There must be 50 ways: Participating in democracy #19: House party!

 An activist friend of mine decided to run for city council. In a town of hundreds of thousands, that was no small decision and no small project. I volunteered to host one house party to introduce her to folks, raise some funds, and generate interest in her ideas and candidacy. 

I set the number at 20, about what my house could hold. For those committing at least $500 I hosted a vegetarian dinner before the party, to be attended by the candidate. For everyone else, she stayed for about 20 more minutes, just to introduce herself. Then we had a discussion but also a silent auction. Up and down the hallway, items were exhibited with a bid sheet by each. There was art, books, and other items. I continued monitoring and put in some bids myself, partially to honor the donors by making sure that the value of each donated piece was met and partially to raise the levels of contributions from the silent auction.

We raised a couple thousand dollars, people met the candidate, and I gained a couple new possessions (even though I was just trying to drive up the price, that is of course the auction risk, that your bid is highest). 

House parties for candidates are one way to participate in democracy while having a bite and a beer with friends and the candidate. In my case, she won and I hosted three such parties. It felt like I made a bit of difference. She went on to create an unarmed response unit to 911 calls that didn't involve an active shooter, so I felt like a tiny part of that victory for peace and nonviolence in my town. Having a good time and participating in democracy should not be mutually exclusive but instead should be the norm.