Link to the July 2021 Michigan Libertarian
By Timothy Yow, Chair
A big part of our future as a party is going to depend on our successes in recruitment. Lets face it, we need more people in the trenches with us if we hope to regain the liberties we lost over the past year and a half (and beyond).
I ask each one of you, the Michigan Libertarian party members, to become more of an “evangelist” for liberty than ever before.
Recruitment via Social Media
Be keenly aware of your associations on the socials. Watch for that Instagram connection who posts a selfie with a cap about 1776 or taxation or George Orwell or anything that tells you they are recognizing the problems with our political scene and take that person to lunch. Or it might be one you follow on Twitter who keeps bantering with people about gun rights. It might just be that Facebook friend who keeps liking your posts about how taxation is theft. If you can’t arrange a lunch, find some way to open up dialog with these people, listen, mention the hat, get to know what has them questioning and then invite them to learn more. No hard sell, no heavy pressure, just a conversation among friends that may or may not lead to them signing up before the conversation is over.
Recruit Activists from Past Events
Think back to individuals who were once coming to meetings, or volunteering for the party and who you haven’t seen or heard from in a while. Reach out to them and find out if they dropped off because of family concerns or because of a bad experience with someone at their local affiliate. If it is the latter, let them know that the state party has taken a turn towards becoming a kinder, more civil organization and the newly elected board is making this goal a priority. The shift towards unity and productivity is well underway and they need to know that they are welcome back.
These are just a few ideas but you are creative people. I know you could come up with a dozen other ways to find those libertarians who just don’t know they are libertarian. I know its almost a worn out cliché but if each one could reach one (or 5), this party will look completely different by our next major election. Lets do this together. Lets grow together.
