It’s election season in Virginia! Once again, it’s a time when voters head to the polls and make their voices heard. Voting has been core to our national identity since its inception and continues to be a vital element of our democratic process. While much attention is given to presidential elections, state elections for Congress and Senate positions can have an even more profound effect, as they are directly tied to the federal representation of our hometowns and local communities.

The importance of election participation cannot be understated as it applies to the arts. Last spring, the NEA and NEH cancelled a number of grants that did not meet the new priorities issued by President Trump. These funding cuts have affected arts and culture organizations in hometowns across the country. Some museums have found themselves under attack, and the Kennedy Center has a new chair and new priorities that are intended to align with White House mandates.

It is more vital than ever for voters to make their voices heard at the ballot box. Arts advocacy through casting a vote is crucial to ensuring that not only local organizations are able to thrive, but that lawmakers are put in place who recognize the value of the arts and will advocate for its inclusion in the federal budget process.

However, despite its importance in our democracy, getting involved in arts advocacy during election season may be difficult for many individuals. A lack of experience in advocating for the causes you believe in or a lack of awareness of how and who to advocate to can present barriers that many may be unsure how to surmount.

If this is you, have no fear – arts advocacy is easier than you think! Below are some simple, convenient ways to get involved and make your voice heard.

During the election season

Research candidate positions

  • Candidates develop political platforms that often illustrate a vision for their communities. Many candidates share legislative priorities on their websites, and a thorough review of a candidate’s statements may provide you with a great deal of insight into where they stand on topics important to you, including the arts. If the candidate is an incumbent, there are also useful tools like Americans for the Arts’ Congressional Arts Report Cards that provide a snapshot of how a politician has voted on arts-related measures in the past.

Send questions you have

  • While researching the positions of the candidates on your ballot is important, it won’t always be possible to find how they stand on every topic. Campaigns are built on many ideas and principles, and so public statements often focus on the issues candidates think will be relevant to as wide a swath of their community as possible. Even so, they’re running to represent you! If you have a question on where they stand on an issue, reach out to them! Their campaign websites will almost always feature some form of contacting them, and this allows you to get in contact with someone on their team to find out their stance on a topic or, perhaps more critically, if they don’t have a position on the topic at hand. The Virginia Department of Elections offers a list of candidates throughout the state, along with their pertinent contact information. If the candidate is an incumbent, you can also utilize various elected official lookup resources, like this one from USA.gov! These are wonderful resources not only during election season, but also as a way to stay in touch with officials once they make their way to Richmond or Washington.

Vote!

  • While research helps you have a clear idea of where candidates stand, it would all be for nothing without voting! This is where your voice is clearly heard and where officials can be put in place who will be good stewards if your community and the vision you share for it. Electing officials who value the arts and will fight for its support in Congress is key to ensuring the health of the broader sector. Vote.gov offers a wide variety of helpful voting information, from registration to explaining practices like early and absentee voting, and Ballotpedia allows you to look at sample ballots ahead of time, allowing you to be as informed and prepared as possible come election day!

After election season

Stay up to date with Congressional activities

  • Once elected officials begin working on legislation, it is important to stay updated on what courses that work may take. Thankfully, there are organizations like Americans for the Arts’ Arts Action Fund that make this a simple task. Here, there is a compilation of various research items and updates on congressional activities to give voters a snapshot of how legislation is progressing and how to respond when things are going in a direction you disagree with.

Call your Congressperson

  • Your congressperson is elected to serve you and your community’s interests. So, when you want them to be advocating and fighting for a particular topic – tell them! Senators and their staff welcome feedback from their constituencies and have many ways of doing so, often as easy as a phone call or email. Tools like Americans for the Arts’ Arts Action Center can serve to make advocating for the arts easier than ever by providing an easy avenue through which to advocate for the issues you’ve learned about through the prior resources in this article. Here, you can use their prompts as a jumping off point to address a topic that’s particularly important to you, and then utilize their contact tools to make sure it goes to the right place to be seen. As the federal government shutdown has proven, finances at the federal level are a contentious issue. The allocation of funds to the National Endowment for the Arts remains a top issue for arts organizations and their communities. Your voice is critical in ensuring policy moves toward a better tomorrow

Attend local town halls

  • While much is made of the topics affecting the nation at the federal level, and for good reason, it is also vital to keep an eye toward your immediate community. On the same ballots as Presidents and Senators are individuals running for local government positions, and these can have a marked effect on your day-to-day experiences in your community. Participating in forums like town hall meetings give you a direct line to those elected and allow you to make your voice heard right in front of them. Sources like the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall can help keep an eye on events taking place around the state capital, while local sites like that for Blacksburg allow you to track meetings taking place across the state. Organizations like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Barter Theater in Abingdon, or the Jefferson Center in Roanoke exist thanks to the care shown by their local communities and the support of government agencies like the NEA. Advocating for the arts organizations and projects you believe in that exist within your community is a great way to ensure that they have a place in local budgetary matters and can continue to thrive and serve their communities.

Advocacy can seem to be a daunting task, particularly amongst all of life’s other demands on our time. However, it is an important effort and can be made simple with the right tools. Making our voices heard is crucial in ensuring that the arts have a chance to thrive, through proper governmental recognition and support, so that they may continue to impact their local communities.

Speaking from personal experience, my live has improved immeasurably through the arts and culture here in Virginia. Whether it was viewing a Picasso work at the VMFA or experiencing the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in concert at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, some of my life’s most memorable moments have been made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of this state’s arts organizations. These organizations improve the lives and wellbeing of so many of their community members, and they deserve the chance to do so without constantly being worries about fighting for their survival amid fluctuating government whims.

Written by Chris Thomas, a graduate student in the M.F.A. in Theatre - Arts Leadership program at Virginia Tech.