#vote midterms

[worrynoodle]

🔹️This is a great article on the benefits of reading [click me]

🔹️Reading leads students to infer the characters’ thoughts and feelings (McTigue et al., 2015). The fact that students need to understand the narrator and the primary and secondary characters’ different points of view promotes the development of cognitive empathy (Guarisco & Freeman, 2015; Lysaker & Sedberry, 2015).

🔹️"54% of adults (in the US) between the ages of 16 and 74 years old -- lack proficiency in literacy, essentially reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level" -Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy (2019)

There is a direct link between a lack of literacy and the way US Americans treat one another and how they vote. They lack empathy, they lack the literacy needed to comprehend what they're voting for, they demonize intellectualism, they demonize education, they ban books. This is a major major problem.

Censorship, book bans, defunding the department of education etc. Are all in the plans for these next four years (and beyond) this is only going to get worse.

If you are or know of an expert in this topic, I'd love to hear what you think would help this problem in the US on a national scale.

But for now, my unprofessional opinion is KEEP READING. Get physical copies of books if you can. Read banned books, read fiction with characters outside of your experiences etc. If you have family that struggles with this get them some easy books to start with, tell them about libby and hoopla. Try to be there for them and encourage good reading habits.

Buy books locally! Don't buy from Amazon (unless it's an indie author publishing through them). Amazon sells their books at a cut price to suffocate their competitors. If you can't afford the books at stores go to the library! (Or libby or hoopla)

Support your local library!

Discourage anti intellectualism just like the post above. (Another I've seen is discouraging the "sometimes the curtains are just blue argument" that also feeds into media illiteracy.)

Vote in local elections. Vote in midterms. Vote in major elections.

Get involved in your local school board and discourage book bans and censorship

Be kind to other people. Be an example of how that empathy pays off. (Don't be empathetic towards hate though, of course)

If you have more to add I'd love to hear it.

[someloudmouth]

To anyone considering not voting because of the Palestinian genocide, I have this to ask:

How many Palestinian people do you think you're helping by laying back and inviting the GOP to crush you under foot? Self flagellation didn't cure The Plague, and it won't fix this situation either.

If you don't like the idea of voting for Harris, I doubt I'll be able to change your mind, but consider this: 468 congressional seats out of a total 535 are up for re-election THIS NOVEMBER. You want to make the government start actually representing the will of the people? Start there.

We're living in frightening times, and apathy is a very comfortable state of being, but you need to act. If you don't, who will?

[captainjonnitkessler]

I firmly believe that any movement focused on how you *think* people should act instead of how they *actually* act is doomed to failure. In light of that I think it's clear that Democrats have failed to engage voters and drive turnout, and they desperately need a new strategy before 2026.

My sympathy for the absolute children who think it's a candidate's responsibility to get them "excited" about politics in exchange for spending the time to vote one day out of every 1460 instead of viewing being an educated voter as a civic responsibility is at an absolute fucking zero right now

[incorrectbatfam]

i'm just a few months too young to vote and i'm forever upset about that fact but! my best friend voted a couple days ago and i am so so proud of him!!

i thought you'd like this story! hope you're having a good day!🫶

You can't control your birthday so no fault to you. What you can do is be ready for next time. The 2026 midterm elections are just as important because you get to decide who represents you at the local, state, and Congressional level. Check here for how to register when you are eligible—in some states, you can pre-register at 16 or 17 and be automatically registered to vote when you turn 18

[thealogie]

I’m very much a “voting is just one small piece of this and both parties are bad etc” kind of person but sadly I’m having to accept most leftists who are disdainful of voting also don’t do shit the other days of the year. Like zero positive political impact.

[chickenleafs-world]

Friendly reminder that a couple weeks ago Trump signed an executive order calling for increased logging even at the expense of endangered species, calling on the Endangered Species Commission, aka “God Squad”, to get around environmental regulations! There’s also a plan to use the God Squad to help expand oil production in federal land.

The Endangered Species Act is a large part of why we have a healthy Bald Eagle population today. There’s something strangely poetic about the president of the United States endangering Bald Eagles for the sake of business interests.

Anyways, reminder to people in the US to vote during midterms. The Dems may suck but they will not suck as much as this will. Bald Eagles going the way of the rest of the dinos isn’t a good sign for the country, and minimizing harm is important on its own.

