November 10, 2026
What Can I Do Here in Idaho?
By: Idaho Representative Heather Scott
Three days after the November 3rd election I received an email from a woman I had met earlier this summer. The questions in her email prompted me to write this newsletter today.
Here is what she wrote:
Who’s our leader now? Where do we go from here? What can I do here in Idaho to keep us a free state and prepare for federal overreach?
There will be no shortage of analysis, opinions, and arguments about the November 3rd election and what it means for our country. Many hours will be spent looking backward trying to explain what really happened, honest or other.
But her question reminded me of something important. While we may not be able to control everything happening at the national level, we are not powerless. And I believe that Idaho is one of the most important places in America right now.
We still have something here that much of America has lost or allowed to be weakened: strong local communities, independent people, families who know their neighbors, small businesses, churches, volunteers, and citizens who are still willing to step up when something needs to be done. We need to recognize the value of that and work to protect and strengthen it.
And that brings me back to her question: What can we do right here in Idaho to help keep Idaho free?
I picked up the phone and called this woman. During our conversation, I told her about a handout I created over 6 years ago that is still relevant today: 101 Things You Can Do. I created this list because I have always believed that too many people underestimate the power they still have. When things aren’t going well, it is easy to focus on what everyone else should be doing. We wait for Washington to fix things. We wait for the Governor, the Legislature, the next election, or the next great leader to come along and save the day. Showing up once a year doesn’t keep our Republic.
Two days after our conversation, just 5 days after the election, I received this email from the same woman:
I love this!!! Not because she had completed some enormous political task, but because she understood the point. She didn’t wait for permission. She didn’t wait for someone else to organize her. She didn’t sit around complaining about everything that was wrong in the country. She simply started where she was and began doing something.
That is exactly what I believe we need more of right now. Freedom isn’t preserved by people sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to do the work.
My 101 Things You Can Do handout was created around a simple idea: the people still have enormous power when they are willing to use it. The list shares ways citizens can get involved locally, understand their rights, know their elected officials, attend meetings, support local businesses, build relationships, mentor young people, volunteer, and learn how government actually works.
I believe one of the most important things we can do right now is build networks within our own communities. Get to know your neighbors. Find people who care about the same things you care about. Get together regularly. Talk about what is happening. Share information and ideas. Help one another. Learn together.
You don’t have to agree on every issue to build a strong community. In fact, you probably won’t. But when people develop relationships and learn to work together, they are no longer isolated when a problem arises. When it is time to stand up, speak out, help a neighbor, challenge a bad policy, or protect something important, there is strength in knowing you are not standing alone.
We have become far too disconnected from one another and, in many ways, too dependent on institutions and government to solve every problem. But government cannot replace community. A politician cannot replace a strong family. A government program cannot replace a good neighbor. And one elected official, even one who is fighting as hard as possible, cannot accomplish what thousands of engaged citizens can accomplish when they decide to take responsibility for their own communities.
So, to those of you who are discouraged today, my message is simple: don’t give up. Go local.
Take a break from the national noise and look around your own community. Who is making decisions that affect your family? What is happening in your local schools? What is your county doing? Who represents you in your taxing districts? What businesses are you supporting? Do you know your neighbors? And perhaps most importantly, what can you bring together?
Take the 101 Things You Can Do Challenge. Don’t just read the list, choose something and do it. Pick one thing, and then another. Better yet, gather some friends and make it something you do together. Meet once a month and choose something from the list to accomplish as a group.
We cannot control everything happening in Washington, D.C., but we have far more influence than most people realize over what happens in our own communities. If Idaho is going to remain the unique place we all love, it will not happen because we elected one perfect person or won one perfect election. It will happen because Idahoans refuse to become spectators.
It will happen because ordinary people take responsibility. It will happen because we build strong communities and strong networks of people who are willing to stand together. And it will happen because we remember that we are not powerless.
Please don’t sit back and wait for someone else to save Idaho. Idaho is ours to protect.
And there is no better time than now to get started.
In Liberty,
Rep. Heather Scott
