Protect What’s Still Working (Part 1 of 5)
They have Project 2025, we have each other. This is how we resist post Big Beautiful Bill.
Let’s start with good news.
Not all is lost, we haven’t crossed the point of no return. There are parts of our system that they haven’t broken, yet.
We have some courts, commissions, school boards, election offices, and local councils that still function, with care for their constituents and democratic values. And right now, they need our protection more than our despair.
If we’re going to resist authoritarian creep, one of the most strategic things we can do is protect what’s still working before it’s targeted. Because make no mistake: Project 2025 is not just about changing laws. It’s about breaking the systems that still hold.
Start Where You Are: The Power of Proactive Defense
Think of this part as housekeeping activity to reinforce the parts that work. This part won’t be loud and flashy, it won’t require protest signs or pushing for viral content. It’s paperwork, reading what others skip, asking questions when no one else will, and showing up even when it’s awkward, boring, or thankless.
It’s objecting in a board meeting and raising your hand to announce that:
“Actually, no, we’re not voting to defund the library tonight.”
“Let’s not fire the election clerk who’s been here 20 years just because she won’t play politics.”
“I read the agenda. I have questions.”
This is the kinda civic work that doesn’t make headlines because it’s small acts, but persistent and impossible to ignore. And when done consistently and at large scale, it will keep the whole system from quietly falling apart.
The Quiet Front Lines: Where to Look First
The bottom up breakdown, the kind that starts from city and town boards, budget meetings, and bylaws… those are the ones to watch for and combat. Those are the places that no one’s watching until it’s too late.
Here are the first places to look in your own town, city, or county:
Libraries: Watch for book bans, funding threats, or board members with political ties
School Committees: Curriculum changes, DEI rollbacks, student data policies
Election Offices: Staff turnover, “election integrity” task forces, shady vendor contracts
Town or City Councils: New restrictions on public comment, meeting access, or transparency
Budget Hearings: If they want to weaken a service, they’ll start by quietly defunding it
These are the early warning systems that won’t make it to the news headlines.
What You We Do, In Between Our Full-time Jobs & Running Our Household
We don’t need to become overnight policy experts. We just need to show up enough to notice when something’s off and to make it harder for bad actors to move unchecked.
Here’s some practical starting points:
Sign up as a poll worker, observer, or translator
Follow your town council or election board on social media
Subscribe to city newsletters or local watchdog journalists
Pair up with a friend to attend a public meeting (virtually counts!)
Speak during public comment, even just once. They don’t expect you to.
And if you can’t show up in person? Track the budget, read the minutes, and share what you’ve learned. You’d be surprised how often power retreats when it realizes someone is watching.
Why This Lane Matters So Much
Authoritarians don’t need to rewrite the Constitution. They just need us to stop noticing the changes until it’s too late. They’re betting we’ll stay distracted by national drama while they erode the machinery at the local level: one committee, one board, one librarian at a time.
So if this lane feels underwhelming, or even boring, that’s because it is. In this lane, we strive for effectiveness, saving the excitement for later.
This is how we fortify the foundation, so others can build, protest, and dream without the whole structure crumbling underneath them.
Remember, your goal is not to go viral, but to remain the invisible grounding force that enables.
Some Useful Hyperlinks
Election Protection & Voting Access
WorkElections.org – Find poll worker opportunities by state
Power the Polls – Poll worker sign-up & resources
Election Protection Hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) – Report or ask about voter issues
School Boards, Libraries & Civic Transparency
PEN America Book Ban Tracker – Track library and school censorship
Ballotpedia: Local Elections – Look up your school board, ballot info, and meetings
Sunlight Foundation’s Local Policy Resources (archive but still useful)
Watchdog Journalism & Public Records
MuckRock – File or read public records requests
Documented – Investigative reporting on money and influence at the state/local level