Over the course of the summer, I experienced a full range of emotions about our upcoming election. The first part of the summer was hard. From the upset over the presidential debate in June, to the anger of witnessing the debasing of our political discourse, to the fear of losing our precious democracy, and ultimately the grief over our lost ideals. I stopped reading the newspaper. Instead, I relied on historian Heather Cox Richardson’s daily update that put these events into a historic context, which gave me some perspective – painful as it is, we’ve been here before. There have been some dark days for democracy. It lessened my panic and allowed me to breathe. I kept reminding myself: activism matters! It’s made a difference before, and it can now.

And then along came Kamala! I experienced unbelievable joy in seeing her rise rapidly to become the Democratic nominee for president. With the help of many behind-the-scenes players, including a phalanx of women fundraisers who were at the ready, she rose to the fore. She was bolstered by the myriad of Zoom calls that raised millions of dollars in her first week, starting with “Win With Black Women,” and then encompassing all kinds of ally groups, including “White Dudes for Kamala.” I participated in several of these and was encouraged by the impromptu and grassroots outpouring of support for her historic candidacy.

Through this, she overcame much of the skepticism that surrounded her previous campaign for president.  In her role as Vice-President, she has grown to meet this moment. I was lucky enough to see her speak in-person two years ago and was impressed with her range and knowledge. (I was also frustrated that she wasn’t getting media coverage that showed it.) She has spent decades getting here, but the past four years have vaulted her into being one of the most experienced candidates ever to run for president. 

Her qualifications were amplified by the full range of speakers at the Democratic convention. They all shared their perspectives on how she can help us to preserve our democracy, protect the rule of law, and enable many other pieces of the American dream. They acknowledged that this dream has not been fully realized, but if we share this vision and all pitch in, we can make more progress. They called upon us to put country over party. They presented a positive vision and hope for the future.  And they were clear about the work we need to do. It’s always taken work (historian Heather Cox Richardson reminds me of this daily). 

THIS moment has become THE moment – we have a profound need to act. Especially as women – we have seen the rolling back of our rights, particularly our reproductive freedom. And more is on the way, if we don’t act.

Taking action is at the heart of my message in Marching Toward Coverage.  I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone to get active politically. Remember, activism is a salve.

What to do? There are so many ways to get involved.  Don’t get overwhelmed. Don’t overthink it. Just DO something! The one I’ve chosen for next week is one that builds grassroots democracy by registering new voters in battleground states: join me in attending this virtual house party for the Movement Voter Project. 

There was a phenomenal outpouring of energy from the first Women’s March in 2017. I’d love to see this same energy harnessed now, before the election! We have so much power when we work together. [We welcome our male allies to join us.]

Kamala’s candidacy has brought a huge burst of energy to the election, one that stems from renewed hope. Get involved. The election is just 59 days away. We are not going back!

Here’s how you can get involved:

Phone Banking

• Join phone banking efforts to contact voters in key areas. Participate in virtual phonebank events where you can receive training and practice in breakout rooms before making your first call.
• Sign up for a phonebank here.

Postcard Writing

• Participate in Postcards to Voters campaigns, writing personalized messages to remind people to vote.

Women Wednesdays for Harris

• Participate in Women Wednesdays or other weekly calls from organizations like Indivisible, where you receive updates, training, and opportunities to take action. Don’t miss next week’s voter registration push with speakers like Sophia Bush and Jason Kander.
• Register to join next week’s voter registration Zoom call here.

Talk to Your Friends

• Start with your immediate network—talk to your friends and family about the importance of voting and share your personal stories. Use tools like the Ripple app, which matches your friends with the voter file and provides conversation scripts to make these talks easier.
• Check out the Ripple app here.

Talk to Your Neighbors

• After engaging your friends, reach out to your neighbors using Indivisible’s Neighbor2Neighbor program, which gives you a list of Democratic households and conversational scripts. It’s a highly effective way to expand voter turnout within your community.

Write Letters to Voters

• Engage in letter-writing parties to send personalized letters encouraging people to vote in upcoming elections.