I recently wrote a piece for an up and coming feminist zine, and the topic was women who have become more politically active in 2017. (Keep your eyes peeled for a blog post from my research). During my time interviewing these women, I was inspired by the chances they took. I was inspired by their stories. Due to my research and political media consumption, I have come across many start ups that have a mission to help people run for office, get registered to vote, get politically active and more. 

I think it should be a resolution for many people in 2018 to get more politically active. This can be small or big steps. If you're not active at all, a small step is a big one. It could even be as easy as getting registered to vote! Below is a list of some start ups that have recently been founded or have become more active since the 2017 election. Taking a look at these is a great step towards the resolution of becoming more politically active, and participating in the resistance.

1. SwingLeft

SwingLeft's mission is to find the swing districts in your area, and how you can help swing them in the direction of progress. This way, the House can be taken back. According to their website, the 2018 midterm election will be controlled by swing districts. By exploring the website, the user can find action items that they can take to volunteer and promote progressive candidates.

2. Indivisible

This company's mission is to fuel a grassroots movement agains the Trump agenda. There are many indivisible chapters across the country, but if there's not one near you then you can start one. Indivisible provides you with a step-by-step guide for grassroots organizing, and many similar resources.

3. PostShame.com

This websites helps candidates own their past so that we don't live in a shameful society. They can own their narrative. For example, instead of being shamed for their past drug abuse, they can own their past and use this platform to campaign on drug law reform. 

4. Flippable

The mission of this organization is to flip 100 seats in the house in 2018. They're similar to SwingLeft in their mission of flipping the house. Ever since the 2016 election, there has been a lot of hope in swinging the house so that Democrats have some leverage. They're a movement in itself. By signing up for their emails, you'll learn the ways that you can take action.

5. Run for Something

Many people have been inspired to run for office in 2017. Running for office is no simple feat, however. This organization provides folks with some resources to help them run. "Run for Something will recruit and support talented, passionate young people who will advocate for progressive values now and for the next 30 years, with the ultimate goal of building a progressive bench," the website says. Their focus is on young and diverse individuals.

6. Vote.org

This website is focused on a very simple way to get involved - voting! Here, you can get registered, get an absentee ballot, get election reminders and find your polling place. Voter suppresion is due to many things, including lack of education and resources. It's important to making voting as convenient as possible. 

 

During each presidential debate, millennial on either side were quickly microblogging, blogging, vlogging, meme-making - you name it about their opinions on the debate. While we were all scrolling through Facebook or Twitter on our phones during lunch, we probably came across tens or hundreds of election memes that either made us laugh or enraged us. Millennials, thanks to their urge to voice their opinion and the internet, became built-in ambassadors for their candidate. Every day, their respective candidate were on the campaign trail. Every minute of everyday, millennials were on the internet fighting for their candidates.