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There will be no clear winners in this election - not when elected figureheads cater to corporate lobbyists over governing for the people (see Princeton University Study).

But there can be possibility.

Ash-lee Woodard Henderson reminds us that we must “Do today what makes tomorrow more possible…both in the living, in the abundance, in the joy that will be possible, but also in the resistance that we will be able to build to fight corporate democrats”.

What is needed in this moment - given everything that is at stake - is for all of us to channel our grief and rage into fighting for the conditions that allow us to resist dominance, build power, protect each other and demand a future that we all deserve. That means doing your part over the next 24 hours to got get your people and get out the vote.

Then, on November 6th, we get resourced and ready for the work ahead.

Let’s go.

Kerri (she/her)

5 things your need to read

• That “Little Secret” Between Trump and Johnson? Here’s What It Could Mean.

  The “secret” almost certainly involves a plan to install Trump in the White House if he loses the election—but this plan could be even worse than you think.

• How Will White Women Vote? It’s a Question With a Fraught History. White and Black women have joined together to power progressive causes — from abolition to civil rights — but it’s a tenuous alliance.

• Lesser of Two Evils? Our Fight Is Against Both, No Matter How We Vote. Pulitzer Prize Winner Viet Thanh Nguyen’s sobering message on the Quiet American versus the Ugly American in the US presidential election.

• What if there was an event in the future, the outcome of which you couldn’t personally control, but it was still causing you anguish? Rev. angel Kyodo williams on how to sit quietly in the middle of a storm.

• Can the Uncommitted Movement Realign the Democratic Party? Ending the genocide in Gaza and challenging the U.S. war machine require trying new tactics and refusing to cede political terrain.

5 things you can do…

AOC reminds us that we are not within the margin of error, “we are within the margin of effort”. The outcome of this election will be determined by who puts in the most work over the next 24 hours or so. And not only are you not alone in this, but you don’t need to do everything! Whether you’re on team GOTV, team election protection, or team mutual aid, we can all play our part in protecting democracy and creating the conditions for more/better. LFG:

1. TEXT YOUR FRIENDS: An easy and relational way to GOTV is to rally your friends. And now there is an easy and legal way to check to see if they’ve voted. Check out this tool and send along a sweet text asking if they have a plant to vote and what they might need 😜

2. PHONE BANK: One-on-One conversations are proven to be the most effective way to increase voter turnout and enthusiasm, and phone banking is the best way to reach voters remotely. If you’ve been wondering how you could do more to help win this Election, phone banking is for you. Sign up for election day phone banking with Working Families Party!

3. KNOCK THE BLOCK: Conversations with voters at the door are the most effective thing we can do to get people to vote. Consider reaching out to your neighbors and to make sure they have a plan to vote, understand what’s on their ballot, know their voting rights and to see if they need support.

4. SHARE YOUR BALLOT Local elections have the greatest impact on our lives; and yet 30% of people don’t vote down ballot. Research shows that that people who fill out their ballot in advance of voting are more likely to 1) show up 2) vote all the way down the ticket. If you’ve already researched your ballot, consider sharing what you learned with other people in your district.

5. COLLECTIVE CARE: As democratic structures continue to erode, creating infrastructure for collective care and mutual aid is becoming more and more important. Who are five people you can circle up with to 1) make sure they have a plan to vote 2) discuss whats at stake on your ballot 3) support one another as results come in over the coming days/weeks 4) build capacity with to take care and take action 5) share resources and protection if/when needed

WHAT’S AT STAKE

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. Here’s what’s at stake:

• 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.

CTA: Make sure you people are voting all the way down the ballot by checking in and asking if they have questions about what/who is on the ballot. You can even share your ballot if folks are interested to ensure people have what they need to vote all the way down the ticket!

Art by @theunapologeticstreetseries

FASCISM BAROMETER

What is fascism? Is it rising? How can we stop it? Organizers like Ejeris Dixon and Ash-lee Woodard Henderson have been warning us about the emerging movement of fascism for years. This episode of “The Fascism Barometer” is essential in helping us understand electoral fascism, measure the pressure on our communities and explore what we can do about it. It breaks down The Fascist Emergency Playbook which highlights what to look out for that is shaping this political moment (and the next):

1. Use the emergency to restrict civil liberties (ie: movement, protest, freedom of the press, a right to a trial and freedom to gather)

2. Use the emergency to suspend governmental institutions, consolidate power, reduce institutional checks and balances, and reduce access to elections and other forms of participator governance

3. Promote a sense of fear and individual helplessness, particularly in relationship to the state, to reduce outcry and create a culture where people consent to the power of the fascist state

4. Replace democratic institutions with autocratic institutions using the emergency as justification

5. Create scapegoats for the emergency - such as immigrants, people of color, disabled people, ethnic and religious minorities - to distract public attention from the failures of the state and the loss of civil liberties

Art and wisdom by @thefascismbarometer

ELECTION C0-REGULATION

PRACTICE: How do you sit quietly in the middle of a storm? In this episode of Search Engine Rev. angel Kyodo williams helps us learn how you could begin to quiet all the fears in your head that kidnap you from your actual life.

JOIN: 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. Join us RESOURCED & REGULATED (tomorrow @530EST) for a community of practice to support one another in taking care and taking action in these final moments of the election. It will be a space to get resourced and ready for the work ahead. Register here.

WE-NESS

You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it…

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