Ellen,

Some nights you really feel the wave building. Last night I was in New York for an Indivisible and We Stand United event preparing for No Kings and election defense. You may have seen some of the viral moments -- Robert De Niro leading the crowd in several chants of “Hands off our f***ing vote” (nobody curses like De Niro) or Mark Ruffalo’s heartfelt defense of immigrants.  

The best way to take down a would-be king is democratically. For my little speech, I focused on what we've learned from pro-democracy movements abroad, and what that means for No Kings and election sabotage. Six months ago, Viktor Orban, Hungary's authoritarian leader of 16 years, was swept out by a wave election built by a national grassroots movement focused on the costs of corruption (sound familiar?). The turnout was so huge and the margin so big that Orban couldn't sabotage it, and the pro-democracy movement won a two-thirds supermajority -- enough power to usher in an era of accountability and reform.

Trump has made it no secret that he wants to rig these midterms. Our answer is the one Hungarians gave: show up in numbers that are -- as LaTosha Brown with Black Voters Matter put it in her speech -- too big to rig. No Kings is how we prevent election sabotage here, and how we build a mandate for what comes next.

If you want a deep dive on how Orban fell and what the first 100 days after Orban have wrought, I’d recommend a brand new report by DHUB: Breaking the Spell: 100 Days After Hungary’s Parliamentary Election. Just last week, two of Orban's corrupt ministers were arrested. There are more to come. That's what democracy with rule of law looks like.

Building beyond the wave. But it wasn’t just the speeches that gave me hope. After the event, I got a late dinner with Aru from Sunrise Movement, a climate justice org organizing youth around the country; Brianna and Brendan from Generation Vote, who are boosting youth turnout in battleground states; Natalia from Make the Road NY, a statewide org fighting for immigrant rights; and Julia from We Stand United, a group that organizes artists, actors, and musicians. 

There was plenty of talk of wave building, election defense planning, and the immediate aftermath of the election. But a lot of what we talked about is what comes next -- the push to make meaning of the win, the work to insist on real accountability, the campaign to get Democrats to use their newly won power to fight against ICE and AI data centers, and to present a bold vision for the post-Trump era.

The single best thing we can do to make that future bright is to make these next four weeks count. That's the Hungary lesson: a margin too big to steal, and a mandate too big to ignore. This week that means all of us doing our part to boost No Kings for October 17. We’ve got thousands of events already registered. We need more. If your group hasn't registered one, do it today. If you have, spend this week turning people out. 

The wave is building because we’re building it.

In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible

Your weekly to-dos

1. Host a No Kings event or find one near you NEXT SATURDAY, October 17 and join the millions of people committed to fighting Trump’s election subversion. Just last week, Trump said he hasn’t ruled out declaring a national emergency or invoking the Insurrection Act around the midterms. This corrupt regime may operate from a place of chaos, panic, and fearmongering, but we know that calm preparation and planning will keep us grounded in our communities and ready to take action. That’s why this No Kings Day, we’re not only sending a message to Trump -- we’re driving historic early vote turnout and getting our neighbors in election protection formation.
2. Missed the No Kings coalition’s Election Protection 101 training in September? You’re in luck! Catch the training again this Thursday, October 8 to learn how you can take action to defend the vote this fall, no matter where you live (8pm ET/5pm PT). Together, we’ll discuss local polling place election protection, how to spot potential voter suppression issues, and what to do when you see them.
3. Print and share our brand-new zine about what to do if you see ICE at the polls, illustrated by acclaimed comic book artist Greg Pak, with your neighbors and community. Sending ICE and federal agents to polling places is blatantly illegal, but that’s never stopped Trump before. Our new zine provides a pocket-sized guide on safety steps for voting, crucial First Amendment rights and protections, and what to do if you’re stopped by law enforcement. Here are some folding instructions so you can easily assemble the zines and distribute them at community orgs, little free libraries, democracy-minded local businesses, and more.
4. More than two weeks after Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez was shot by ICE while making a DoorDash delivery, the company has refused to speak up about ICE’s repeated violence against its drivers. Delete your app and account until DoorDash takes action. Last week, DoorDash apologized for supporting the GOP legislation that attacks DC home rule -- one of the three main demands of the Delete DoorDash campaign -- but they still have yet to speak out about Wilber’s treatment or ICE brutality against other drivers. We must continue to pressure DoorDash to stand up for their workers and against ICE cruelty.
5. Thursday, October 8, make calls to New Jerseyans to get out the vote for Zack Mullock (NJ-02) and Rebecca Bennett (NJ-07) (5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT). We have an opportunity to unseat two Trump loyalists in the Garden State, including Jeff Van Drew, the former Democrat who famously pledged his “undying support” to Trump and changed his party affiliation to Republican in 2019. We can flip these seats blue and take back the House, but only with your help. Paid for by Indivisible Action. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.
6. THE WEEK AHEAD: Next Wednesday, October 14 at 5:30pm ET/2:30pm PT, call Mainers in support of Troy Jackson (ME-Sen) and Matt Dunlap (ME-02). Early voting is already underway! Indivisibles were so fired up at our last phone bank for Troy Jackson that we’re adding another! This is our best chance yet to defeat Susan Collins, and while polls look good, we can’t take anything for granted. Paid for by Indivisible Action. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

P.S. With less than one month until Election Day, we’ve got a significant budget gap to make up in order to cover the costs of all the get out the vote work needed to win the House and Senate. Over the next 29 days, we’re training hundreds of phone bank volunteers, calling tens of thousands of voters who have the power to flip the House and Senate, and equipping Indivisibles in our 40 target races with the tools to talk with their neighbors about the importance of voting in the midterms. If you can, please chip in to help us get a running start in October and sustain our get out the vote work across the country.

 Upcoming events + Election shifts

These nationwide events, calls, training sessions, and electoral volunteer opportunities are coming up soon. For even more Indivisible happenings, check our national calendar and get in touch with Indivisible groups near you!