how to practice citizenship

on getting off the sidelines and getting involved

If you’d like to join me in watching tonight’s presidential debate, I’ll be sharing my thoughts over on Substack chat. Looking forward to chatting with you!

I’ve never met more patriotic people than my parents.

Their immigrant story is similar to so many South Asians who came to the United States in the 70s - a mere $8 in their pockets, a mind full of dreams and a heart full of courage to achieve them. And they did just that - helped develop life-saving drugs and created businesses that employed others with dignity and high wages.

“Only in America,” they say when people compliment their many accomplishments.

My parents became citizens in the early 80s, and they’ve practiced citizenship ever since. They vote in every single election (local to federal). They’ve been active volunteers in the community, no matter where we’ve lived. They read the local news, and call their representatives at both the state and federal levels to log their support/opposition on current legislation.

You’ve never met people who actually love paying their taxes. Trust.

They’ve taught me that being an American means being in the arena, not watching it from the sidelines. These are the lessons we’re teaching our sons, especially right now.

This is one of the most consequential elections we’ll ever have, at all levels of government. It’s also incredibly overwhelming to figure out where to engage when you haven’t before.

I’m here for you. Here are my vetted resources to get involved in the 2024 election, with a specific focus on the South Asian community and Pennsylvania.

Volunteer

• I’m an artist ambassador for Indian American Impact, an organization focused on electing and mobilizing South Asians in this country. I’m participating in their phone banking and canvassing efforts in Pennsylvania, and would love for you to join us!

• As intimidating as it seems, phone banking is also incredibly effective and vital to turning out voters. You will be in good hands with these phone banking operations:

  • Fated States (the phone banking operation hosted by my favorite romance novels podcast, Fated Mates). These phonebanks are FUN - games, prizes, and a way to meet new friends.

  • Women for Harris-Walz - the best training for phone banking I’ve seen, and this is focused for the presidential election.

• If phone banking is not for you, consider writing postcards - it’s a great way to get the kids involved as well. We’re participating in They See Blue’s postcard campaign, and Postcards to Swing States is another vetted organization doing this work.

Donate

• If you want to donate to the most critical races/key issues (and don’t want to be spammed with constant texts and emails to donate more), donate via Oath. You can donate to your preferred candidates through the platform, or you can donate to the races to maximize impact (based on a candidate’s current cash on hand, competitiveness of race, and stakes). It’s a seamless donation experience that protects your data.

• While the Harris-Walz is pulling substantial fundraising numbers, donating to the campaign ensures that they can open and staff field offices in competitive areas, increase their media buys, and support down ballot races.

• A candidate I’m personally donating and supporting is Lauren Underwood, a three term congresswoman from Illinois who has been one of the most productive members of Congress (and just a great human, overall). Her race is incredibly competitive and every dollar matters in her race. Please donate here.

Engage

• Politics is local, and what’s happening at your local and state level is going to make a bigger impact in your day-to-day life. Subscribing to your local paper (or your area’s Axios Local newsletter) will help you stay informed on what’s happening in your backyard.

• Having worked in both a field office and on the Hill, I personally know how powerful calls can be. Save your senators and member of Congress’ numbers, along with your state representatives, and call regularly about how you want your representatives to vote on various issues or specific pieces of legislation.

• Be a poll worker! There’s no better way to practice citizenship than helping make our elections possible.

• Talk to your family and friends and encourage them to vote. Ripple (created by the incredible

  Emily Amick
  ) makes this so easy - they match your contacts in your address book with their voting records, and gives you specific scripts and prompts to reach out to them.

Learn

If you want more on engaging in our democracy and learning more about Kamala Harris, these are the books for you:

• We’re Speaking: The Life Lessons of Kamala Harris

• Democracy in Retrograde