Despair is NOT an Option
Act Now!
1. Sign up for infrequent email updates from Despair Is NOT an Option
2. Join a Community of Powerful Activists
3. Motivate Voters via Letters and Postcards
4. Encourage Younger Voters to Register and Vote
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Make sure younger voters register and actually vote.
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Donate to Feel Good Action
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Donate to Rock the Vote
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The number one reason people don’t vote is they say nobody asked them to. Why Do You Vote works to change that.
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The Civics Center will train you to adopt a high school and register any student who is or will be 18 by the time of the 2024 election.
5. Support the Voting Process
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Help people learn where to vote, check their registration for accuracy and more. Go to www.vote.gov
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Help staff your local polling place. Go to Power the Polls or Contact your local elections office.
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Consider becoming a Precinct Chair or get to know your own.
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Thank your election officials for their difficult and important work
6. Elect Democrats in State Legislatures
Do you know that the state you live in makes as many decisions about your daily life as the federal government? Take action to elect democratic legislatures by engaging with:
7. Use Your Power to Influence Others
Persuade people by sharing the views of experts and/or ready-made memes and videos by subject matter:
Subject: The urgent need to safeguard democracy
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Anti-democracy forces WANT you to despair. It is part of their strategy because fear instills a desire for a strongman to fix everything, but that is a fantasy. Watch this video.
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Send out digital content from this site Freedom Over Fascism Toolkit (Digital Content section)
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Find easy-to-share, tested video ads from Amplify and use them on your social media channels. Detailed instructions and training are provided on the site.
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In its Authoritarian Playbook 2025, ProtectDemocracy.org shows how Trump could follow through on his most extreme anti-democratic pledges. It then offers expert recommendations for how to mitigate that danger. It has also created an entire manual just for church groups: Faith in America Playbook.
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Read Time Magazine’s cover story on Trump. It also provides the interview transcript and a full fact check.
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Read a Courier Newsroom publication and share their pro-democracy stories. See their list of state publications and national newsletters.
Subject: The Democratic position on Issues
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The Democratic Party has scripts of what to say and offers training.
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Galvanize Action connects with moderate women in swing state communities to build an America that works for everyone. It also has a wealth of videos.
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Check out and subscribe to the Hopium Chronicles by Simon Rosenberg, a great source of positive news, analysis and inspiration.
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Winning Jobs Narrative Project is a working people-centered narrative architecture for talking about jobs, work, and the economy that resonates across race, geography, and issues.
Subject: Trump and Project 2025 position on issues
Project 2025. Understand and be vocal about Project 2025, the destructive plan that Trump and his supporters plan to implement. (It is false that Trump had nothing to do with it. He intends to install in his administration many of its key authors). Read about Project 2025 here or watch these two video summaries: Project 2025 by Jessica Craven and If you Haven’t Heard About Project 2025.
Subject: The importance of optimism
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Check out Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water daily newsletter, which highlights short daily actions, analysis, and optimism
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Check out Hopium Chronicles by Simon Rosenberg, a great source of positive news, detailed political analysis and inspiration
8. Fight Disinformation
According to researchers, political experts and technologists, disinformation poses an unprecedented threat to democracy in the United States in 2024. Two sites that will arm you with ready responses to current disinformation are Rumor Guard and Truth Brigade. Many more ways you can take action to fight disinformation are HERE.
9. Donate to Pro-democracy Groups that will Allocate your Funds Strategically