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There is a lot to say about this election - about all that is at work and all that is at stake. I’ve done my best to aggregate in this toolkit helpful resources for understanding where we are, what is needed and how to take action and take care.

But the thing I’m feeling most deeply in this moment is how we need to do many things simultaneously. We must to do everything we can to block a racist authoritarian from seizing power and destroying our democracy. AND we also need to be relentless in demanding an immediate ceasefire and arms embargo in the Middle East. For some people, these two things are in opposition. But I would argue that not only is blocking fascism and ending imperialist violence related, but our ability to hold and navigate these urgent needs at the same time is what is going to prepare us for what is sure to be an increasingly complicated and uncertain future.

As we navigate the next few days/weeks, I’d invite us to center these questions in all the things:

• Who are we accountable to in our votes and actions?

• What strategy creates the conditions for us to get more of what we need?

• What move is most aligned with ending genocide and imperial violence around the world?

• How can the practice of small democracy get us through this wave of fascism?

• How are we organizing the broader ecosystem?

• How do we grow a viable left third party space inside late stage capitalism?

• How are we building capacity for the long haul of libratory work?

• How do we be accountable to our imperial impact even as we organize within it?

Lastly, it is not enough to confront and navigate social and political systems of power. We must also tend to our individual and collective nervous systems if we are going to have the capacity to keep going, the courage to be accountable and the creativity to imagine beyond what we have inherited.

LFG.

Kerri (she/her)

Art by @Amplifier

NTK (NEED TO KNOW)

• What the Movement for Palestine Can Learn From the Fight Against Apartheid. The successful push to change US policy toward South Africa provides a useful blueprint for our current moment.

• You’re not burned out, you’re being burned out. Joshua Hill on how we’re set up for burnout and why the only way out is through each other.

• In 2024 progressives are facing a tough choice—how to defeat Trump and put the Democrats on notice. Here’s 7 Strategic Axioms for the Anxious Progressive Voter.

• Naomi Klein on why Harris is “running an extremely high-risk, dangerous campaign” by abandoning the base and how we absolutely must take Trump's threats to "the enemy within" seriously. It can always get worse. Much worse.

• Why Is the Election Between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris So Close? By refusing to learn from the past, Democrats risk handing the White House back to Trump.

PRACTICING SOLIDARITY

The outcome of this election will be determined by who puts in the most work this week. Our democracy works best when it includes all of us. And that means having hard conversations, texting our friends, phone banking voters, knocking on doors, having ballot parties and using our voice and votes to make our demands clear. Here’s how you can play your part:

TEXT: There are a lot of ways to talk to potential voters about how to cast their ballots, and this is one of the best ways to engage and mobilize voters where they are—on their phones. Engage in peer-to-peer texting with When We All Vote.

PHONE BANK: One-on-One conversations are proven to be the most effective way to increase voter turnout and enthusiasm, and phonebanking is the best way to reach voters remotely. If you’ve been wondering how you could do more to help win this Election, phonebanking is for you. Check out phonebanking for introverts and newbies with WFP.

KNOCK DOORS: Conversations with voters at the door are the most effective thing we can do to get people to vote. No matter where you live, Seed the Vote can help you participate in the most powerful voter outreach efforts in swing states.

THROW PARTIES: Local elections have the greatest impact on our lives; and yet 30% of people don’t vote down ballot. Ballot parties invite us to gather with our community to get informed about what’s at stake in our local elections, have mindful debate about issues and candidates and complete our ballots so that we can turn them in and turn out the vote. Download the VOTEWELL ballot party guide.

SWAP VOTES: Many of us absolutely want to defeat Trump, but we also don’t want to just roll over and endorse a broken two-party system by voting for Harris.
Luckily Americans across the country have found a way to vote with our head AND our heart: #SwapYourVote. The key lies in teaming up to vote against Trump in the swing states that will decide the election, while lodging protest votes in safe states.

DEMAND AN ARMS EMBARGO NOW. On November 2, just days before the U.S. Presidential election, people will take to the streets across the entire country to say NO VOTES FOR GENOCIDE! The US government has the ability to enact an arms embargo, it has the ability to stop this genocide. This is the moment - while the race is razor thin - to leverage our collective voice and votes and demand an immediate ceasefire and arms embargo.

ELECTION PROJECTION: The 2024 November election is approaching and for many left movement groups, this means increased safety threats. Whether your group is door-knocking, protesting, or coordinating mutual aid, building safety infrastructure is critical to protect our communities Check out this electoral safety kit from Vision Change Win.

Art by @WorkingFamiliesParty

TURN OUT THE VOTE

While the presidential election continues to take up all the space in our discourse, there is a lot at stake down the ticket. Local elections have the greatest impact on our lives; and yet 30% of voters don’t vote down ballot. Ballot parties invite us to gather with our community to get informed about what’s at stake in our local elections, have mindful debate about issues and candidates and complete our ballots so that we can turn them in and turn out the vote. Here’s what to look out for:

• State Legislatures: State legislatures have been reshaping the daily lives of millions of Americans from abortion to education and several are in contest in this fall including Arizona, where Republicans hold majorities in the state House and Senate; Michigan, where Democrats control both chambers; Minnesota, where Democrats are defending the state House; New Hampshire, where Republicans are aiming to hold on to the state House; and Pennsylvania, where the Democratic-held state House is in play.

