Don't. Get. Distracted.

As we return from the Labor Day holiday, it’s an important time to remember a key lesson from my book, “Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual for Every American.”

That, rather than simply watching/reacting to the news of the day—which is dominated by Trump, Republican primary candidates, and investigations/trials—we instead must work proactively along our pro-democracy timeframe in all that we do.

Here’s a diagram from my book:

As I explain in the video above, the good thing about the action steps in this timeline is that they also happen to be the things we have far more control over, and on which we can have far more impact. (Versus wasting time and energy on things out of our control).

To spell it out, in the coming months, we must:

1. support and win 2023 campaigns at all levels (Virginia, Ohio, school boards, etc.);

2. recruit to run everywhere in 2024;

3. use as much of our footprints as possible to engage voters who are being suppressed by the other side. (As if on cue, within hours of me recording today’s video, we learned that a far higher percentage of votes were tossed in Ohio on August 8 due to the new strict photo ID law (strictest in the nation) our lawless legislature imposed—not due to in-person voter fraud (there is none), but to achieve this very result.)

I will provide more information in upcoming newsletters, but for all the ways to use your full footprint to lift voters all the time, here’s a page from my website that helps guide you (including how to help voters access the required IDs, through an organization I list called VoteRiders).

Bottom line: to go on offense to protect democracy, we must use OUR timeframe. Not anyone else’s.

REMINDER: SIGN UP FOR FIRST OFFICE HOURS.

For those who are already in my Voting Rights Academy course, or want to be, my first office hours will be THIS Friday (Sept. 8) at noon.

It will basically be a group Zoom meeting. I’ll use the hour to give an overview of what we’ve covered so far, answer any questions you have, and go in any directions people want to go. (Happy to talk current events as well).

Those enrolled in the course can sign up for the Friday call below: