How to Organize Locally.

Start with the Precinct, not the Presidency.

Almost every functional political movement in American history started at a level of government most people cannot name. School boards. County commissions. State legislative seats nobody contests. Precinct committee positions that are often literally vacant and can be claimed by walking into the county party office and signing a form.

By necessity, the Whig Revival focuses on local organizing first. Local victories build the foundation for broader change.

Step 1 — Know Your Jurisdiction.

• Find your state's ballot access requirements for minor parties and independent candidates. Verify these with your Secretary of State.
• Find your precinct and your precinct chair. Both major parties have them. Many seats are vacant.
• Identify every elected office on the ballot in your jurisdiction, from federal down to soil-and-water-conservation district. Write them down. Most people have never seen the list.

Step 2 — Find Your Five.

Not five hundred. Five. The number is small because the bar is high: you need five people who will show up to a recurring meeting, take an assignment, and do the assignment. Most movements fail not for lack of sympathizers but for lack of a working core. Five is a working core.

Use the contact information on the About page to connect with others organizing in your state.

Step 3 — Set a Goal.

Pick one office, on one ballot, in one cycle. Recommended criteria for your first goal:

• A non-partisan or low-turnout race (school board, city council, special district).
• A race the Tories - i.e. the major parties - are not contesting seriously.
• A geography small enough that a few hundred conversations matter.
• A candidate who exemplifies the anti-corruption values of the Whig Party.

Step 4 — Do the Unglamorous Work.

• Voter file. Most state parties will sell you one cheaply, or you can buy from a vendor. You need a list of registered voters in your target area with phone numbers and addresses.
• Door-knocking. Still the highest-yield form of political communication ever measured. Nothing else is close.
• Letters to the editor. Local newspapers still exist and people still read them. Letters get printed.
• Show up. School board meetings, county commission meetings, city council meetings. Speak in the public comment period. Eventually, run.

A note on temperance.

Resist the temptation to launch a podcast, unless you already have an audience to launch it to. Resist the temptation to run for higher office before you have won lower office. Resist the temptation to spend money on a campaign before you have spent time with voters.

A note on coalitions.

A Whig politics has natural allies in places you might not expect. Good-government Democrats who are tired of the donor class. Constitutional conservatives who are tired of executive overreach. The only requirement for coalition partners is that they uphold Whig principles.