Uncomfortable with the state of our country but unsure where to start?Support democracy and the rule of law by creating a 2-10 accountability chain.
Contact 2-10 elected officials* (resources below).
Ask 2-10 friends to opt in to the same commitment, and follow up.
That's it. No platform. No organization. No branding required. The chain you create could create 1000s of real-world actions.
*See below for alternative ways to take action
calling or writing an elected official
submitting a public comment
attending a local meeting
supporting an institutional oversight process
attending a protest
Want easy messages and ways to contact politicians? Use 5calls.org for guidance and scripts.
Ask up to 10 people you trust to do the same. Most people will ask fewer. That’s fine.The only expectation is light peer confirmation — a simple “How's your 2-10?" answered by a simple "Done."There is:
no central tracking
no reporting upward
no verification beyond the group
2-10 accountability is relational, not bureaucratic.
Offer people 2 alternatives:
Can you commit to donating to a relevant cause?
Or, can you reach out to law enforcement or military personnel and express appreciation?*
*During these rocky times in our democracy, it's critical to keep police and military personnel from becoming alienated from citizens.ICE gives well-trained law enforcement and military a terrible name. They are not the same, and we need to keep strong civic bonds with the people who enforce state power, reminding them whose side they're on.
"I want to do something, I just don't know what difference it will make."Many people oppose authoritarianism, corruption, and democratic backsliding — but still struggle to act consistently.This isn’t a motivation problem.
It’s a coordination and follow-through problem. We felt it too.Sustained civic pressure emerges when:
action feels impactful
responsibility is shared
follow-through is socially reinforced
The 2–10 accountability chain exists to make that kind of participation easy.Authoritarian movements already excel at:
hierarchy
coercion
enforcement
discipline
They do not need peer-accountability protocols as much as democracies do.Democracies suffer from:
free-rider problems
participation fatigue
diffusion of responsibility
preference falsification
2-10 benefits pluralistic, voluntary systems.This may be appropriated by those we disagree with. We accept that misuse is the price of usefulness, and we measure success by friction imposed on authoritarian power, not by narrative purity.
You do not need permission.You can use the 2–10 accountability chain:
privately with friends
inside an existing group
once, or repeatedly
with any civic issue that matters to you
You can explain it in your own words. You can adapt it to your context.If it’s useful, pass it on.
The 2–10 accountability chain is not:
a movement
a membership group
a campaign
a brand
a social media challenge
joining anything
agreeing on ideology
public signaling
centralized coordination
It is a tool, not an identity.
This protocol was articulated in the context of rising authoritarianism and democratic erosion in the United States, particularly in response to Trumpism and the normalization of anti-democratic behavior.It was designed to:
support institutional accountability
counter passivity and overwhelm
strengthen democratic participation without extremism
The structure itself is intentionally neutral so it can be used wherever people need durable civic follow-through.
This is an open civic practice. Anyone may:
use it
adapt it
rephrase it
share it
No attribution is required.This page exists only to document the protocol and its origin.