If you want to make a difference outside of voting (something I recommend to everyone) try looking for environmental groups in your local area. Even if there’s nothing you can do on the nation wide scale, they can get you started on local change. Figure out local species you can help. Donate to environmental lobbyists to try to get more environmental protections in law. Be annoying to your politicians, send emails and social media posts and letters.

Also, remember, if you feel so angry you can’t handle writing a letter or meeting an org, it’s always helpful to take out your anger on the invasive species in your area. It won’t change the destructive path of the Trump admin or get rid of the species, but it’ll be a little. Surviving while doing a little is a lot right now.

[cyarsk52-20]

Just wanna once again say fuck everybody who didn't vote for Kamala. Burn in hell

[cormancatacombs]

[Image ID: A screenshot of a Blue Sky post by user Max Berger @ maxberger.bsky.social. It reads,

“Elections matter a great deal in semi-authoritarian regimes—especially the early ones before the authoritarian has destroyed legal institutions and free elections.

The 2026 election is going to matter an enormous amount.”

End of description.]

[tkw92]

A simplified explanation of why protest voting or abstaining from voting is a counterproductive tactic

[someloudmouth]

A lot of people are talking about the presidential election so I'd like to remind everyone that the president is not the be all end all.

Even if a perfect candidate, one who matches your morals and checks all your boxes, were to win the election, they would get nowhere with a Congress that's stacked against them. That's how the system is designed - Congress is meant to check the president's power. If Congress is full of people who support Israel, nothing substantial will be done to stop the Palestinian genocide, even with a president that supports Palestine.

87% of Congress is up for re-election in November and congressional elections happen every two years. Research your state's ballot and stay informed about local elections. That's how you take power back from the undeserving.

[somerandomg33k]

You know, this point.......

At this point, I hope the Democrats to lie in the next election. Trump lie about what he would do about the economy. He told a better story.

Now, Trump is a Fascist. He is not better than Kamala. And his policies will be worse for the economy.

But I hope the Democrats will re-learn the lesson that lying during a campaign will help you win. Look at 2020. Biden lied about $2000 checks will be in the mail if the Democrats win both Senate elections in Georgia.

And Liberals are already fine with the Democrats lying about campaign promises. Because several Liberals told me, "I am not surprised we are only getting $1400." So they should lie about how they will fix the economy for the midterms.

[shefightsforall]

This is 25-year-old Valentina Gomez. She belongs to the Republican Party and is a candidate for the U.S. House, Texas District 31 general election, 2026.

She posted this on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Regardless of where you land on the political spectrum, we should be able to agree that this is deplorable. Spread the word so that this woman doesn't win the 2026 election.

Share.

[weedle-testaburger]

the one silver lining there might be to that insane supreme court decision is that maybe people will get it through their skulls why they need to hold their noses and vote blue because of it. your choice in november is either an old idiot or a literal wannabe fascist dictator who is proudly proclaiming he'll issue a totalitarian crackdown on his political opponents if he wins

[mangled-by-disuse]

ngl one of the wild things to me about US politics is like

the election cycle is fucking neverending, yeah? everyone drops everything and starts poll-watching at least a year in advance of the actual election. people get themselves all (understandably) worked up and scared about the incoming president, for months. then they vote, and in november, they all have a horrible panic and crisis and are afraid and cling to everyone for support and yeah, ok, I get it, that's an understandable response to a terrifying outcome.

BUT THEN

SOMEHOW

y'all have to wait two months for it to matter? and then have the whole crisis again?

like i am seeing so many people right now reprising the same emotional crash they had in November, and because it's had a couple of months to settle, it feels like it's almost as intense the second time around?

this is not a dig against Americans I just do not understand why the American political system seems purpose-built to put people through the emotional wringer as thoroughly and protractedly as human possible. it's like it's trying to make everyone depressed and tired and unable to cope and...

...oh.

[someloudmouth]

In the interest of supporting voting, I'd like to point folks to Vote411.org. This site is run by The League of Women Voters and provides information on how to vote in your state as well as what's on the ballot.

On this site you will find state specific information on early voting, absentee ballots, polling locations, registering to vote, disability accommodations, language assistance, and lots more.

The people that want to control you don't want you to vote. Think very hard about why that is.