It is widely agreed that our democracy is in some form of crisis, but with extremely divergent views on how we got here and what is wrong. Politics is increasingly described as ‘tribal,’ with far less communication across the divides.

Lincoln County Indivisible (LCI) is a non-partisan organization of ‘Mainers defending Mainers’. LCI has been seeking ways to bridge these divides and start conversations with our neighbors. To this end, LCI invited Chloe Maxmim, former Maine representative and senator and current co-director and co-founder of Dirtroad Organizing (DRO), to train a group of thirty local participants in rural organizing through community building techniques. To date DRO has trained over 100 rural leaders from 33 states, aspiring leaders working toward an equitable and just democracy in rural America.

In the two-hour training session, participants learned about best practices in listening, searching for common ground, and asking open ended questions to better understand each other. Then they practiced hypothetical conversations in potentially adversarial situations and finally were able to debrief about the experience and its challenges and rewards. Participants learned about the Listening Triangle, which calls for respectful silence after questions with time to reflect on personal stories. Connection was always valued more than correction.

Chloe agreed to return a second day for another gathering of LCI folks who may not have had the training opportunity. She explained the fundamentals of ‘Dirtroad’ rural organizing and answered some hard questions about what to do in sensitive situations. The LCI membership discussed plans for continuing their efforts in Lincoln County communities.

A key focus of these efforts is informing the public about ‘Question 1’ on November’s ballot. If passed, the ability to vote absentee will be severely limited in multiple ways. Absentee voting is used by 40% of Maine voters and 60% of Maine seniors. It is one reason Maine is consistently near the top of voter turnout in elections. The system works exceptionally well with no voter fraud. Why fix something that isn’t broken?

Although it is summer and people are hot, busy, and tired, LCI persists in its efforts to promote ‘liberty and justice for all’. LCI is educating folks about national and state issues, rallying for democracy, and continuing to learn about communicating more effectively.

To learn more about LCI, go to www.LCIMaine.org.