Learn
Understand the Constitution, your rights and responsibilities, how government works, who represents you, and the public issues affecting your community.
Citizen Action Guide
Citizenship is a practice.
Self-government requires more than voting. It requires informed judgment, peaceful participation, constitutional literacy, accountability, and protection of the rights of others.
From knowledge to action
A Practical Path for Constitutional Citizenship
There is no single way to be an engaged citizen. This four-step framework turns the Charter's civic principles into an ongoing practice that can be used before, during, and after elections.
Participate
Vote when eligible, attend public meetings, petition government, communicate with officials, peacefully assemble, volunteer, and take part in civic life.
Evaluate & Question
Verify important claims, examine governmental decisions, apply consistent standards, ask what constitutional authority supports an action, and listen to competing viewpoints.
Serve & Preserve
Protect the rights of others, reject political violence, strengthen your community, seek lawful accountability, and help preserve constitutional government for future generations.
The Citizens Branch in practice: citizenship continues between elections. Participation should remain peaceful, lawful, informed, and consistent with the Constitution and the equal rights of fellow citizens.
12 actions you can take
Put Constitutional Citizenship Into Practice
Start where you are. These actions can be practiced individually and in your community without requiring agreement with a particular political party, candidate, or ideology.
- 1
Learn your rights and responsibilities. Know your constitutional rights and basic civic responsibilities.
- 2
Know your representatives. Identify who represents you at the federal, state, and local levels.
- 3
Read before reacting. Review proposed laws, budgets, regulations, and public notices when they affect your community.
- 4
Verify before sharing. Check important claims through multiple credible sources.
- 5
Use one standard. Judge political allies and opponents by the same standards.
- 6
Show up. Attend public meetings or hearings when important decisions are being made.
- 7
Communicate with government. Contact elected officials with specific, respectful requests and questions.
- 8
Use elections. Vote when eligible and use lawful elections to reward good governance or reject poor governance.
- 9
Defend equal rights. Protect the lawful rights of people with whom you disagree.
- 10
Reject political violence. Reject intimidation, threats, and violence as substitutes for constitutional participation.
- 11
Use lawful processes. Use courts and established legal and constitutional processes to resolve disputes and seek remedies.
- 12
Think beyond the next election. Consider how today's decisions affect institutions and future generations.
The Political Coercion Test
Question power.
Ask what constitutional authority supports an action, whether independent institutions remain free to act, whether retaliation or dependency is being used, what precedent is being created, and whether authority is becoming concentrated around one individual.
The Reversibility Test
Apply one standard.
Would you support the exact same governmental power if it were exercised by a President, Congress, governor, administration, or political party you strongly opposed?