Show Up. Dive In. Stay at It: How PopVox Can Help You Be More Politically Effective

Following the events of Tuesday, November 8, many citizens who were disappointed with the election results began to express a desire to become more active politically, and more effective in that activism. If your Facebook feed looked anything like mine, it was filled with questions, comments, and pleas about what to do next. A much-circulated post in my network (and possibly yours) urged people to call New York Senator Chuck Schumer, imploring him to protest the appointment of Steve Bannon as chief strategist to Donald Trump.

Marci Harris saw that post in her own social network in California. And while it didn’t bother her at all—she likes to see ordinary citizens expressing themselves politically—she knew it was slightly misinformed. Harris, who worked on the staff of former California Democratic Representative Pete Stark, knew that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer really only answers to his own constituents in New York. She also knew that Bannon’s appointment would not come before Congress and was an internal White House matter. "There's certainly utility in making your feelings known to your own representatives," she says. "But many were acting as if Bannon needed to be confirmed by the Senate, and that was just not the case."