Every Citizen Serves
Public Office for All
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Every Citizen Serves is a civic empowerment initiative committed to helping us democratize democracy, creating a governance system that can work in the post-majority nation we're on the cusp of becoming.
Harvey Milk, Jewish military officer-turned-gay activist-turned local politician and John Lewis, Freedom Rider-turned movement leader-turned US Congressman are but two examples of people who sought office not for themselves but for the rest of us.
This work involves three components
1. elevating our expectations.
Once newly majority-minority Texas, a state where the non-Latinx, white-identifying vote has declined from 86.6% in 1970 to under 50% in 2021, shifts blue, the Democratic Party will go into every presidential election with an almost insurmountable electoral advantage, effectively turning us into a one-party nation. That's a recipe for disaster and a nullification of democracy, no matter who holds that kind of power. The only way forward is shifting to a system where every vote counts; expecting every political party to work for all, not just some of us; and elevating our political framing, and demanding that every elected official do more than represent those who voted for them, but the American people writ large, and our Constitution -- the only valid fulfillment of the oath they take.
2. updating our assumptions.
In any society with an unassailable supermajority, office-seekers can employ wedging tactics that activate the majority at the minority's expense. It's why Southern Democrat, Senator Richard Russell, in 1964, felt comfortable publicly stating that he and his fellow Dixiecrats would: “resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendency to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our states.” The assumption was not only that segregationists could win without their would-be victims' votes, but that vilifying them would galvanize their base. And while the latter might still be true, that base has shrunk enough that social wedging hurts them more than it helps.
In this new sociographic landscape, the same tactics that once won races will increasingly become the reason races are lost. There’s a way forward for us, but it won’t be found in believing we can sink just their part of the life raft, or poison just their part of the pond. Instead, we’ll need to do some retooling; shifting from circling the wagons to enlarging the tent. That requires coalition-building, a skill that historic minorities have in abundance, but that those used to being in power have never needed. But in a society where everyone is a minority, it's a skill we'll all have to master.
In this new sociographic landscape, the same tactics that once won races will increasingly become the reason races are lost. There’s a way forward for us, but it won’t be found in believing we can sink just their part of the life raft, or poison just their part of the pond. Instead, we’ll need to do some retooling; shifting from circling the wagons to enlarging the tent. That requires coalition-building, a skill that historic minorities have in abundance, but that those used to being in power have never needed. But in a society where everyone is a minority, it's a skill we'll all have to master.
3. Expanding leadership eligibility.
The only viable path for democracy is one where participating in governance is an economic and practical possibility for every adult who wants to do so, becoming a society where taking a turn at public service, like serving in the military or Peace Corp-like organizations, is something many of us do at some point in our lives. Doing so will both strengthen overall understanding of how governance works, which will result in more informed voters, and will prevent people from remaining in office longer than they should.
Projects
“For All” Voter Guides - The “Family Values” voter guide created by Paul Weyrich and other Moral Majority leadership allowed them to align churchgoing Americans across the country with their political agenda. We're developing something similar. Only the "For All" voter guide assesses our elected officials—irrespective of party—based on one thing: whether they’ve represented some of us or all of us. Like Weyrich's tool, the "For All" voter guide will be disseminated widely through our nation's faith communities. But that's not all. The entire database will be searchable online. (2028)
Out in the Open - Southern Baptist minister, Pat Robertson, in a March 1986 memo distributed to the Iowa Republican County Caucus, provided the following advice on how to participate in a political party: Rule the world for God. Give the impression [emphasis added] that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology. Hide your strength. Don’t flaunt your Christianity. Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions whenever possible, God willing. For people like Pat, subterfuge was seen as an equalizing tool for a faction that already understood itself to be a minority. Out in the Open does the opposite. The same role vacancies that people like Pat encouraged "Bible-believing Christians" to quietly assume, the tool widely publicizes. It gathers information about participation rates in decision-making. And it brings transparency about historically opaque processes, like how the parties choose the planks in their platforms, or how states allocate Electoral College votes. It's how we make democracy both real and resilient. (2028)
Out in the Open - Southern Baptist minister, Pat Robertson, in a March 1986 memo distributed to the Iowa Republican County Caucus, provided the following advice on how to participate in a political party: Rule the world for God. Give the impression [emphasis added] that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology. Hide your strength. Don’t flaunt your Christianity. Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions whenever possible, God willing. For people like Pat, subterfuge was seen as an equalizing tool for a faction that already understood itself to be a minority. Out in the Open does the opposite. The same role vacancies that people like Pat encouraged "Bible-believing Christians" to quietly assume, the tool widely publicizes. It gathers information about participation rates in decision-making. And it brings transparency about historically opaque processes, like how the parties choose the planks in their platforms, or how states allocate Electoral College votes. It's how we make democracy both real and resilient. (2028)
Examples of organizations that have already taken up the work:
Run for Office is a free service that provides all the tools you need to launch a successful campaign whether you are a seasoned veteran or first-time campaigner.
Run for Something is a platform committed to offering campaign support to progressive candidate who want to run for a down-ballot seat, including those from lower-income communities who can't raise large sums of money. Their process opens the doors of public office to outstanding people who otherwise couldn't run.
Running Start is a nonpartisan nonprofit that trains young women to run for political office.
LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and Fund- the only national organization devoted to electing pro-equality, pro-choice LGBTQ+ people to public office at every level.
