Democracy in Action

Want to be part of our election coverage? Boston.com's News Editor, Mark Micheli, is asking RAW readers to send in photos that illustrate what the election process is all about: Democracy and the rights given to us by the Constitution. Your photos will become part of Boston.com's election package. Here's what to do:

First, what to photograph? Think of the rights outlined in the Constitution: Freedom of speech, religion, assembly; the right to due process. We can give speeches; we can gather to listen to speeches, or to watch performances. We can go to any church we want. What other freedoms and rights do we enjoy? We can own property. We can associate with whomever we want. We can support any candidate of our choosing. We can vote.

Please don't inundate me with photos of flags; let's be a bit more specific than that. And no blatantly partisan political photos. If you take photos of political signholders, there must be a variety of signs in the shot, not just signs for one candidate.

And let's not forget why we're all here: To take really good photos. So don't just dash off a snapshot. Compose your photo for this assignment as well as you would a contest photo. It's a challenge, but from what I've seen from all of you, you're more than up to the task.

Start sending in your photos anytime. Let's limit them to three per person to give everybody a shot at this (so to speak). E-mail your best work to raw@boston.com.

*** BONUS *** I'll send a $25 gift card to the photographer with the best Democracy image.