There are many things you can do as an individual to further the cause of democracy in North Carolina, either by working with us or working on your own. This section outlines some of your options for making a difference in our state.  

Are You Ready to Learn Some MAD Skills?

The MAD Skills program stands for Media Advocates for Democracy — Democracy NC's corps of letter writing volunteers who spread the word about our issues throughout NC through their contributions to Letters to the Editor pages and blogs. We provide training, letter ideas, tips and even sample language to make it easy and fun for our MAD Skills volunteers. If you'd like to learn MAD Skills, just drop our Communications Director a line and we'll get you started!

Civic Engagement Opportunities

One of the most powerful things you can do is learn how to be an active constituent in between election times. Visit our Be Heard section for more on remaining involved in democracy, including how to hold elected officials accountable for their actions. Another good way to further the cause of democracy is to become a Democracy Advocate and help us with our work.

 

Election Season Activities

If you want to promote voter participation in your community at election time, there are several things you can do as an individual to help:

• Register Voters: anyone may do this and many people do. Start by downloading our Voter Registration Guide or visiting our Register Voters section. You can also obtain voter registration forms and instructions from your local board of elections or call us at 919-286-6000 for more information. Remember all forms must be postmarked or turned into the Board of Elections at least 25 days before the election.

• Distribute flyers on Same Day Registration & Voting to let people know they can register and vote early, at Early Voting sites, from 19 to 3 days before any Primary or General Election. You can click here to download a flyer (3 per page) or contact us at 919-286-6000 for copies to distribute.

• Work with one of our local coalitions and help motivate voters to go to the polls. Democracy North Carolina GOTV coalitions expand during major election years and can include such areas as Charlotte, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Salisbury, Wilson and Winston-Salem. We may also be able to help connect you to other individuals in your area willing to partner with you. Contact us to see.

• Become an official poll worker and help voters at a polling place in your county. It’s a great way to help the community and learn about elections from the inside out.  Contact your local board of elections at least three months before the election about available opportunities and procedures to apply. Poll workers are paid and receive mandatory training from their local board. Many of the positions require workers to be at the polling place all day on Election Day, but other jobs involve half-day shifts. Student assistants as young as 17 can be hired to fulfill certain responsibilities.

• If you are an attorney, an organization called Election Protection seeks volunteers each year to staff its legal hotline on Election Day. You would receive an orientation and materials for you to perform your chief duty, namely answering questions about voting rights in North Carolina. To learn how you can be involved with Election Protection, contact Democracy North Carolina at 919-286-6000 or email info@democracy-nc.org.   
  

Ready to Get Started?

If you are ready to take action now, here are some things you can do immediately as an individual:

• Sign up for our email alert list and take action on pending legislative bills or take part in other grassroots organizing events.

• If you live in one of our coalition areas and are interested in volunteering in your hometown, please contact the field organizer for that area for information on how you can help with their current initiatives.

• If you are an active and frequent campaign donor, become a Campaign Donor for Campaign Reform and put pressure on your party’s candidates to conform to strict ethical standards and support Voter-Owned Elections.

• Invite a Democracy NC speaker to a meeting of a group or organization.

• Write a letter to the editor about Voter-Owned Elections or any of our other issues. Use this on-line service to automatically email multiple newspapers in NC.

• If you live in or near Durham and would like to volunteer at our headquarters, please visit our Volunteer section for more information on what our needs are.

• Call 1-888-OUR-VOTE or write info@democracy-nc.org for information on current Democracy Advocate activities.