Crime, inflation, and political turmoil have made Coloradans uneasy.
We all know the problems: Life is more expensive, the city is more dangerous, schools are failing kids, and the future seems less certain.
Unfortunately, many people are pinning their hope on the Presidential or other Federal elections to turn things around.
It’s easy to understand the allure of the Presidential & Federal campaigns, but it can be frustrating for individuals who get involved and either have no impact, or see no change after their candidate wins.
Of course, federal elections are important, but they don’t have as big of an impact on your life as local elections do.
Your City Council, Board of County Commissioners, Special District Board Members and State Legislators have a bigger influence on your family, your job and your community than Federal Officials.
And you can actually have an impact on these elections!
Your local governments determine your property taxes, the quality of your schools, your ability to legally defend your family, and other important issues.
And of course, we must not forget that local bureaucrats and politicians used their power to restrict our rights during the Covid-era.
What Difference Can You Make?
This year, Coloradans will vote for 3 CU Regents, 4 State Board of Education Members, 8 RTD Directors, 18 State Senators, 23 District Attorneys, 65 State Representatives, and numerous County Representatives.
Like it or not, these elected officials will have an enormous impact on the lives of Coloradans.
Some of these seats are in safe districts, meaning the Republican or Democrat is nearly guaranteed to win.
But there are a lot of seats where victory is not guaranteed for a particular party.
In 2022, there were 12 State House seats won with less than 3,000 votes.
And just this year, a House Primary election was won by only 3 votes!
At the local level, your efforts can determine who wins.
Your voice and efforts can influence your community.
For example, the efforts of Natalie Menten in Jefferson County have led to the defeat of tax increases, and even the repeal of the grocery tax in Lakewood.
This year, Natalie is leading the fight against a permanent tax increase, (see our recent video) and is also running for County Commissioner.
Colorado needs more Liberty Leaders like Natalie.
One person can make a difference.
Where to Start?
The first step is knowing who represents you.
Local elected representatives are easy to communicate with, and since they are supposed to be representing your community, they should be responsive to you as a constituent.
You can do an internet search with “city council” and your city’s name to find out who represents your neighborhood.
For state-level representatives, you can find your State Legislators and your district here.
If you know your State Legislative Districts (House and Senate), you can find candidates for office on Ballotpedia.
Click here for the Colorado 2024 Election page on Ballotpedia.
If you find a candidate for office that you’d like to support, you should be able to find their website or social media page with links to volunteer or contribute.
Candidates for office always need volunteers, so if you think they will represent your community with Pro-Liberty policies, then volunteer on their campaign.
Even after the election, knowing your elected representatives and having useful communication with them can go a long way to ensure that pro-liberty legislation is supported.
What’s Next? Show Up!
Showing up is half the battle.
Because so few people are involved at the local level of politics, just a showing up can have an impact.
Show up at City Council Meetings, County Commission Meetings, Legislative Committee Hearings, and other governmental meetings.
You can find these schedules online with an internet search.
Recently, I went to a Greeley City Council meeting and there were only two other people there that were not associated with city business.
Also, look for political events, meetings and meetups to find groups of people you might agree with.
Showing up at events is a great way to meet like-minded people and start to build a community.
Colorado has a Liberty Meetup nearly every week, it’s called Liberty on the Rocks.
If you are in the Denver area, join the Denver Liberty on the Rocks Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/liberty-on-the-rocks-denver/
If you are in Southern Colorado, join the Colorado Springs chapter: https://www.meetup.com/colorado-springs-libertarian-meetup-group/
And if you are in Northern Colorado, join the meetup here: https://www.meetup.com/fort-collins-knowledge-sharing-meetup-group/
Show up and meet people, because there is only so much you can accomplish online.
If you can build a community of Liberty-minded individuals in your city, you can have a big impact.
Just think about the next time a government official tries to shutdown society, attempts to pass a gun ban, or raise your taxes.
If you have a community to people to push back, you will have much better chances of accomplishing your goals.
Now What? Get Organized!
Once you have some allies, and know who your elected representatives are, you can organize around issues.
In Jefferson County for example, a group called Jeffco Kids First started out as a small group of parents concerned about the quality of their public schools, but has now blossomed into a group of nearly 6,700 people!
With this amount of members and a high level of organization, they’ve been able to help first responders and other community members during this year’s Quarry wildfire.
An example of a group that started out small and is now having a tremendous impact on Colorado politics is Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.
Liberty Scorecard is another example of an organization in which a relatively small group of individuals has a massive impact on the State Legislature.
No matter how you start, you can make a difference.
Here’s a formula for success:
- Find out who the policy makers are in your area.
- Show up to learn the issues and people involved.
- Find the others that share your Liberty values.
- Get organized around specific issues or candidates.
It’s important to stay focused on goals that you can realistically accomplish.
Find small winnable battles and keep growing from there.
Maybe it’s just fixing a pothole in your neighborhood or organizing a park cleanup day.
Or maybe you unseat an incumbent politician and replace them with someone who supports Liberty.
If you have a network of active individuals ready to mobilize when a bad policy is introduced you will be able to immediately have an impact.
No matter your goal, the steps are the same: Get informed and get involved!
Please leave a “reply” below if you’d like help getting connected in your community!
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