Only We Can Save Us: On Elections, Democracy, and Our Collective Power

The system is fucked. The election will not save us. All we have is us. So what are we going to do?

It’s a presidential election year. For many of us, especially those of us living in DC, there is little escape from the daily deluge of election-related content, whether it be news, ads, texts, door-to-door campaigners, or the conversation at happy hour.

At XRDC, we have been focused on local campaigns this year, with the election never far from our minds. As the day crept closer, we decided it was worth saying something, to offer some food for thought that hopefully helps ground us in collective power rather than get swept away in the fear-based election rhetoric. Thus, we arrived at this piece.

This piece uses XRDC’s values and demands as a framework and infuses wisdom from people across history to understand this moment and the inherent power we hold.

Tell the Truth

As organizers, it’s helpful to ground ourselves in the reality of the moment in order to take the most effective next step we can to address the crises of our time. In other words, our analysis of the moment starts with our first demand: Tell the Truth.

Here in the DC area in 2024, we saw brutal heat waves over the summer, on track with many other places in the world as we collectively experience, yet again, the hottest year on record. Wars driven by fossil fuel interests commit ecocide around the globe, financed by our government. Hurricanes have become more intense and intensify far faster due to the burning of fossil fuels. Other climate disasters, like severe floods and wildfires, continue to wreak havoc all over, contributing to the destabilization of countless towns and forcing thousands of people to become refugees, where they are then met with violence as they try to find a safe place to survive.

Our society seems more polarized than ever, our so-called democracy is crumbling, and a biased Supreme Court has and will erode key laws meant to protect people and the planet. All of this leads up to the 2024 election, where hate, fear, and violence seem to fuel the race.

It’s a lot. But none of us are holding it alone.

Beyond Politics

XRDC’s third demand, Beyond Politics, is a recognition that the political system in which we live is not set up for us. It is not real democracy. It is a mix of republic and democratic systems steeped in a hierarchical, unequal society that allows a wealthy few to consolidate power while the rest of us struggle to get by (which some may qualify as an oligarchy). Our political system attempts to limit citizens’ power to voting, and for the presidential election, that power is watered down even more though the Electoral College—meaning a candidate could receive a majority of votes yet still lose the election.

We see this wealth inequality so clearly in today’s world. Corporate executives and career politicians buy their second (or third, or fourth…) homes while many people can’t even afford to buy one house, or even pay rent. The rich take lavish vacations while everyday people can’t afford to stay home when they’re sick because they need the day’s wages in order to survive.

Corporate executives rake in millions while their workers struggle to get by. Health care is expensive, yet health care workers are underpaid. Education leaves students tens of thousands of dollars in debt, yet teachers and professors have to work second jobs to keep food on the table. Food costs more than ever, yet farm workers can’t pay to go to the doctor when they get sick from pesticides.

This translates to politics because it’s the money these corporations are raking in that then gets poured into politicians’ campaigns, buying politicians out so they protect corporate interests over the needs of the people. This happens at all levels of government, from the city and county level all the way up to federal, and can include financing mainstream candidates or even “ghost” candidates in order to twist elections in corporations’ favor. The American Gas Association, of which Washington Gas is a part, has contributed $710,000 to campaigns this year alone.

In short, business as usual is killing us. But business as usual can be disrupted.

True Democracy

What we need is a shift in the system. We need a return to real democracy, where everyday working people have direct input in the decisions that control their lives. This can start with Citizens’ Assemblies.

Citizens’ Assemblies are a form of democracy that gives greater political power to people like us and you. Everyday people from all walks of life within a particular jurisdiction (like DC or the U.S.) gather together to learn, discuss, and make decisions about an issue, like the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. This assembly receives high-quality information from every angle of an issue. Members of the assembly then discuss and come up with concrete recommendations that can be implemented by the government or collective ruling body.

This process is important because it allows complicated, big issues to finally be addressed. In our current system, politicians are incentivized to address small, short-term issues over longer-term ones in order to win elections every two, four, or six years. Citizens’ Assemblies provide a platform for the bigger issues to not just be discussed but actually acted upon based on what everyday people need (rather than what the corporations want).

Several places have successfully implemented Citizens’ Assemblies, including Washington State, Poland, Ireland, and France. Other people-centered decision-making processes have also been successful, such as Chile’s Constitution Referendum.

Harnessing Our Collective Power

Citizens’ Assemblies are not the only way to move toward true democracy and a political system that is actually responsive to everyday people. In XRDC, the way we organize together is intentionally chosen in order to co-create new ways of being together and governing ourselves.

We use a framework called “self-organizing systems” to structure our chapter. This is a form of sociocracy that removes hierarchy and uses consent (rather than majority rule) when making decisions. In this system, members rotate roles within various working groups in order to prevent one or a few people from hoarding power. When working well, this way of organizing supports each member in acknowledging and stepping into their own power and a way of practicing direct democracy.

“You have far more power than simply putting a ballot in a box. And when we link arms and stand in our power together, we can—and we will—force the system to change.”

— XRDC

XRDC also focuses on creating a regenerative culture within our organizing spaces. Regenerative culture is a culture that is healthy, resilient, and adaptable, that centers care for all life and the planet. It is a way of organizing, such as centering relationships over to-do lists, and it is a way of being, such as showing up authentically with a willingness to unlearn, learn, and grow. Regenerative culture centers community care, which can mean anything from hosting community events to doing the inner work to unlearn internalized systems of oppression so we can be together in healthier, more supportive ways.

Beyond XRDC, there are so many communities doing amazing work to build something different. To name just a few, WildSeed Society is building toward a totally new vision, New Economy Coalition has dozens of member organizations actively creating a solidarity economy, The Emergence Network is asking the deep questions of our time, and Sogorea Te’ Land Trust is building a resilience hub in the Bay Area.

There are so many good things being built. So what does that mean for this moment?

About that Election

It is not an accident that the two leading candidates in the two mainstream parties are both very bad on climate, support genocide, and overall are set to maintain the exploitative system in which we live. The system was designed to deliver this kind of candidate.

While XRDC can recognize that of these two candidates, one will create much less harm than the other, we also hold the truth that no matter who wins, the system itself will still be in place. And that means no matter who wins, our organizing work is far from over.

We are not telling you who to vote for. We are telling you that you are needed in this movement. You have far more power than simply putting a ballot in a box. And when we link arms and stand in our power together, we can—and we will—force the system to change. We can build something together, right now, that moves us beyond the extractive fossil fuel economy and toward the regenerative future we all deserve.

See you in the streets.

In love and rage,

Extinction Rebellion DC