This week I voted in my upcoming local election. Here in Washington State, we vote by mail, and it’s a pretty neat system. Your ballot arrives, you have time to fill it out, and then you can either mail it or drop it off at one of the many drop-off boxes. You can check whether your ballot has been received and processed, and if there’s an issue, an election official can call or email you to resolve it. While I miss physically voting in person and part of me is sad that I won’t ever bring my kids to a voting booth, I can’t deny that vote-by-mail makes a lot more sense. It’s a fantastic way to cast your ballot.
We’re one year out from the midterm elections, and I’ve been thinking a lot about them. Winning as large a Democratic majority as possible is clearly essential, but the bigger challenge is ensuring that the elections are free and fair, and that the Trump Regime accepts the results.
The Trump Regime is doing everything, and using every lever or power it has to undermine the midterm election (The Brennan Center for Justice is tracking every action on an interactive timeline). From pressuring red states with GOP majorities to hastily redraw Congressional maps, to charging a growing list of Democratic elected officials and candidates with crimes, to the constant stream of propaganda about voter fraud that isn’t happening, and demonizing vote-by-mail and early voting – the pattern is unmistakable. Some prominent right-wing figures are already calling for Trump to declare a national emergency in order to justify dictating new election rules to the states. I fully expect the Trump Regime to contest every election result using the courts, the bully pulpit, law enforcement, and the military rather than cede any power.
I don’t say this to be a doomer, but I want to make clear that simply voting in next year’s midterms won’t be enough. It’s on us to ensure that the midterm elections are secure and the results are accepted. The good news is that in the US, our elections are decentralized, governed mainly by state laws, and run at the municipal and county levels. Additionally, in my experience, most local election officials, regardless of their political party, take their job and their oath seriously and don’t take kindly to the accusation of running a fraudulent election. That gives us a lot to work with and plenty of levers of our own to pull.
Here are four things you can do starting right now to help ensure the midterm elections are free and fair:
Get up to speed. Familiarize yourself with your state’s election laws and how your municipality runs local elections. A few handy resources to get you started:
Find your local election officials and their contact information.
Learn the rules for voter registration in your state. Vote411 has a handy chart of voting options available in every US state and DC.
Track changes to voter legislation with updated tracking guides from the Voting Rights Lab and The Brennan Center for Justice.
Register new voters early and often. It’s never too early to start encouraging people in your community to vote and to help them register. You can work with groups in your area already doing registration drives, or start with your own networks. The Civics Center links to online and paper registration forms for every US state and DC.
Be an advocate for democracy in your community. Protect Democracy has some resources for things we can all do to ensure free and fair elections at every step of the process over the next year. Connecting with local groups and plugging into activities they have planned is also a good way to be active. Consider becoming an election day poll worker.
Be ready to mobilize in key moments. As I said above, the Trump Regime and its enablers will do everything in their power to stop a free and fair election from happening. Be ready to mobilize at key moments in ways that you’re able, such as showing up to protest, contacting your elected officials, and taking solidarity actions in concert with local groups.
One final suggestion, something I try to do in my own life: Whenever you get anxious about the state of the country or next year’s elections, take action as a coping mechanism. The list above is broad enough that you can do most of them at any point over the next year. I promise you there’s no better way to deal with anxiety, fear, and any other big feelings you might have. It helps.
ICYMI
How No Kings Embraced the Good Kind of Weird—and Won the Normies (The New Republic)
Afrikaner Refugees and the White Nationalist Myth that Won’t Die (Political Research Associates)
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Coda
Apologies for the lack of a newsletter last week. We’ve been dealing with some family stuff. Everything is good now, so don’t worry. But I hate missing a deadline, even when it can’t be helped.
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California and Oregon also vote by mail, it is a great system! It should be nationwide and it’s absurd that we don’t.