Divide and conquer is an old political tactic that has been routinely deployed to maintain power. Today, we see it manifested in many forms -- from leaders using racist language to create division in our society to self-serving politicians drawing electoral maps that quite literally divide our communities.

The insurrection at our Capitol was in large part organized by white supremacists -- and they were encouraged by seditious members of Congress and President Donald Trump himself. This is an example of the consequences of divide and conquer. Those who participated in and incited violence must be held accountable.

But accountability isn't only about immediate justice after our democracy has been threatened. We must also find ways to prevent self-serving politicians like the ones who enabled this attack from being able to manipulate the system to gain power in the first place.

We believe a key step to persistent accountability is ending gerrymandering and achieving fair maps during redistricting this year. The next steps for rebuilding trust in our democracy aren't exactly straightforward. But what's clear is that we must restore faith in our institutions and hold bad actors accountable in both the short and long term.

Will you help us build a grassroots movement committed to building a fair and accountable democracy? Join our next volunteer team call and we'll get you plugged into opportunities to directly help repair our democracy.

This isn't Trump's first time stoking division or attacking our democracy. Over the past four years, each and every time he's assaulted our values, his enablers in Congress have either turned a blind eye or directly supported his efforts. Their actions make it seem as though accountability is out of reach. But the truth is that we do have the power to hold these people accountable in both the short -- and long term. It's up to us. It always has been. Here's how I know this.

Before joining All On The Line, I worked to hold bad actors accountable for enabling sexual assault. I didn't have any formal checks to hold anyone in power accountable. In fact, I wasn't even in a position of power myself. But I organized my community and encouraged other people who were outraged like me to speak up and take action. The best part? It worked.

The most important lesson I've learned from that experience is: when you have no formal power, go public -- really public! That's organizing. Find other people who care, work together to inform others about the problem, and then collectively you all can make an impact.

I know so many folks who are outraged and want to take action to rebuild our democracy, but some people may not know where to start. So here's one way to get involved: sign up for our next volunteer team call.

Democracy isn't inevitable -- we must continually work for it. But I'm hopeful we will restore faith in our institutions, hold bad actors accountable, and make the big, structural changes we need so our government is more responsive to the people.

We must persist,
Jake
AOTL Digital Strategist

All On The Line is the grassroots advocacy campaign supported by the National Redistricting Action Fund. Support our work to end gerrymandering.