Democracy is not a spectator sport. Whether you want to exercise your right to vote, join a protest, call your elected officials, run for office, or keep tabs on the week’s hottest issues and protests, The Contrarian has you covered.
Here are our top suggestions for getting involved in the days ahead. These are heated times; we encourage non-violent and lawful activism.
Keep Up the ICE Funding Fight
The Department of Homeland Security remains shut down because of the budget battle over reforming ICE, its brutal detention camps, and the machinery of mass deportation. Keep contacting your senators and representatives to demand reforms that have broad public support. (Indivisible offers talking points.)
Demand ICE Camp Oversight
Ask your members of Congress to conduct oversight visits of ICE detention camps in their districts and publicize their findings — or raise hell if they’re denied access. Hold a vigil or a protest outside a detention facility near you. Work locally to block the sale or permitting of warehouses intended for new ICE camps. Freedom for Immigrants offers resources for people who want to help abolish migrant detention.
Demand Epstein Accountability
Pressure your representatives to reveal the full rot of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking network and hold criminals accountable. Turn up the heat on companies and universities to dismiss Epstein cronies. Call for the ouster of Commerce Secretary and Epstein associate Howard Lutnick and obstructionist Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Protect Voting Rights
The GOP’s SAVE Act — which would create new hurdles to the ballot box — has passed the House and must be opposed in the Senate. Remind your local and state election authorities that the federal government has no right to state voter rolls.
Cast Your Ballot
The first primary elections of 2026 are coming up on March 3 with contests in Arkansas, North Carolina, and Texas. (North Carolina voter registration remains open during early voting, which runs through Feb. 28.) Look up your state’s upcoming primary date here. Check voter registration deadlines here.
Learn About AI’s Threat to Democracy
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) will discuss the future of AI and the battle between the people and tech oligarchs at a livestreamed Feb. 20 town hall at Stanford University. (An October report by Sanders found AI threatens as many as 100 million jobs and offers proposals like a “robot tax” to guarantee all Americans benefit from advancing technology.)
Sit Out Trump’s State of the Union
Don’t hold yourself hostage to Donald Trump’s State of the Union ramble on Feb. 24. Instead, join The Contrarian’s Katie Phang – virtually or in person – at the National Mall for the People’s State of the Union (which we will be reporting live on our socials) or watch Contrarian Co-Founder Norm Eisen at the Drain the Swamp counter event. Alternatively, gather with friends to plot ways to strengthen democracy — or protect neighbors in peril.
Help Targeted Community Members
When ICE agents are out in force, many immigrants and citizens of color alike are afraid to leave their homes. Some ways to show solidarity:
Distribute know-your-rights cards.
Learn the SALUTE method for documenting the presence of federal agents.
Hand out whistles to blow if deportation agents are spotted in your neighborhood. (You can connect with activists distributing free, 3D-printed whistles here.)
Print out zines (in English and Spanish) with advice for reporting ICE activity.
Create teams to monitor neighborhoods near schools and bus routes for federal agents.
Organize school carpools or grocery runs for vulnerable families.
Record federal agents (from a safe distance) and distribute evidence of abuses. Watch an ACLU-led “Eyes on ICE” training here.
Contact the House Judiciary Committee’s whistleblower tip line to report illegal activities by a federal agency or agent.
Consumers can also pressure the companies that empower ICE. Resist and Unsubscribe offers a one-stop resource for moving your money.
Mark Your Calendars
The next No Kings protest is on March 28. Find a protest planned near you.
Years ago a bad apartment owner refusing to maintain his property for the renters, lost the law suit and was forced to live in one of his apartments for 1 month. Wonder if that might apply to the detention centers that Kristi is so fond of, she could take her blanket and stay in a center for 1 month
It's past time Democratic Governor's across America put their National Guard troops on notice that they may be called up in November to protect citizens voting rights from encroachment by the Federal Government via ICE or other forms of Federal police.
The Second Amendment clearly gives each State the authority to use its "armed militia" to protect its citizens from tyranny.
Let the Trump administration know we will do this if pushed.