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.
Seize the Midterm Moment
The stakes of these midterm elections could not be higher. If Republicans lose the House, Donald Trump’s legislative agenda stops cold, and real investigations begin. If Democrats capture the Senate, Trump’s mission to pack courts with MAGA extremists ends, and Democrats could start moving popular legislation through Congress, daring Trump to veto, for example, restoring funding for Obamacare, Medicaid, and Head Start.
Watch this Contrarian explainer about why your vote matters these midterms:
Cast Your Ballot Early
The “November” election actually kicks off this week in several states. In-person early voting begins on September 18 in Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, and on September 21 in Mississippi and Vermont.
If you’re a mail-in voter you can relax: Trump’s attempt to monkey-wrench vote-by-mail by weaponizing the U.S. Postal Service has been blocked by the Supreme Court. Look for the arrival of absentee ballots in states including New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
Check out ElectionInnovation.org for a state-by-state breakdown of how to cast your ballot early. Vote.org also offers an early-voting calendar. Check your voting details at Vote411.org and make a plan to cast your ballot.
Prep for No Kings 4
The No Kings coalition is getting its gang of millions back together on October 17 to promote early balloting, where available, and promote voting plans everywhere else. The idea is to help make the 2026 midterm election “too big to rig” by banking huge numbers of early votes — allowing November get-out-the-vote campaigns to be more targeted and effective. Watch Indivisible cofounder Ezra Levin’s Contrarian interview on No Kings 4, outlining how to channel people power to the polls this fall.
Join ‘Hands Around the Kennedy Center’
Trump’s crusade to transform the Kennedy Center into another vanity project has escalated. On Tuesday, Trump-appointed board members defied court orders and voted to “temporarily” close the cultural institution, citing supposed structural dangers. And Trump is vowing to withhold appropriated funding for the center until his naming demands are met. He has even threatened to tear down the center, and was recently photographed reviewing what appear to be Kennedy Center demolition plans on Air Force One.
Local advocates are organizing a Hands Around the Kennedy Center event on Friday, September 18, to celebrate the institution and demand its preservation. Stay tuned to The Contrarian for live coverage of the event.
Grade Your Congress Members on Anti-Corruption
Democracy Defenders Action — a sister organization to The Contrarian — has developed a scorecard for members of Congress, indexing their votes on how effective they are at preserving the public trust. The “Stop Corruption Now Scorecard” seeks to celebrate elected officials for taking action to “advance anti-corruption reforms” as well as to “highlight which members of Congress are turning a blind eye.” Look up your members here.
Celebrate Constitution Week
Join us in observing Constitution Day and Citizenship Day on September 17. Citizenship Day celebrates individuals naturalized as U.S. citizens, and Constitution Day kicks off Constitution Week — a federal commemoration of the 1787 ratification of the Constitution that encourages Americans to learn about their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Use this week to brush up on the Bill of Rights, check out the Contrarian’s America 250 reading list, or attend a naturalization ceremony in your area to celebrate your new fellow Americans.
Help Voters Get IDs
Many states now require voter ID at the ballot box — creating a barrier for eligible voters who, for any number of reasons, may not have a government-issued photo identification. Vote Riders offers free support to Americans who need help collecting necessary documents, making appointments, and paying the fees to get an official ID. The group is signing up volunteers to help with this vital work. Find out more here.
Door Knock (or Dial) for Democracy
Swing Left is recruiting canvassers to knock on doors to boost turnout in the midterms. This weekend, Swing Left activists are aiming to knock on 5,000 doors across more than 70 communities. Click here to find, or organize, a canvass for swing races near you.
If going door-to-door isn’t your speed, Swing Left also has a phone-bank campaign to support the group’s target House, Senate, and state-level races. Likewise, Indivisible has phone bank events to boost candidates in 40 target races — 31 in the House and nine in the Senate. Never phone banked before? Not to worry! Each event has in-depth training, with Indivisible staff on call to answer questions.
Banish AI from Campaign Ads
Remember that AI-generated attack ad falsely depicting Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) having an “affair” with liberal “squad” members Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)? AI-generated campaign ads are on the rise (see MAGA Texas senate candidate Ken Paxton’s latest anti-James Talarico creation here) and often wildly misrepresent candidates and their positions.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) have introduced a bill to stop this weaponization of AI slop. The AI Ads Act would “prohibit fraudulent misrepresentation of political candidates or committees through content generated by artificial intelligence.” The bill would also prohibit using AI-generated content to solicit funds. If truth is important to you, contact your representatives to support this legislation. Meanwhile, you can educate yourself on how to spot AI-generated ads.
Preserve the ‘Roadless Rule’
The Trump administration is attempting — again — to open pristine stands of federal forest to logging and development roads. The Department of Agriculture recently announced it is attempting to rescind a landmark 2001 “Roadless Rule” that protects nearly 45 million acres of national forest from resource exploitation.
The administration is dressing up this giveaway to logging and mining companies as a way to reduce wildfire risk. However, according to the Center for Western Priorities, the move would actually “degrade drinking water, fragment wildlife habitat, and increase the Forest Service’s $10 billion road maintenance backlog.” You can comment on the proposed regulation through September 21.
Oppose Exorbitant Visa Fees
The Trump administration is again attempting to turn visas for high-skilled workers into a racket, proposing to charge $100,000 for each H1-B visa applicant. A federal judge previously struck down a Trump executive order imposing a similar exorbitant charge as an illegal tax. But Trump is now seeking to enact this fee through a regulation. The public can comment on the proposed rule — which would affect the availability of skilled workers in fields from healthcare and advanced research to programming and tech. Speak out through September 24.
Click here to find The Contrarian’s standing resources for empowering yourself in American civic life — from contacting your elected officials, to ensuring your right to vote, to supporting public-interest journalism.
In support of No Kings day and the upcoming elections, I like this quote from Alito and Thomas in their dissenting opinion in Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc. in 2020:
"under the Constitution, sovereignty lies with the people, not a king."
I also like this from Abraham Lincoln in 1859 (the year before he ran for president and two years after the abominable SCOTUS decision and opinions in Dred Scott in 1857), when the nation was saddled with a corrupt POTUS, SCOTUS and Congress:
"The people—the people—are the rightful masters of both Congresses, and courts—not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert that constitution."
Got my mail in ballot, completed it and dropped it in my local drop box! I’ve voted in the 2026 election. It felt good.