Get Involved: Defend Democracy

What you can do when democratic norms are under threat.

FIRST: Call, Write, and Pressure Elected Officials

As of April 17, 2025, less than 1% of all 514 members of congress have said ANYTHING about the current Constitutional Crisis. They should know that their job and their power is based on the same document that protects our rights. If they fail to protect the Constitution, there may not be any hope for them OR us, but they are cowering in the shadow of autocracy, hoping they will be safe if they are enough of a brown-nosing lickspittle. It is their responsibility to do what must be done. Tell them to be better.

• Call your federal representatives—phone calls carry more weight than emails or tweets.
• Send letters, faxes, and emails too—follow up after you call.
• Attend their town halls. Demand statements: Will you defend the Constitution?
• Organize campaigns to hold officials accountable—across party lines.

Contact your representatives regularly. They work for you—and they count every message and call.

Find Your Representative – From Common Cause.

SECOND: Tell Your Neighbors, Friends, and Church

See them face-to-face, if you can. Visit a different friend every day, if you must. Show them that you care about them—and ask them to care about our country.

Organize and Mobilize Locally

Change starts close to home. Be a closer ally with your neighbors than with anyone trying to rule over you. In a polarized society, don’t just choose a party script. Choose your moral and spiritual foundation—and build your fight on that.

• Find or start a local activist group.
• Support democratic education—tell your school board to teach the Constitution.
• Provide direct civic education for adults and children. Teach what the Constitution is and what it says.

Change often starts at the community level. If you can't find a group online, get together with your church, your friends, your neighbors.

Civil Disobedience is Necessary

• In extreme circumstances, peaceful noncompliance becomes a moral duty. A threat to the very foundation of our country is THE most extreme of circumstances.
• Engage in sit-ins, boycotts, or other acts of resistance strategically, even if it involves teaming up with neighbors who you rarely hold hands with.
• If you're in for something that you feel may be dangerous, seek insight from and coordinate with experienced activist groups to ensure actions are safe and effective.

In extreme times, peaceful noncompliance is a moral duty. Do it strategically and safely.

Training for Change Toolkit – Learn skills for nonviolent resistance.

Protest and Demonstrate

• Peaceful noncompliance becomes a moral duty when the foundation of our country is under attack.
• Engage in sit-ins, boycotts, or resistance—even if it means teaming up with neighbors you rarely agree with.
• Coordinate with experienced activist groups for safety and effectiveness.

Nonviolent, persistent protests are powerful tools to show public dissent and protect rights.

Find an Indivisible Chapter – Indivisible is a growing grassroots movement to protect American Democracy.

Get Loud, Stay Informed

• Really dig for reliable, fact-based info sources.
• Talk to friends and family—awareness spreads through real conversations.
• Support independent journalism, which is often the first target of authoritarian behavior.

Stay educated and speak up. Share facts, support independent journalism, and fight disinformation.

Visit ProPublica – Independent, investigative journalism.