Step One: Commit

Before strategy, before turnout, before victory — comes the decision to stay engaged.

It feels like every week brings something new.

A disappointing court decision. A mean-spirited policy shift. An unexplained attack on a foreign country. An infuriating headline designed to provoke us. Debates that seem abstract until, suddenly, they aren’t — because the outcome shows up in your health insurance premium, your child’s classroom, your neighborhood security, or your right to the ballot.

The speed and chaos are intended to make it difficult to focus. Because when everything feels urgent and hopeless, checking out feels like self-preservation. This mission underlies the 10 Steps to Autocracy and Authoritarianism — overwhelm and paralyze.

To fight back and take action, we are launching a new series here on Substack to understand the 10 Steps to Freedom and Power.

Each week we’ll focus on one step — what’s happening, what it means, where we’ve seen progress. And what you can do next. We each have agency and power, and now, more than ever, we must do our part. Start where you can, do what you can and change what you can. That’s how we win.

This week, we’ll discuss how democracy is sustained by people who decide to commit to fighting for it.

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STEP ONE: Commit

Before we talk about strategy, turnout, or policy fights, we need to start here: commitment.

Committing means deciding that you want to understand how decisions being made — in statehouses, in Congress, in courts — affect you and your community. It means asking not just “What happened?” but “What does this change?”

And here’s the good news: commitment to democracy works.

In November, we saw that firsthand in critical elections across the country. In Georgia, Democrats flipped two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission — the agency directly responsible for residential energy bills, and Mississippi broke a legislative supermajority. In Virginia, Democrats swept statewide offices and expanded their majority in the House of Delegates, allowing them to push back against authoritarianism in their backyard. California voters overwhelmingly approved Prop 50, in order to counter Republicans’ extreme gerrymandering in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina. These victories didn’t happen because people were doom-scrolling. Instead, people paid attention, organized, made calls, had conversations, and showed up. They committed to understanding what was at stake and what could be done.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

We’ve written before about how the biggest shifts in our democracy often happen quietly — through policy changes that feel technical until they reshape everyday life. Last year, right here on Substack, we explored each of the 10 Steps to Autocracy and Authoritarianism, what they look like in practice and how they have become our daily reality in the United States. The antidote is simple: when enough people commit early and consistently, the outcome changes.

So what does commitment look like right now?

It can look like:

• Reading the second paragraph on a new policy that affects your daily life, not just the headline.

• Sharing accurate information instead of amplifying confusion by reposting a lie.

• Supporting organizations doing the steady work in your community.

• Voting in primaries, special elections, and local races — showing up in non-presidential years.

• Bringing one more person into the process by inviting them to come with you — no pressure, just tagging along.

Our strength truly lies in our numbers. But numbers only matter if they increase.

Commitment isn’t flashy. The committed are dogged, consistent and dedicated to staying in the conversation when it would be easier to tune out. We’re the ones who decide that the future of our community is worth our time.

Below, you’ll find resources to help you understand what’s happening — and how to plug in.

Getting Started:

• Subscribe to 2-3 trusted news sources that focus on policy impacts.

• Join one local civic organization (neighborhood association, community development corp).

• Follow local elected officials on social media.

Building Momentum:

• Attend one community meeting monthly (city council, school board, planning commission).

• Connect with neighbors to discuss local issues and their impacts.

• Participate in community surveys and public input opportunities.

Leadership Development:

• Learn from policy experts about the impact of local policy issues.

• Create and share education materials with the community, organize community forums to discuss policy impacts.

• Track voting records of your local, state, and federal representatives.

The 10 Steps to Freedom and Power were built around one idea: progress is not accidental. It is built, step by step, by people who refuse to disengage.

So we begin here.

Step One Is Commit.

Commit to understanding, showing up, and bringing others with you.

In the coming weeks, we’ll walk through the next steps — what they mean, why they matter, and how we move together.

Stay with us.

We’re just getting started.