“We’re spending so much energy talking about how bad things are, it can start to feel like THAT’s our activism. Instead of just talking with our friends and family about what’s bad, let’s talk about what we can DO about this election.”

That’s what the awesome friend-of-a-friend seasoned organizer said on this morning’s powerful small-group zoom.

So now I know what I’ll be DOING instead of just doomscrolling from now to Election Day… because I also learned that even though it feels like everything I can do is pitifully small, “this isn’t about any single heroic action we can take – it’s about connecting with others to make larger change possible.”

Which is why I wanted to share with you a few highlights from what I committed to do, and what I learned today:

WHAT I’M DOING:

I’ve already started my donations to Seed the Vote, the grassroots mobilizing PAC that this smart organizer is volunteering with, as well as the Movement Voter Project which was recently recommended to me by very trusted friends.

I’ll also be signing up via Seed The Vote for phone banking, and maybe some postcard writing, to voters in swing states – especially where there are crucial down-ballot choices too.

WHAT I LEARNED:

If we think about a time when we took a stand and took action with others, when we felt more powerful by working together – that feels really GOOD, right?

On the other hand, there can are so many things that keep us stuck in worry and trapped in *inaction* instead of stopping Trumpism and fascism… it can seem overwhelming, we’re already feeling despair/grief/exhaustion at how bad things have gotten, and we think that we don’t have the expertise to figure out what can help.

Plus, it’s super easy to get caught up in doomscrolling or compulsively checking the news. That makes sense, because it’s your brain “attempting to get access to all the information you need to keep yourself protected from what’s dangerous around you.” I mean, wow! But if we took just, say, half the time and energy that we’re spending on doomscrolling, we could instead do things that feel joyful and positive. Such as…

• Spend a few hours a week phone banking or postcard-writing through the election
• Spend 10-15 hours over the next 2 months organizing a fundraising party for your friends, or run a fundraising page to support Seed The Vote’s get-out-the-vote efforts
• If you can, take a week to travel and door-knock in a swing state – this is the single most effective thing we can do, and there is LOTS of support available so you don’t have to figure out where to go or what to say – check out info at forms.seedthevote.org/STV2024
• That’s not realistic for me, but Seed The Vote is raising funds to send canvassers to those key areas, which costs about a thousand bucks a person, and I can definitely donate to help with that!

For quick reference, here’s a handy-dandy google doc with a few bullet points on STV’s work and how to get involved.

Now, obviously this one organization isn’t the be-all-end-all. I’m still super interested if you know of other ways that we can take action instead of just wringing our hands from here to Nov. 5th! Please share whatever is giving you hope and inspiration? And I hope this gives some to you. We are going to need it.

Onwards