Want to show up for democracy? It isn’t just about standing for election!
By Elect Her
Ideas for those who Love Democracy -
But don’t want to be a candidate!
Democracy needs YOU!
A huge number of people who care deeply about democracy don’t want to be politicians. They care about fairness. About being heard. About decisions that shape their lives being made openly and honestly. But the idea of standing for office — the scrutiny, the pressure, the exposure — isn’t for everyone.
That doesn’t mean democracy isn’t for you.
In fact, democracy depends on people who don’t stand just as much as it depends on those who do.
Democracy isn’t a solo sport. It’s an ecosystem.
And there are many ways to show up!
Where Democracy Really Lives
Democracy doesn’t start on a ballot paper, it starts long before that — in conversations, in questions, in the spaces where people are allowed to speak and be heard.
We have a number of ways you can help - you are all SupportHERs now:
SupportHER - the People Who Make Standing Possible
Ask her to Stand
Start the Chat
The Quiet Work of Care
Protect the Rules of the Game
Organise a Hustings
Make debate happen.
One of the most powerful things you can do is create the space for conversation.
Running a hustings - the term means ‘a deliberative assembly or council’ - is where candidates come together and tell you what they stand for — turns abstract politics into something tangible. It says: these are the people asking for our trust, and this is what we expect in return.
You don’t need to be an expert. You don’t need to have all the answers. We have a neat toolkit - to help you create your hustings.
When communities can see candidates together, democracy becomes visible — and accountable.
2. SupportHER - the people who make standing possible
Standing for election is often described as brave — and it is. But bravery doesn’t survive without support.
Behind every candidate who makes it through a campaign is a quiet group of people who share the load. They deliver leaflets, knock doors, share posts, make tea, watch the kids, send messages when the day has been tough.
Supporting a candidate doesn’t require total agreement. It requires belief — belief that this person belongs, that their voice matters, that representation should look like the community it serves.
When you support someone who is standing, you’re not just helping a campaign. You’re strengthening democracy’s capacity to include more voices.
Do you want to help in your area? - https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/ - pick someone who we know could do with your help…
3. Ask Her to Stand!
How Confidence Actually Grows
Very few people step into politics because they feel ready.
Most do it because someone else nudged them — gently, persistently — into believing they could.
If you know someone who listens well, who understands their community, who cares deeply about fairness, tell them they should stand. Then tell them again. And again. It takes at least 3, if not 7 times, of asking before they’ll believe you!
Encouragement is not a one-off act. It’s a process. Confidence grows when belief is repeated often enough to feel real.
Democracy changes when different people decide they belong in it.
4. Start the Chat!
Power Isn’t Only Discussed in Parliament
Some of the most important political conversations don’t happen in public halls or campaign offices. They happen around the dinner table, in book clubs, in workplaces, and in group chats.
Hosting a dinner or starting a reading group doesn’t sound like political action — but it is. These informal spaces allow people to ask questions they might never ask out loud elsewhere. They turn politics from something distant and intimidating into something shared and human.
When people talk openly about power, representation, and fairness, they start to see themselves as participants — not spectators.
That shift matters. Get hosting and talking!
5. The Quiet Work of Care
Politics can be bruising. Doubt creeps in. Confidence wobbles. Burnout is real.
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is stay. Listen without judgement. Remind someone why they started. Be there when the noise gets loud and the pressure feels heavy.
You don’t have to fix the system. You don’t have to have the right words. Presence is often enough.
Care is political. Support is political. Staying is political.
6. Protect the Rules of the Game
Become an election observer
Democracy relies on trust — trust that elections are fair, transparent, and properly run.
Becoming an election or referendum observer is one of the quieter ways to show up for democracy. Observers don’t campaign or persuade. They watch. They witness. They help ensure the process is worthy of the trust placed in it.
Democracy needs people who are willing to safeguard not just outcomes, but the integrity of the system itself.
You can find out more at The Electoral Commission website!
You Don’t Have to Stand to Belong
We often tell a narrow story about democracy — one that centres only on candidates and institutions.
But democracy survives because people show up in many different ways: by asking questions, by offering support, by creating spaces, by encouraging others, by protecting the process.
If you love democracy but don’t want to stand, you’re not opting out.
You’re choosing one of the roles that makes democracy possible in the first place.
Politics needs you 🫵
Blog idea or comment piece?
Would you like to contribute to this blog series? We’d love to hear from you. Send us your ideas and let’s chat: community@elect-her.org.uk.