#don't let the idea that democracy is under threat keep you from participating in it fully

[elumish]

Hi friends!

I know it's only March, but I'm going to start talking about elections again (just for this post, I promise).

We are in as much of an off-season as American electoral politics gets, which means that there are two really important things for you to do in terms of elections:

Understand when the next elections that you can vote in are. Two states (NJ, VA) have gubernatorial races this year. I'm sure some places are having local elections, state-level elections, and/or special elections. There may also be primaries or elections held in months other than November. You don't need to spend a huge amount of time on this, but don't forget to look up the election schedule for your area to know the next time you'll need to vote.

Work on any organizing that isn't feasible or useful during election season. If you're always unhappy with the candidate options or party platforms come election time, this is the time to advocate for certain positions and organize for potential candidates who you do like. Come November 2026 or 2028, you'll be stuck with whoever is on the ballot--so now is the time to try to influence who gets on that ballot and what they are fighting for.

Everything is terrifying and hard right now, and it can feel like there's nothing you can do. And what I've listed here barely scratches the surface of what you can do to support democracy in the United States--but it's something.