From Voting to Advocating by Henry Mantel
"The most important title is not president or prime minister, but citizen." —President Barack Obama It is easy to feel helpless nowadays. America is, arguably , more an oligarchy than a republic; only the wealthiest seem to have any influence over public policy. But ordinary citizens can still influence our government. The problem is that most simply never try, either because they do not know how, have the time, or think it is worth the effort. There is nothing I can do about the latter two, but I can do something about the first one. There are a lot of ways a regular citizen can influence politics in America. Some are simple and quick, others less so. Here is a list of ways you can make a difference. 1. Voting This one is obvious, yet only slightly more than half of Americans vote in presidential elections, and less than half do during off years. Voting is the surest and best way to influence policy in America. How difficult voting is can depend heav