To progressives living in red states, it often seems as if there is little we can do to influence the political landscape. No matter how we vote, our states go Republican in every presidential election and continue to elect conservative Republicans to state office. As hopeless as it may seem at times, I'm not ready to give up. There are other ways we can influence the process.

1. Because we live in red states where Democratic presidential candidates have no real chance of winning, we can vote our conscience. For me, that means I can vote for a third party candidate without worrying that I'm somehow electing a Republican.
2. As long as the electoral college continues to be used, our votes in presidential elections really do not count. Progressives in red states can support efforts to abolish the electoral college and replace it with direct democracy.
3. We can donate money and volunteer time to support progressive candidates in swing states.
4. We can participate in grassroots efforts to educate and inform voters about important issues. This could mean starting our own progressive blog or writing letters to the editor of our local newspaper.
5. We can vote with our wallets, moving our money out of big banks that support Republicans and being more deliberate which companies we support.
6. We can join national organizations that work for progressive values (e.g., the ACLU, People for the American Way, etc.)
7. We can join a local occupy protest.
8. We can support independent media as a necessary alternative to corporate-owned media.

What else? What did I miss? How else can progressives in red states work to advance the progressive agenda?

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