Things to do Instead of Watching the Polls!

With election day looming above our heads, here are a few impactful actions you can take instead of sitting at home, feeling anxious

I think a week like this deserves double newsletters. This is going to be a quick one, mostly with some resources and reminders.

If there was ever a newsletter to share, it’s this one. This election is not something that is happening to us—we are the engine driving the changes we want to see. Forward this email, copy these links, however you want to do it. Spread the word.

First, your actions:

1. VOTE!! Vote Harris, vote every single downballot race. I don’t care where you live, if you think it’s so solidly safe that your voice doesn’t matter or so solidly lost that your vote won’t make a difference—it does. there are so many elections that have been won or lost by less than 100 votes, including to great surprise of everyone involved. You might think your vote won’t be the tipping point, but in an election like this one can you afford to be wrong about that?

   1. for information on voter protection and polling locations, visit iwillvote.com

   2. In a long line to vote? Contact Pizza to the polls and get free pizza delivered to everyone in line!

2. Phone bank! Wherever you are in the country, you can make calls to remind people to show up at the polls for important issues and candidates (including in swing states!). For every 15 “I already voted” calls that you might have (which, for the record, will probably help you feel a lot more hopeful) you’ll have one “Oh, that’s TODAY?”. Someone will vote because you called them. Maybe multiple someones. Here are a few phone bank options (with FAQ’s, training, and scripts to set you up for success!):

   1. GOTV (Get out the vote) in Missouri to overturn the abortion ban: https://www.mobilize.us/mogotv/event/715699/

   2. GOTV for Kamala Harris: https://go.kamalaharris.com/calls/?utm_source=dnc_organizing&utm_campaign=w_ddo_gokh_do_vol_vrec_20241027_dnc_natl_na_na_na&ref=dnc_organizing

3. Send these reminders to other people! Check in with all your family and friends. We are going full pyramid scheme on this thing.

   1. “Hey! Have you voted yet? Great! Why don’t you text 3 friends and make sure they’ve voted too!”

   2. “I read this great newsletter and I’m signing up for a phone banking shift to get people to vote in Pennsylvania! Here’s a link, do you want to sign up too?”

Now: Your reminders and sources of hope

1. Don’t try to get through the day alone. Isolation is a powerful engine for a good old fashioned anxiety spiral. Find a friend, go for a walk, play a videogame, watch a stupid movie, watch the news and make jokes together, sit next to each other in silence. Whatever you do, try not to do it alone.

2. Republicans are following a failing strategy. In the 2022 election cycle and 2024 primaries, candidates who focused their campaigns on transphobia were soundly defeated. This fall, Trump and his team have spent more on anti-trans ads than they have on every other issue combined. According to polling from data for progress that I shared when it first came out, these ads are not working.

3. Please don’t vote for Jill Stein. She isn’t on the ballot in enough states to be able to win, her campaign manager is going public with his anti-trans and anti-abortion stances, and a coalition of European Green Parties have called on her to step down. I could go on and on. There are other ways to advocate for the change you want to see, folks. This ain’t it. Too many genuine human lives are on the line for your protest vote

4. Don’t trust Twitter/X! At a bare minimum, be very, very wary. Elon Musk has been campaigning with Trump for weeks, has been using the “@america” verified account to post trump ads, and has been flooding the website with bots saying they’re voting for trump (or more insidiously with “leftist” bots moralizing about how they aren’t voting). He has a motive.

5. I think the current polling data is seriously underestimating the power of women. Women who are recognizing their vote is private, who are furious that they lost a right they were alive to see gained. In Iowa, a historically red state, J. Ann Selzer found that Harris is now leading Trump, largely led by older women at a margin of 63% to 28%. With abortion on the ballot in 14 (largely red) states, voters are fired up, angry, and motivated. I don’t think this energy is captured in the polls.

6. This brings me to my next reminder! While news is certainly about information, it is also absolutely about ratings and advertising revenue. I’ve been saying this for weeks. A dead-heat race drives ratings, views, doomscrolling, voting, donating, volunteering, etc. Especially early in the day while no results are out, try to limit your time spent glued to the TV. It will not make you feel any less anxious.

7. In case you didn’t hear it the first two times, TURN OFF YOUR PHONE!! I promise, it will only make you feel worse. Doomscrolling is how we cope when things feel out of our control. But they aren’t out of our control. Remember the first half of this message? There are so many things that are within our control.

And a final reminder. No matter what happens tomorrow, there will be more victories to win and losses to survive together. There will be changes that need to be made, people who profit from hate, folks who are open to learning. All these things will happen best together. Who are your local community leaders? What resources are available to you? What resources or skills can you provide to your community?

Whatever happens, we can, we will, and we must go through it together. There is always more hope to be found.

That’s all from me for today. I’ll see you folks on the other side.