supporting to learn more about their work, and see if there are other ways you can support them. Go see the work they do.
Volunteering is an easy way to meet other people in your community and build your local network. Of course, you don’t have to volunteer for a political cause or something explicitly democracy related. Just getting involved locally is a great first step.
Historically, younger people vote less frequently than everyone else. And in the most recent presidential election, youth turnout dropped considerably. Whatever your age, engaging younger people (even kids!) in democracy in a meaningful and sustained way will have long-term benefits for our democracy.
Sit down with someone under the age of 25, and learn a bit about their thoughts on politics and democracy.
Extra credit: Help someone under the age of 25 register (or pre-register) to vote, or update their registration to their current address.
Extra credit: Bring someone under the age of 25 with you next time you vote.
This section is toward the bottom for a reason. Elections (and political engagement more broadly) are essential to democracy but should ideally be the logical conclusion of deeper community engagement, not the one and only thing we do to protect democracy.
That being said, once we’ve learned about the issues at play and invested in strengthening our communities, it’s time to take that power and use it.
Calling your local officials about an issue makes a big difference (as does just getting to know them better). Note that whoever answers the phone/checks email is keeping a tally of for/against a particular issue, so when you reach out, you don’t have to be particularly eloquent or barrage them with statistics. Just (civilly) make your position clear, and make sure they know you’re a constituent who votes.
As you become more sophisticated in your activism, try to understand which issues fall under which jurisdiction (local, state, federal). In other words, don’t call your U.S. senator about town zoning or your local council member about international conflicts.
As candidates have begun to forgo “issues” pages on their websites, it’s worth returning to the question of what the point of a democratic republic is in the first place. Are we choosing candidates because we like them personally, or based on their ability and willingness to represent our interests? If it’s ultimately about the issues, then it’s logical to start organizing there.
There are added advantages to organizing around an issue. First, you may bridge political divides and find unlikely allies. Second, issue-based organizing is more resilient in the long term. Once you’ve built consensus in your community, it’s a lot harder for any one elected official to go against the popular will without serious consequences. Finally, organizing around a specific issue can build longer-term political power that can translate into elections in the future.
Identify a local issue you’re passionate about.
Research the topic in depth. (Warning: Your feelings about the topic may become more nuanced or may even change completely.)
Find others in your community already working on this issue. (The more you connect with those around you, the easier it will be to find these folks.)
Extra credit: If no one is already actively involved in an issue you think is important, it’s up to you to take the lead.
A record number of Americans (six in ten) view both political parties unfavorably. But the reality is parties are an essential and inescapable feature of any democracy. We will always have political parties, the only question is — what will those parties be like? How representative and responsive will they be? Who will control them? How cohesive, coordinated, and effective will they be? Will they be committed to democratic norms and values?
In many ways, the growing antipathy to political parties is a negative feedback loop. As many Americans disassociate with parties, it creates openings for those who are more extreme, ideological, or committed to securing power — even at the expense of our democracy.
If you live in a closed-primary state (where only people registered in a party can vote in its primary), consider registering in the dominant party. Because primaries have much lower turnout than general elections, your vote goes much further. Note that you don’t need to vote the party line in the general.
If you live in a state that allows fusion voting (where multiple parties can nominate the same candidate), figure out which party best represents your values and vote for your preferred candidate on that line, even if it’s a minor party.
Get more involved in activities as a member, volunteer, or elected officer of your local political party. And when you do so, be a voice for democracy — not just partisan priorities.
The right to assemble and protest is a fundamental right that lies at the heart of democracy. In the U.S., it is also protected by the Constitution. Learning what actions are permissible, and what actions are out of bounds, is key to effectively expressing yourself.
Maybe you’re ready to dedicate more than just your free time to making a difference in our democracy. If you want to make a career of it, there are plenty of great organizations (including ours) who may need your skills. Here are some places to begin your search:
Over the past few years, your local election official and their staff has likely endured threats, harassment, major changes to election procedures, and plenty more. Write them a short note thanking them. Of course, if there are areas for improvement, give them this feedback, too.
If there’s a local candidate who aligns with your positions, why not get involved in their campaign? Maybe you can even manage it and leverage your (now impressive) contact list.
If you’ve determined there is no one running who meets your standards, run for office yourself. Here’s a (very) streamlined guide on how to run for office. If you’re serious, consult your local election office so you understand the full requirements and deadlines. Action items:
Communicating with your now-considerable network on when and how to vote — not just in the general election, but especially in lower-turnout elections like locals, primaries, and runoffs — is a fairly easy action.
The National Association of Secretaries of State has specific pages that connect voters to their state’s website on the following topics:
At Protect Democracy, we have a culture principle:“Cherish feedback and give feedback responsibly.”Now that you’ve gone through this guide, you may have thoughts about what is missing — or even what should be removed. If so, please let us know so we can improve it.
Now that you’ve cleaned up your contacts, why not share this guide with your network? You can send it all at once or send a few actions at a time. Print copies and bring it to a community event.
All you need to get started as a democracy leader is your own gumption and this guide. You don’t need anyone’s permission or invitation — just become a leader by getting others involved in this work!
