“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
– R. Buckminster Fuller
There is a solution!
The solution is to empower the People, the Grassroots, to organize and hold their elected officials accountable. That means creating a new structure to apply direct political pressure from the bottom up.
The Missing Link is the Precinct Town Meeting.
The missing link between the People and their elected representatives is a structure and network of self-sustaining, monthly, Precinct Town Meetings, based on the existing voting precincts. When fully functioning, the Precinct Town Meeting will be:
- Monthly
- At a public location within each precinct
- Conducted in a format that allows each and every voice to be heard. We encourage real conversations about solutions to vital issues.
- A self-sustaining unit, capable of autonomous action, to further the cause of liberty and improve their neighborhoods and community
- Empowered by training and educational tools we provide, as well as a monthly informational video feed. (You are free to use your own, of course!)
- Have a regular attendance of 3% or more of the registered voters in the precinct
- A place to Recruit, Inform, Train, and Activate (RITA) the grassroots for effective political action and community empowerment
- Able to develop, elect, and hold accountable, elected officials closest to the people
- Part of a statewide network of precinct organizations that can work together on larger issues affecting us all.
It's been done before
The Town Meeting is what made early American representative government so effective.
“Town meetings are to liberty what primary schools are to science; they bring it within the people's reach, they teach men how to use and how to enjoy it. A nation may establish a free government, but without municipal institutions it cannot have the spirit of liberty.” Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Book 1, Chapter V, 1840
The voting precinct is a natural location for these meetings today
The Precinct Town Meeting is a new form, for an older, proven method to get good government. While no one is looking for another meeting to attend, there are those who will attend meetings where they know they can make a difference. Our population as become so large and urbanized today, that actual town meetings are seldom practical. But the smaller voting precinct provides the perfect size and neighborhood location.
“My findings . . . show that citizens will participate—and often at great cost to themselves—when they know the political arena is small enough for them to make a difference and there are issues at stake that really matter to them. . . . Decentralism and empowerment: put these requirements together and democracy will flourish. Take either away and it will die.
Citizens are not born. They are raised. The single most recurrent theme in the literature on the town meeting in the 19th Century—when town meetings were much stronger than they are now—was the notion that town meetings are schoolhouses of citizenship.” From an interview with Frank M. Brian, author Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting
This is a community, non-partisan movement
Precinct Town Meetings will be largely non-partisan, even if held by an officer in a party. We want participation of people from all parties and independents to participate. In cases where party business needs to be discussed among party officers and members, special notice would be given for a private "party only" meeting.
This is about more than just politics
Meeting topics will include issues at all levels of municipal, county and state government. Moreover, they will not be strictly political. Other topics might include:
- Community gardening, playgrounds, parks and other community projects
- Mutual aid and assistance to institutions, organizations and families within the community
- Area security and infrastructure
- Community and neighborhood social gatherings.
We will help make it easy to participate
Since we are proposing a new model, based on a proven, old idea, we don’t have to start from scratch. We intend to provide the basic tools to help you get involved. Moreover, we know that you, and others called to be involved, have your own good ideas and can contribute them in various forums for what works, and what doesn’t.
We plan to provide monthly video content to help you with your meetings. You are free to use these as you see fit in your local meetings, or even from the comfort of your home, as you get started. There will be time before and after the video for socializing and local affairs. When like-minded people come together to work on a common goal, we can have a lot of fun and make progress, too.
All we need is a few good people
We are looking for the Three Percenters. That's the same number of people who were active in the American Revolution. We know they’re out there. You are probably one of them, since you are reading this now.
The ideal is to have 30 activists, or Precinct Leaders, in the average Oklahoma precinct of 1,000 registered voters. That translates into a grassroots political force of almost 60,000 people statewide, and 600 per House District. During the first few years, the precinct leaders can:
- Become trusted sources of information about community and political issues.
- Build a database of their precinct, making it easy to contact, educate and mobilize their voters on vital issues.
- Build a greater sense of community for themselves and their neighbors
- Get their City Council, County Commissioners, School Board, State Representatives and Senators to pay attention to their concerns and vote accordingly, or
- Toss the rascals out and replace them with more responsive representatives.
A well organized, active and beneficial network of precinct organizations of that size will have the ear of local and state elected officials, and even see their influence spread to the national arena.
Yes, what you do in your precinct can have national impact!
What we do in Oklahoma can serve as a model for the nation.
Americans everywhere are experiencing the same, frustrating problems you are. And they’re looking for real answers, too.
What we develop in Oklahoma will be available to activists in other states to serve as a model, and as encouragement. Building grassroots precinct organizations is the perfect example of thinking globally, while acting locally.
Please join with us, and check out our Vision to transform Oklahoma into the first Free State!
Don't need any more convincing?
Great, let's get you started! Head on over to our signup page to join our email list and get involved!