• BECOME INFORMED: Find out who your lawmakers and representatives are (local, state, federal) and how to contact them by phone, by email and/or web interface, and by snail-mail.

• KEEP TABS on other officials — for example, who is on the school board, how they vote. Who is the county sheriff? Who are local who your precinct workers are, what the issues are,

• HELP WITH ELECTIONS: If relevant to where you live, become a poll worker, a poll watcher, a precinct worker, an observer. (Some if not all of these positions require training in advance; check your state’s requirements, which are usually available on the state secretary of state’s website.) Check with your state and/or local Democratic party to see where you can help.

• BE A CAMPAIGN VOLUNTEER: Volunteer to help a worthy candidate’s political campaign. You can pick from many ways to help: phone banking, staffing tables at community events, canvassing neighborhoods (knocking on doors and talking to people), distributing campaign materials, preparing and mailing campaign literature, showing up at town halls and candidate forums, helping candidates with debate and forum preparation (including thinking of questions that might come up), fundraising, asking merchants and businesses for support (money and putting up posters in windows).