Ever since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling held the federal government couldn’t restrict companies from financing political campaigns, there’s been plenty of debate over who has the most power in our democracy: the people or corporations.

The Supreme Court held that money is essentially free speech, and therefore both individuals and corporations can use that free speech to exercise political power. The controversial ruling has left many wondering just how we can get the power back in the hands of the people, and out of the hands of corporations, entities that concentrate the wealth of many without actually representing their interests.

But as activist Alice Walker once said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” If you’re a citizen looking to exercise your own personal power in our democracy, there are a few small steps you can take:

1. Stay informed. The number-one prerequisite for exercising your political power in our democracy is by staying informed on current events and new legislation affecting you on the local, state, and national levels. Stay informed by subscribing to newsletters from your local politicians and reading a newspaper every day–or more. The more sources you read, the better informed you will be, and thus more equipped to ask questions and draw your own conclusions.  You’ll also find some links to interesting articles in the PeopleCount.org profiles.

2. Take advantage of social media. In today’s increasingly connected world, social media may be one of the most influential tools we can wield to engage in the political process. Social media can be used to share opinions, news stories, petitions, infographics, and other information about new legislation or economic and social issues that are big at the moment. Another way to effectively use social media for the political process is to share the contact information of your local politicians and congressional leaders. This way, your followers and friends can easily get in contact with their representatives to tell them how they’d like them to vote on a bill or otherwise use their voice directly.

3. Be vocal. Continue to exercise your power by committing to being vocal about issues affecting your life. You can vote your political positions on PeopleCount.org, or engage others using online tools such as Causes.com and Change.org. While there is a time and place to discuss politics–for instance, you may not want to bring up such emotionally-charged issues in the office–it’s important to commit to exercising your voice where it’s needed. Just be sure you’ve researched all aspects of a piece of legislation or fiscal or social issue before engaging in conversation about it or calling your legislator. Remember to listen carefully to other people’s opinions, too. Political engagement means mutual cooperation.

4. Focus on civic engagement. Organizing at the grassroots level doesn’t get a lot of credit these days, but the fact is, this type of civic engagement has throughout history been the force of many of the positive changes we see in our lives today–take the labor movement, for instance, which we can credit for the 40-hour workweek. If you’re someone who understands there’s nothing that can compare to the power of the people coming together in one place, encourage friends, family, coworkers, etc. to get involved with political causes by attending and organizing rallies and encouraging others to do so, too.

5. Stay in touch with others dedicated to your cause. The Web offers a great resource to stay in touch with others who share your views. Social media sites and microblogs like Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook are excellent platforms to search for like-minded individuals and organizations. If you find an organization with a mission and goals you agree with, reach out to them to determine how you can start a chapter in your area. Staying connected to people who share your ideals and political aspirations is important in both online and offline arenas.

Giving the power back to the people starts with you. Despite controversial rulings like Citizens United, individual people can continue to band together to ensure our democracy remains as such.

(Image courtesy George L Smyth, Flickr)