• Criminal Justice: Prosecutors, District Attorneys, supreme court judges will play a big role in determining whether and how state’s prosecute issues like abortion bans, climate accountability, police violence, gun control and more.

• Ballot measures: Voters across the country are set to decide on nearly 150 ballot measures next week that will shape the future of a wide variety of policy issues in their states including abortion, voting and elections, immigration, marijuana, economy and crime.

• School Board: More than 82,000 school board members in the United States make important decisions about school districts’ budgets, curriculum, and leadership every day. Yet school board elections are plagued by low voter turnout, sometimes as low as 5 to 10 percent. Uncontested seats and vacancies are also common. A Ballotpedia study of more than 5,400 school board elections in 2023 found that about 53 percent of school board seats were uncontested. Here are five reasons to pay attention to local school board elections.

Local elections have the greatest impact on our lives; and yet 30% of people don’t vote down ballot. Ballot parties invite us to gather with our community to get informed about what’s at stake in our local elections, have mindful debate about issues and candidates and complete our ballots so that we can turn them in and turn out the vote. Download the VOTEWELL ballot party guide.

Art by @Calendow

RESOURCED

I am every day amazed by this community and how much wisdom and power we have between and around us. Here’s a quick round up of of my favorite resources and gatherings over the next few weeks:

• TOOLKITS AND RESOURCES

  • Election Time with adrienne maree brown podcast series

  • The Fascism Barometer with Ejeris Dixon and Ash-lee Woodward Henderson

  • Electoral Safety Toolkit from Vision, Change, Win

  • Working Families Block & Build Toolkit

  • The 2024 Elections & Beyond: A toolkit on fortifying ourselves, our institutions, our ecosystems

  • VOTEWELL Ballot Party Guide

• VIRTUAL GATHERINGS AND CIRCLES

  • 10/30 Resourced and Regulated: A CTZN Community of Practice (530EST)

  • 10/30 Working Families Party Mass Call on “Election Day Survival Kit”

    11/5 *Election Day* Frontline Sanctuary with Gina Breedlove

    11/11 Where do we go from here with CTZNWELL

    11/12 Joy and Grief in Movement Power Building with adrienne maree brown, Malkia Devich Cyril & Linda Sarsour

    11/13 When No Thing Works with Roshi Norma Wong

Art by @Favianna1

CO-REGULATION

Navigating the stress and anxiety of this political moment is A LOT. But we cannot let ourselves become burned out. Because November 6th is just the beginning. How we take care of each other in this moment and the next is going to determine our future. Here are some tips on how to regulate and recover along the way….

• If you’re hyper-vigilant (non-stop scrolling, obsessively reading the news). Set a time each day to do a digital detox. Create a space of refuge in your home that can offer comfort and safety. Affirm that your vigilance exists to protect you but that you are allowed to let your guard down. Reach out to a friend.

• If you feel numb (disconnected, emotions locked behind a wall). Acknowledge that numbing your feelings is a way you protect yourself. Find safe spaces to feel your feelings. Try writing what you are feeling, witnessing and how you are reacting to it. Connect through physical sensations like taking a hot or cold shower, gentle movements, consensual intimacy.

• If you feel hopeless (disempowered, pointless, incapable). Look out for stories of people who are fighting for positive change (books, podcasts, songs). Reach out to a trusted friend. Take one small action (donation, sign a petition, provide water/supplies at protest)

• If you feel overstimulated (buzzy, sensitive, retreating). Make some space to lay down in a darkened room. Selectively turn your tech on/off, turn off non essential notifications. Take your shoes off and feel your feet on the ground.

• If your heart is breaking (despair, inaction, grief). Give yourself permission to rage and grieve. Join a grief circle. Make time to rest.

• If you feel stuck (frozen, indecisive, overwhelmed). Go for a walk or dance and get your body moving. Create a short and accessible to do list. Find an accountabuddy to check in with periodically.

• If you feel alone (isolated, unsupported). Start a group chat with people you love and trust. Explore local organizing or volunteering efforts. Join an online

Starting tomorrow we’re getting RESOURCED & REGULATED. Each day at 530EST we will gather in a community of practice to support one another in taking care and taking action in these critical days leading up to the election. It will be a space to get resourced and ready for the work ahead. Register here.

Art and wisdom by @FeministSexEd

WE-NESS

This. Truly.

Thanks for subscribing to WELLREAD. For the last six years we’ve been providing folks with the need to know (NTK) news, calls to actions and resources for how to stay engaged and resourced along the way. But now, we’ve added an option to “upgrade to paid” to help sustain our work. While we will never put our content behind a pay wall, we depend on the support of our community to keep us going. 💛

Upgrade to paid