Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) said this week, “I really encourage you to think about what you can do in your community.” She was talking about supporting Kamala Harris for president. I find her statement significant because of the inward-turning focus on things we can each do to turn out voters for our candidates.

During the last two years, I wrote repeatedly that traditional voter activation methods don’t bring the rewards they once did. It is comforting to work in a campaign office, knock on doors, make phone calls, write postcards, attend fund raisers, and the like. As we embrace such comfort, we can also walk away from the people we may most likely influence in our personal social circles. Traditional activities don’t apply the same way in rural communities like in Michigan or Iowa where there are a lot of them. It simply takes more time to door knock rural voters. Time that could be spent more productively.

Certainly if a person feels comfortable letting someone else design a campaign’s work, and you get along with staff and other volunteers, go for it! Most campaigns do good work, and they have trouble covering their assigned turf. Similarly, state legislature candidates work in a different universe than a county, U.S. House district, or statewide campaign. Joining a specific state legislative campaign brings a different focus to the work. By their nature, they require a broader appeal and a focus on which no party and Republican Party voters can be persuaded to vote for them. Voters usually can get to know the candidate personally.

While there is no longer a coordinated campaign in Iowa, those organizations did a marginal job of covering the bases all the way down the ballot. It has always been incumbent on state house candidates to track their own activities and results unless their district is a densely populated urban area. This speaks to the difference between working a campaign and winning an election. The latter is most important.

The Democratic Party offers structure and training for people to work more on their own. I recommend people wanting a do-it-yourself, individual path to helping elect Democrats check out the training portal, located here. What I am finding is the Reach application helps me post on social media in a meaningful way. The Discord server is wild but still has a lot of Democrats united in purpose. The automated reminders get a little annoying, yet they serve to keep me on track. This is perfect for people who have trouble traveling to the local campaign office, work outside the home, or have child or elder care responsibilities at home. Life is what you make it, and many of us have an independent streak in us. This is a sanctioned and positive way to get involved.

What can we do in our communities to elect Kamala Harris and down ballot Democrats? Answering the question starts with taking a moment to analyze how we fit into society. So do it. Don’t take too long as the counter shows less than 98 days until the election.