This article was written with insight from Summer Brennan
The excitement is building for the national 2020 Presidential race! Several candidates have already announced they are running for office and many supporters are jumping in to help them. But how does this work for the military spouse? Some questions you may ask yourself are…
Is it even possible? How do I start? Doesn’t the military limit us in our capacity to sound off for our political beliefs? Can I get in trouble? Can my spouse? Do I have a voice?
All of these questions come to mind when thinking about being involved in politics as a military spouse. The good news is there are resources and answers to these questions. First and foremost, you “CAN” participate in political campaigns as a milspouse. There is nothing standing in your way of playing a part in the upcoming elections. The military does not have rules that dictate what and how non-uniformed spouses may enter the political arena. (The military does set out rules for your active duty counter part that they must adhere to.)
What level and how involved you become, is 100% a personal choice. Your level of comfort is the most important component. Your spouse/active duty partner, should not suffer consequently from your participation. Just keep in mind that what you say, what you do, and how you act in a public setting, is always there for others to scrutinize. Video, internet, and photos are…forever!
You do have a voice in this coming season. No matter who or what you believe in, standing up and saying it out loud is empowering, thrilling, and most importantly can help you change things for the better.
So how does one get started? A great place to start is to dig in to research; here are a few basics:
1: Research your party
Whichever party you are affiliated with, it helps to be knowledgeable as to what kind of legislation you support and how those laws will affect you and your local community. This helps when talking and debating with others about issues you are passionately advocating.
2: Research groups
Social media has made it so much easier to link in together. If you can find a group that bounces around ideas, helps with connections and getting you started in the right direction try it out! See if you can plug in with another spouse that shares your interests!
3: Research communities
Spouse communities with a focus on politics may have helpful information to offer or classes that you could attend. One of the communities that is helpful to military spouses is called, Military Families Mobilize. This is a network of progressive military family members looking to connect and take action on behalf of progressive values.
This can include lobbying for legislation important to military families, educating military family voters about their rights, and providing opportunities to get involved with a candidate or issue campaign. They are also looking at providing online classes on advocacy so that even spouses stationed overseas will be able to participate as well. For more information feel free to visit their website here.
4: Research your candidate
Each candidate has a website and a platform. You can look at these to get an overall picture of who they are and what they stand for. Additionally, you can look at a candidates voting record. This will help you see what they have done in the past and what or if they have changed their stance on certain issues.
