Citizen Participation

We believe that voting is just the start of the role citizens should play in our government.

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Voting in an important first step in citizen participation – but it's just the start of the role citizens could play in our democracy. At Democracy North Carolina, we also encourage the people of NC to become more active in the debate to set public policy.

 
Becoming an Active Citizen

Here are some things people can do to play a more active role in our democracy:

  1. Become active locally in their communities.
  2. Ask hard questions of candidates, especially questions about campaign donations and money in politics.
  3. Become vocal constituents and contribute to public policy discussions.
  4. Hold elected officials accountable for their actions and their success or failure in adhering to campaign promises.
  5. Step up, if desired, to run for office and engage in public service.


PeopleWe believe that this increased level of citizen participation will eventually result in a more representative government as well as one that is truly for the people, of the people and by the people.

 

If you’re interested in becoming more involved in shaping our state’s future, please visit our Organizing, Civic Engagement, Training and Take Action sections.

 

 

 

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In This Section:

A Government for All

Women diverse

In a representative democracy (the form practiced in the United States), adult citizens elect officials to represent them in the lawmaking and policy-setting processes. This means that creating public policies that embody the public good must begin with elected officials who understand the needs of all citizens.

 

This is far more difficult to achieve than it sounds. For example, the 2007 census found that NC had over 9 million residents; 68% were White Non-Hispanics, 22% African Americans, 6.7% Hispanics/Latinos,1.9% Asian-Americans and 1.3% American Indian. Women made up 51% of our overall state population.

Of course, you don’t have to share a background and physical appearance with a person to understand their needs – but it can help. And a representative government respects diversity by its very definition. All of these are reasons why we make a special effort to encourage historically underrepresented groups such as women, young people and African-Americans to become more involved as citizens in the electoral process. Our hope is that more leaders will emerge from these groups and run for office – bringing us closer to a representative government.

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Would you like to join one of our local coalitions or promote Voter-Owned Elections (VOE) to help us open doors to office for underrepresented groups? If so, ask us to conduct a VOE presentation for your group.

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