Holding The Line

How to Grow the Vote — and Protect Your Own

We’re trying hard, but our actions are not living up to the moment.

It’s not that we don’t understand what’s on the line in November. It’s that too many of us don’t understand who and what we’re up against, and therefore don’t appreciate how much harder each one of us has to push back.

Our fight is against the billionaires, corporatists, oligarchs, tech moguls, and the anti-democratic ecosystem they've spent decades building. It was strategic, and that strategy has already put authoritarians in power.

They built institutional control through corporate infiltration of the Supreme Court, partisan loyalty over expertise, systemic voter suppression, and extreme gerrymandering. This allowed them to reinterpret the Constitution, capture federal and state institutions, legalize corruption, and reshape government rules to favor the wealthy and the corrupt.

Meanwhile, they grew their social influence through media consolidation, disingenuous think tanks, heavy investments in emerging media technologies, and the normalization of propaganda, including increasingly hostile rhetoric. Their efforts have pulled large segments of society away from cooperation and truth and toward distrust of their government, institutions, and neighbors.

And all of this was well underway before Trump and Project 2025 showed up.

The result?

They’re going in for the kill. The survival of American Democracy rests in the November 2026 election. It will have to withstand weaponized gerrymandering, corrupt state and local voting officials, nationwide disenfranchisement through the SAVE Act, federal collection of state voter rolls, and a complicit SCOTUS, Congress, and Postal Service, etc. Add to that the data exploitation and manipulation abilities that Elon Musk and Peter Thiel bring to the table, this nasty little secret, and this shocking revelation. (Take a few minutes to look at those links).

And who knows what else the oligarchs have planned?

The math is bad, real bad. And it’s going to get worse.

So now what?

With their institutional grip tightening every day, the limited power of the Democrats, and the greed and incompetence of mainstream media, the future of democracy has been pushed into our hands. Things are much worse than in 2024, and sitting around worrying and waiting to vote in November won’t cut it. This moment calls us to new and greater responsibility, and we need to live up to it.

So how do we fight back? Through the tools we still have - organization, mobilization, and conversation. We need to use these in any way we can to secure a large enough win to overcome voter suppression and election fraud. They can’t game the system if enough of us show up. But that only happens if each of us works to grow our numbers - and that only happens if we each step out of our comfort zone.

Below are some things we can do, some right now. It’s not good enough to nod in agreement or make a mental to-do list. Write down a plan, make a schedule, and set reminders on your calendar. Share these ideas with your friends and family.

Protect your vote

Voting now requires more vigilance than it should. The safest approach is to stay informed, verify everything yourself, and help the people around you do the same:

  • Monitor your voter registration status regularly at vote.gov. Don’t rely on simply seeing your name listed; check your status.

  • Do not use Elon Musk’s VoteSafe.org; it gathers your personal information

  • Watch for and share last-minute changes to polling places.

  • Make sure you understand your state’s latest voting requirements (ID’s or documents)

  • Make sure you know all the candidates and ballot measures before walking in to vote. This can save valuable time in areas where the number of voting machines available may be intentionally low.

  • If possible, vote early and in person. Try to avoid mail-in voting, as it is highly suspect this year with Trump eyeing it as a method of voter suppression.

  • If voting by mail, return the ballot early and track its status where your state offers tracking. Check whether you can deliver it directly to an election office or authorized

  • Know your voting rights before you go to the polls. If your eligibility is questioned, use your state’s procedures, such as casting a provisional ballot or registering on Election Day.

  • If you cast a provisional ballot, keep the receipt or instructions and follow up promptly.

  • Ensure others plan to vote - drag them along - make it a lunch date

  • Use the above to make a plan

  • Importantly, share this list with others you know

  • If you’re concerned about election integrity, tell your local and state election officials and your elected representatives what worries you, and ask how they’re addressing it. Public scrutiny helps keep election officials accountable.

Power up with protests

Protests are much more powerful than most realize, and the list of advantages is longer than the to-do list.

  • They demonstrate that people are paying attention and dissatisfaction is far more widespread than many realize.

  • They encourage more to step out of the shadows and become engaged to the level these times require.

  • They motivate future action, such as volunteering, donating, organizing, etc.

  • They capture the media’s attention, amplifying the message

  • They make it increasingly difficult for political leaders, corporations, and institutions to act with impunity

  • They demonstrate our ability to organize and a willingness to fight back, giving pause to those who intend to undermine the democratic process.

Protests are easy to join and can energize people by creating a unifying social environment. We’re looking forward to seeing you out there. Here are a few reminders.

  • Join the next No-Kings protest.

  • Bring people with you.

  • Follow their guidance on sign creation.

  • Volunteer to support your local No Kings protests.

  • If there are none in your area, get some friends together and work with nokings.org to create one.

  • Attend any other local rallies, protests, town hall meetings, etc.

  • Always behave. Avoiding trouble will prevent turning a protest into a right-wing talking point.

Grow the vote

Reach out to disengaged, independent, and non-voters. Roughly 85–90 million eligible Americans did not vote, and most of them will get screwed by Trump and the GOP.

  • Check in with anyone you know who doesn’t vote or doesn’t talk politics.

  • Be sure to include young adults (especially males).

  • If they are Trump supporters, these will be different conversations (see below).

  • Learn and address their concerns, gripes, indifference, etc.

  • Let them know what’s going on and what’s coming.

  • Share your favorite independent journalists with them.

  • Keep in touch. Keep the persuasion going.

  • If needed, help them register and vote.

Reach out to your Trump-supporting friends and family

Many folks are leaving Trump on their own, but we can and should do all we can to expedite that. We know that most MAGA live in an information bubble - it will be a big mistake to leave them there, in the hands of those who’ve captured them.

Yes, talking to Trump supporters can be frustrating. Many of us have tried, only to be frustrated and vow never again. But we didn’t realize we were doing it wrong; we didn’t realize that right-wing propaganda had changed how we need to talk with them. Our typical approach to conversations and persuasion won’t work. Most people would be surprised to learn there are proven techniques for these conversations. Here are a few concepts to provide context.

  • These conversations are most effective with friends and family - where there’s history.

  • This is not about fact-checking and talking points - don’t bring that to these conversations.

  • Try to remember that most are victims of propaganda that changed what they currently believe.

  • These conversations can take time - knowing this up front will reduce your frustration.

  • There is no need to “convert” them - we only need to sow seeds, giving them things to think about on their own.

  • Let them know they’ll be welcome back - no questions asked. We deserve our democracy more than they deserve our scorn.

Again, these conversations can be tricky if you don’t know how to approach them. The following sites provide additional motivation and guidance:

If we ever want a cooperative, civic, truth-based society, then we need to have these conversations anyway. Let’s be smart and have them when they will do the most good.

Campaign/election involvement

  • Pay close attention to and protect your state legislature

  • Donate to close races. If your state is Blue, you can find other critical campaigns at oath.vote.

  • If possible, increase your donation budget

  • Volunteer for local and state campaigns

  • Participate in phone banks and postcard writing

About social media

Social media is a great way to share information, ideas, and those entertaining and hard-hitting memes. Just keep in mind that our social media activity is largely an echo chamber, so we’re engaging with those who already agree with us. It’s not the best place to expand the base.

This is it, folks. The things we need to do to protect our democracy may seem daunting, but they are nothing compared to what it will take to get it back if we lose in November.