When I have some time off from work, all I want to do is take a few hours to catch up with friends, laundry, and the news. Engaging with the newest political conversations can be cathartic, but only when I am with people who agree with me.

The Importance of Political Conversations in Today’s World

Just as I surround myself with friends who enjoy the same kind of movies or books I like, I surround myself with people who agree with me about politics.  It is easy to discuss politics with my friends. Because of this, it is easy for me to get caught up in my own vortex of similar thinking. Sometimes I forget that the people I disagree with are as deeply convinced by the logic and values of their political beliefs as I am.

Why Political Conversations Matter Beyond Your Circle

But there is a way out, and leading the way is Annafi Wahed, founder of The Flip Side, a morning newsletter created to remind each of us that there are two sides to every headline. In the name of civility, of conversation and of understanding, Annafi created The Flip Side as a response to the tense political divisions she witnessed while canvassing for Hillary Clinton in 2016. In New Hampshire she had a  conversation with an old woman in the midst of foreclosing on her home because she couldn’t pay the property taxes from her monthly Social Security check. That conversation showed Annafi  the deep divide between two Americas; liberal and conservative, urban and rural. As she put it during our recent interview, America is “geographically and digitally divided,” and she could not stand by and watch the divide increase.

Leading Political Conversations with Civility

Annafi’s personal politics are no secret; she grew up liberal, went to Bryn Mawr, and had few conservative friends. And she admits that sometimes she and her conservative coworkers at The Flip Side pause their political conversations if they start to become heated. But, she says, they are having conversations, the kind of conversations she hopes readers of The Flip Side are having too. Annafi’s goal is to encourage Americans to have nuanced conversations about politics in the hopes they will continue to inform their political opinions. No one is right all of the time and the stereotypes on each side only pull us apart more.

The Power of Nuanced Political Conversations

The Flip Side isn’t the cure to America’s political divisions, but it is a starting point to one.

Use Political Conversations to Become a More Informed Voter

We Vote hopes you’ll take every opportunity to become informed about political issues. As you learn, fill out a online ballot, and invite a friend to do the same.

We Vote wants to help you support your values. You can do that by creating a We Vote ballot, following organizations who you are as passionate as you are, and inviting people to join you on We Vote. We Vote cuts through the clutter to help you understand what’s on your ballot. Our open platform empowers voters to create and share voter guides that aggregate information and opinions across personal networks. So you can help your friends be better voters too.

How Political Conversations Can Lead to Better Voter Engagement

We Vote is made of two nonpartisan nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4)) based in Oakland, California. Our software is open source, and our work is driven by the nearly 100 volunteers who have contributed so far. Inspired by groups like Code for America and the Mozilla Foundation, we use technology to make democracy stronger by increasing voter turnout. Through our nonpartisan, open source platform, we’ll help you become an informed voter, up and down the ballot.

Create Political Conversations with Friends and Family

Use We Vote to see your ballot and easily create a shareable digital voter guide informed by issues you care about, and people and organizations you trust. Expand your political conversations with beyond your communities today.

Learn More: https://wevote.us/more/organization

Elizabeth Janeczko spent ten years teaching high schoolers before deciding to move across the country to earn a degree in public policy. She is passionate about civics, education, political issues, and prose. Ms. Janeczko volunteers with We Vote as Senior Writer & Content Marketing Manager.