The Midterms are on November 6th.

We have mere weeks before the election, and the stakes are really fucking high. I am an optimistic person by nature, but the truth of the matter is that if the Democrats don’t win back the majority, we are well and truly fucked. You have to vote like your life depends on it, BECAUSE IT DOES. YOUR LIFE and the lives of those in your community are at stake. The lives of your LGBTQ friends, loved ones, and neighbors. The lives of women. The lives of black Americans. The lives of refugees. The lives of people with disabilities. The lives of the homeless and the poor.

And LITERALLY EVERYONE’S LIFE, as the dismantling of environmental laws will be the death of us all.

It is NOT hyperbole to say that the result of this midterm election will impact the civil rights, the health, the safety, and the liberties of EVERYONE AROUND YOU, and you must act. The horrors of the Trump Administration MUST be held in check.

November 6th. That’s the deadline. Commit all you can to the hard work it’s going to take to wrest back control of Congress. I know you’re tired. I am, too. I know you’re exhausted by the unending onslaught of horrors that the GOP has assailed us with. I am, too. I know that it is getting harder and harder to keep despair at bay.

In order to have a participatory democracy, you have to participate. There is SO MUCH that you can do to push back, to resist, and to make a change for the better. But you HAVE to act. You have to vote. You have to encourage others to vote. You have to invest your time, your voice, and your resources into actually working towards making this country a safe, sane, prosperous place for all of us.

But you have two weeks. Two weeks within which YOU can make a difference. YOU can stem the tide.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP THE BLUE WAVE MANIFEST:

Hey, extroverts! Sign up to phone bank for Democratic candidates!
Phonebank With Indivisible
Phonebank With Swingleft

Also for extroverts! Reach out to a local campaign and see if they need help canvassing, handing out literature, or making calls. You can also search for candidates who are in close races in vulnerable districts. Check out swingleft.org; it will help you find the nearest House district that could swing to the Democrats.

Extroverts! Go door to door!

Hey, introverts! Postcards to Voters is the answer for you! If you can commit to writing ten postcards a day, that’s one hundred and forty votes you might be securing for Dem candidates! If you can manage twenty postcards every day, that’s almost THREE-HUNDRED people you’re encouraging to hit the polls before November 6. If you can get your friends to help, that number increases exponentially. Even if you can’t meet that twenty postcard per day goal, every single postcard matters because every single vote matters.

Tools for working locally:
Resources for How to Take the House Back from the GOP
Find Your Local Indivisible Chapter
Swing Left

If you’ve got some cash to spare, donate it directly to blue candidates fighting for vulnerable seats, or donate it to PACs and organizations that will distribute the funds to boost blue candidates. Some options:
EMILY’s List
Senate Majority PAC
House Majority PAC
The Flippable Fund

Share information on voter ID and residency requirement laws in your state and help people make sure that their right to vote is enforced.
Voter Registration Rules by State
ACLU: Voting Rights
Rock the Vote: Knowing Your Voting Rights
Residency Requirements for Voting

FIGHT VOTER SUPPRESSION:
ACLU: Fighting Voter Suppression
Fighting Voter Suppression

MAKE SURE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE, and encourage everyone in your network to confirm their voter registration, too.

AND MOST IMPORTANT: VOTE. Vote, encourage others to vote. Overwhelm the polls.

We all have A LOT going on in our lives right now. I get it. I’m trying to run a business and raise a kid on top of all this, but it is now or never. You must find the strength, the will, and the courage to act. You have to keep fighting. I believe in you. I believe in us. I believe with all my heart that we can do this. We just need to do it TOGETHER, and do all we can to encourage others to put in the work, too.

It is hard work. It is an uphill climb. But you can DO this. Do it for your family, do it for your community, do it for your LGBTQ friends and family, do it for the marginalized racial, ethnic, and religious communities that are suffering under the depredations of the GOP.

WE CAN DO THIS.

RESISTANCE
I created this scent as a symbol of solidarity. It is an autumn scent, swirled with fall leaves, huddled against the cold winds of November.

We’re together in this fight. You’re not alone.

Bourbon vanilla and vintage champaca absolute with sweet patchouli, dried red fruits, leather accord, pumpkin rind, and a splash of bourbon.

We have been wrestling with how to disburse funds for this scent for over a week, and decided that the best impact we can make is by helping the ACLU fight voter suppression.