A Guide to Saving Democracy: From Protecting the Vote to Building a Third Party
Your roadmap to election defense, grassroots organizing, and building a third-party future.
So, you want to save democracy?
Good!
Put down the protest sign and pick up a shovel. It’s time to do the work.
Because I want to be clear: This is real, hard WORK.
If you want to preserve what’s left of democracy—for yourself, for your kids, and for the future—you have to put in physical time and effort.
Ready?
Before I get to my point, I have to point out to white people—that all of these actionable items I’m providing are way overdue. Embarrassingly overdue. It’s time to start listening to Black women, and it’s time to do your part. Hold up your end of the bargain now. Are you anti-fascist? Don’t just say you are. Prove it. Are you actively anti-racist? In your everyday life? Can you prove it? Show us.
Because generally, white people aren’t accustomed to hard work. The culture they’ve created here in America is one of nepotism, mediocrity, and dormancy enabled at the core by colonization and forced/slave labor.
This authoritarian movement is going to be a real wake up call for those who have had the privilege of not having to experience being imprisoned or treated unjustly because of the color of their skin.
White people, this really shouldn’t be our burden to carry. But because of the spite, hate, fear, supremacy, and complacency, we’ve landed here.
You’re going to have to get your hands dirty—because now, this is what we all have to do:
PROTECT THE VOTE
Demand election transparency. Call or visit your local Board of Elections. Questions to ask: What machines are used? How are votes tabulated? Who counts the ballots? How can I observe?
How to start: Don’t just ask, call, visit, and demand responses. Request vendor names, data access logs, etc. Research voter protection groups (eg.
Legal Defense Fund, https://866ourvote.org, and others) to know your rights and who to contact if you notice red flags in your county/state.
Check your voter registration constantly. Make sure you haven’t been purged.
How to start: Bookmark your state/local registration site and check it often (don’t wait until right before an election).
Organize your essential documents now. Birth certificates, passports, legal decrees—gather them and have them ready before you need them.
How to start: Order any replacement birth certificates or documents as soon as possible.
Learn your rights. Know exactly what you can and can’t do at the polls. Share that info with others.
File Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests. Force transparency. Make the government show its work.
How to start: Use sites like MuckRock to file FOIA requests for things like meeting minutes, Flock camera (license plate reader) data, and police reports.
SHOW UP & HOLD THOSE IN POWER ACCOUNTABLE
Attend local government meetings. City council, school board, county commission. Be present where decisions are made, and make statements on the record. Ask your local school districts what safety protocols they have in place for ICE and CBP operations targeting students and families.
How to start: Head to a local meeting. If you can’t speak, attend and listen. This is a good opportunity to connect with other parents and community members to organize on a more granular/discreet level.
Contact your representatives. Call, email, show up at town halls. Bird-dog and demand answers during public comment periods.
Register new voters. Organize rides to the polls, start a fund for those who can’t afford an ID, volunteer—eliminate every barrier you can.
Protect vulnerable neighbors. Check on elderly, disabled, and marginalized neighbors and community members. Help them navigate potential obstacles.
How to start: Knock on doors. Ask: “Do you need help getting to the polls? Do you have your ID?”
Track campaign donations. Follow the money $$$. Expose anyone who is funding corruption.
How to start: Use OpenSecrets.org or your state’s ethics commission site. Share your findings with local news outlets, social media, etc.
Demand state-level contingency plans. (This idea comes directly from AmericanCitizen, who you can follow for many more.)
Blue governors may be our last line of defense if federal power is used to override elections or constitutional limits. States should be preparing legal frameworks, election protections, limits on cooperation with unlawful federal actions, and financial contingency plans.
How to start: Contact your governor and ask: “What is our state’s plan if federal authority is used to undermine constitutional governance or election integrity?”
BUILD THE ALTERNATIVE (THIRD-PARTY)
The two-party system is no longer sustainable. We need new political infrastructure NOW.
Research third parties. Working Families Party, Democratic Socialists of America, etc. Find your fit and get involved.
Get them on the ballot. Many states require signatures. Learn the rules. Start collecting.
Push for structural reform. Advocate for equitable systems (i.e. Ranked-Choice Voting, expanding mail-in voting) and fair redistricting.
Vote strategically. Establishment Democrats and Blue 🧢 MAGA keep the duopoly alive. We have to build toward something better.
This isn’t optional.
ORGANIZE
Volunteer with local organizations. ACLU, mutual aid networks, community groups—find your people.
How to start: Pick an issue you care about most. Find a local org. Email or call to offer your time: “I have 4 hours a week. What do you need?”
Organize or join a union.
Build coalitions. Connect environmental, racial justice, labor, and faith groups. Share goals to multiply your impact.
How to start: Host a coffee meet; invite people from different groups to come together and align on shared goals.
Host community discussions. Bring people together to talk across divides.
Start a study group. Read and analyze together. Build shared understanding.
How to start: Pick a book or topic on racial justice, history, organizing, or democracy. Keep yourself educated and informed.
SPEAK TRUTH & EDUCATE
Write everywhere. Substack, Facebook, Instagram, local newspaper op-eds, local officials. Fill every space possible with truth and reality. Overwhelm your community and the world with it.
Create art for the movement. Do you have a special talent? Are you an artist? You can create murals, posters, hats, signs, shirts, etc., for the movement. Make your message visible.
Talk honestly with strangers. Ask how they’re surviving in this economy. Ask how they’re handling fascism while under the rule of a pedophile. Break the silence. Plant seeds.
How to start: Next time you’re in line running errands, ask the person next to you: “How are things really going for you lately?”
Practice media literacy. Fact-check before sharing. Always call out misinformation and disinformation.
Teach. If you’re knowledgeable on a certain topic, help people understand how it works and how they can get involved.
SUSTAIN THE MOVEMENT
Grow food and support community gardens. As our economy steadily declines, we have to build local resilience. Learn to feed and support each other.
How to start: Start a garden, or volunteer at a local community garden.
Start or join a mutual aid network. Meet people’s needs directly, and build trust in your community through action.
How to start: Create a neighborhood WhatsApp group for “Free Food/Clothes/Help.” Post what you have and what you need. Bartering and trading are going to become more common.
Support independent journalism. Subscribe to quality journalism. Truthful reporting is a lifeline—we can’t fight what we don’t understand. Keep yourself informed and armed with knowledge and truth.
Donate strategically. Fund orgs fighting for voting rights and defending civil liberties. Steer clear of the DNC, Act Blue, and orgs that are discreetly funding genocide and bolstering white supremacy.
Use your spending power. Boycott persons and corporations undermining our democracy. Support ethical alternatives.
🪧 A national strike would bring billionaires to their knees.
LEAD
Run for office. School board, city council, state legislature—people are desperate for truth and authentic representation.
How to start: You don’t need to be a politician. You need to be a real human being. Check orgs like runforsomething.net for support!
What are your strengths? Apply them immediately!
How to start: Are you good at math? Audit a budget. Good at talking? Organize a local meeting or rally. Organize a group of parents in and around your school who are willing to protect and keep each other posted on potential ICE activity. Good at cooking? Feed the needy; feed volunteers. Your place in this is essential, no matter what it is. No act is too small, but you absolutely have to do something NOW.
Natasha - Well researched. These are excellent recommendations and ideas that WE THE PEOPLE may not have considered as alternative ways to help save our democracy. BTW - YOU should "run for something." Girl, you've got a lot to say. Seriously. 💙