BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: WE’RE GIVING YOU YOUR MARCHING ORDERS FOR THE MIDTERMS
The beating heart of DEFIANCE.org is our Weekly Mission Briefing. Every Wednesday at 5p ET, we take real action to counter Donald Trump’s abuses of power.
Winning in November is key to giving the defiance some real teeth in Congress and statehouses. But Trump is doing everything in his power to mess with the midterm elections.
So here’s what we did about it this week…
FIRST, we brought in Ofirah Yheskel of the Democratic Governors Association and Lauren Groh-Wargo, CEO of Fair Fight Action, to break down where the fight for free and fair elections stands right now. There are 36 governor’s races this November, split evenly between the parties, and Democrats currently trail Republicans 24–26 in governorships nationwide — meaning these races could be one of the last real guardrails against Trump. We also dug into how the Supreme Court’s Callais decision gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, making it far harder to challenge discriminatory maps, and how Georgia Republicans backed off a redistricting push after nearly 500 people showed up in opposition at the Capitol.
SECOND, we spotlighted Rivera Sun and the team at Freedom Trainers, who built the People’s Election Playbook — a six-step plan anyone can put into action right now:
Activate the Vote — Recruit at least 3 people to adopt this list.
Check Your Registration — Check your voter registration status often and encourage friends to do the same.
Vote Early, Together — Vote with at least 3 other people, and early if you can.
Election Day as Civic Holiday — Take the day off and help others vote.
Count Every Vote — Sign up for ballot curing to help votes count.
Economic Noncooperation — No work. No school. No shopping.
THIRD, we put those six steps into a checklist you can use with your own circle — your Midterms Marching Orders.
YOU MADE THIS POSSIBLE.
YOUR MISSION, IF YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT
As a DEFIANCE.org Member, you’re already refusing to let democracy die on our watch. But if you want to do even more this week, here’s what you can do…
1️⃣ Get your Midterms Marching Orders.
Download your checklist and commit to the six steps.
👉 Print your checklist here
2️⃣ Recruit 3 Friends.
Ask 3 friends to take action with you — and hold each other accountable all the way through Election Day.
👉 Send them this link
👇 Badge below
🖥️ IF YOU MISSED IT
You can watch the full Weekly Mission Briefing at the top!
As always — stay loud, stay brave, and stay together.
Best,
The DEFIANCE.org Team
THIS WEEK ON THE ANT HILL
THURS, AUG 20 — SHOW US YOUR ANT-ITUDE! — We wanna see your swag, your original artwork, your unique ways of shouting out your defiance to the world in creative ways. Send your pics to our editor here.
FRI, AUG 21 — THE DEFIANCE BOOK CLUB — We are super psyched to launch the DEFIANCE Book Club this month! Our first selection: Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum. Visit your library or favorite bookstore and pick up a copy today. More details every Friday!
GROW THE DEFIANCE
DEFIANCE Members are absolutely crushing it, spreading the word about our club for the courageous to their friends. There is strength in numbers, and that’s exactly what defiance requires. Here’s how you can help build our numbers—and get a shoutout on the Daily with Miles and Xander:
Use the buttons provided to share your personal referral link on X, Facebook, or email. Or, copy the link (circled in the example below) to share it via text or other social platforms.
