My high-impact, low-stress, high-joy plan to help elect Kamala Harris
Adapt this plan to your energy level and budget, no matter where you live
I’m back from my summer Substack/social media break! It’s been a while since we last spoke… did anything happen while I was away?
Oh, you know, the universe tilted toward joy in a matter of days, but otherwise, not much.
I KID! I haven’t been very visible online for the last several weeks, but I’ve been totally plugged into the shift in energy — perhaps even more than usual as I wasn’t battling as many Internet distractions.
The Presidential election, which in July felt like lugging a sack of boulders to the top of Mt. Doom, now feels like a fistful of sparklers. There’s an electricity in the air — a blast of effervescent joy, like pure oxygen. The memes, the Dad jokes, the music remixes, the laughter!
Wait! I know this feeling! It’s hope!
I never imagined a vibe shift of this magnitude was possible!
That said, I’m under no illusion we’ll float on a cloud of euphoria all the way to the White House. Vibes don’t win elections, and this one’s gonna be a brawl. But joy is powerful fuel, my friends. I’m putting mine to use to help Kamala get elected.
But! In a different way than I have in past years. The previous two election cycles took a significant toll on my mental and physical health. I refuse to go to that dark place again.
This year, I’ve come up with an election action plan that prioritizes impact while safeguarding my energy and bolstering my sense of connection and joy. If you, too, want to get involved but don’t want to get buried, I hope this plan will save you time, energy and brain cells.
My Low-Stress, High-Impact, High-Joy 2024 Action Plan to Help Kamala Harris Get Elected
Choose one step or all; adjust to suit your budget and energy level. This plan focuses on donations, but even small donations are meaningful.
Whatever you decide, take action as soon as possible. Early money goes farther than late money. These orgs and campaigns need immediate support, and the Harris/Walz campaign has to make up ground given the accelerated timeframe.
Onto the plan:
1. I donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.
Easy. Feels good.
Donate at KamalaHarris.com.
2. I donated to Democratic candidates running for state legislature in a swing state.
Here’s the rationale: Most issues we care about are controlled by state legislatures. The states make their own laws about reproductive rights, gun safety, LGBTQ rights and more, and they also control their own election machinery.
Because of how the Electoral College works, voters in swing states (also known as “battleground states”) will almost certainly decide who wins the Presidency. Therefore, getting out the vote in these states helps Kamala and federal candidates as well.
Plus, your state campaign donation goes further than federal campaign donations because state campaigns are more targeted and don’t require national advertising.
I chose Arizona. I lived there as a kid and spent life-changing vacations in the Grand Canyon as a teen. If the candidates I’m supporting win their elections, they’ll flip the Arizona legislature!
If you don’t want to research individual races, you can make a single donation to the Sister District Project, which will divide it among strategic state legislative races in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.
Donate to the Sister District Project
Another way to support swing state candidates with a single donation is through the organization Swing Left. Their strategic funds distribute your donation among important campaigns in each state, including Kamala’s.
Donate to Swing Left Arizona (direct donation link)
Donate to Swing Left Georgia (direct donation link)
Donate to Swing Left Michigan (direct donation link)
Donate to Swing Left Nevada (direct donation link)
Donate to Swing Left North Carolina (direct donation link)
Donate to Swing Left Pennsylvania (direct donation link)
Donate to Swing Left Wisconsin (direct donation link)
3. I donated to the Movement Voter PAC to help fund on-the-ground organizing in swing states and districts.
The most effective get-out-the-vote operations are local. Local volunteers know their neighborhoods and how best to connect with voters. One of my savviest activist friends recommended Movement Voter PAC as a trusted and powerful way to support these efforts from out of state.
Donate to Movement Voter PAC
4. I chose a hyper-local candidate to talk up to my friends and neighbors.
This is the highest-impact step in the plan.
I’m spending my in-person time in my sphere of influence supporting a local candidate. For me, it’s a Portland City Council candidate (Nat West), but for YOU, it would be a candidate running for your city-, county- or state government.
Here’s what so great about focusing on a local candidate. Nat’s a friend I *truly* believe in, so I can speak from the heart without feeling like I’m twisting anyone’s arm. It’s a win across the board, joy-wise, because I get to talk to my neighbors about a choice that directly affects us, I get to help them make an informed voting decision, I get to support a friend’s campaign (he really cares about this), AND I feel more connected to our democratic system overall.
Familiarize yourself with candidates in your local and state elections. These are the races that will affect your life the most. You don’t have to become an expert, just choose someone you believe in and get behind them. Display a lawn sign, talk about them to your friends, and donate if you can.
5. I’m buying cute campaign-themed tee shirts and wearing them all over town.
Conversation starters! Fashion fun! I’m supporting two independent makers who are also my friends! With a bonus donation to Kamala!
Beyonce-inspired tee designed by for her newly-launched company, June Lee. 100% of the profits from the sale of this shirt go toward the Harris/Walz Victory Fund.
Comma-la tee by , editor of the unmissable daily news digest
FINALLY, I’m unsubscribing from all campaign-related email and texts, skipping most political opinion and news, and steering clear of fraught, cynical and/or us-vs.-them conversations about the election. I’m staying informed without allowing myself to get overwhelmed.
I hope this gives you a few ideas for how to get involved, even if it’s just a small donation or helping one friend vote. This election is too important to watch from the sidelines.
If you have a friend who needs a ready-made action plan, feel free to forward this post.
Questions? Observations? Ideas? Links to more cute tee-shirts?
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Notes of note
Some notes contain affiliate links. Here’s my affiliate policy.
- tapped into the hope and joy in the upwelling of affection for Tim Walz.
I can’t help but marvel at the confluence of a renewed election, the Olympics, a particularly golden summer in the Pacific Northwest, and the waning days of my daughter’s time at home (she begins her senior year of college next week).
captured how this moment looks and feels in her family.“Save democracy. Join a (running) club.” So says
in a wonderful post inspired by his seeing the documentary film Join or Die, about one of my heroes, Robert Putnam. If you have a chance to see this movie, grab it. You’ll walk away inspired.Putnam famously connected the erosion of American communal groups to the erosion of democracy in his book, Bowling Alone (details at Amazon or Bookshop.org).
Read this fantastic interview with Putnam in the New York Times (gift link). You’ll see why he’s my hero.
From the archives: My election year promises
Asha, this action plan is just what I need to “Do Something.” Your ideas are well thought out and totally doable. I was also wanting to avoid the emotional and physical toll I experience during the past two election cycles. Thank you.
Love this, and sharing this far and wide. Also, as far as local elections, GO COLIN ALLRED, BEAT TED CRUZ. Ahem. (Thanks, as always, for your wise words, friend.)