{"id":764993,"date":"2024-11-26T12:38:12","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T12:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/?p=764993"},"modified":"2024-11-26T13:03:32","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T13:03:32","slug":"political-engagement-beyond-voting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gaytimes.com\/justice\/political-engagement-beyond-voting\/","title":{"rendered":"Voting is important, but organising is life-saving"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the GAY TIMES\u2019 justice column, \u201cLet\u2019s Create Some Good In The World\u201d:<\/span> how to turn your election disappointment into action.<\/span><\/p>\n

WORDS ELIEL CRUZ<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The devastating results of the US presidential election, which will bring back the right wing extremist politics of Donald Trump, show us what is true: while voting is important, community organising will be life-saving. Every four years, many people zero in on the presidential election almost as if it is the pinnacle of political engagement. Voting can seem so important because, for many, it\u2019s the bulk of their political work. But voting in elections cannot be the end-all of how you partake in politics. Voting is important and helps establish who we organise under, but we must still organise.<\/span>
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When most people hear politics, they assume it\u2019s <\/span>electoral<\/span><\/i> politics, essentially supporting and voting for elected officials who, in theory, will take care of addressing societal ills and make it easier for everyday citizens to live their lives. Our votes elect people to power to legislate and to allocate our tax dollars, and in some ways, places the responsibility of \u201cfixing\u201d the world on them. That is one part of politics. But when organisers talk about politics, it is so much broader than elections. We are referring to how we see and interact with the world around us and the responsibility we have to be part of the world and in the work towards the liberation of all people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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