Actions you can take

Ways to support voting rights and protect elections

Join Indivisible Do Something Alexandria to get voters informed and to the polls for and before Election Day on Nov. 3.

• Party at the Polls! Starting Oct. 18, early voting expands to weekends, and you can cheer on early voters as part of this national movement to celebrate our freedom to vote. To join the joyful scene, sign up here for the Old Town polling place, or sign up here for Beatley Library.
• The Va. Constitution is on the ballot: let voters know about 3 proposed amendments before they vote. To spread the word Saturdays, 9-11 a.m., Old Town Farmers Market, sign up here; Sunday, Oct. 25, West End Farmers Market, sign up here. We'll provide you the info and handouts so you can inform community members.
• Get out the vote with commuters Mondays and Thursdays: Sign up here for the King Street Metro Station, Monday, Oct. 26, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Sign up here for the Braddock Metro Station, Thursdays, 5-6 p.m.

Train to be a poll greeter, Thursday, Oct. 15 and 29, 6:30-8 p.m. ET, virtual. Indivisible NOVA West hosts a training led by an election officer with 10 years’ experience who will walk you through the basics, including potential scenarios and voter questions. Sign up here.

Train to be a poll observer, Monday, Oct. 12 and Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m., virtual. Fairfax County Democrats hold two sessions to teach all you need to know to protect the vote as a poll observer for early voting and Election Day. Sign up here for Oct. 12; sign up here for Oct. 27.

Write with Postcards from Alexandria, Fridays, noon-1:30, at St. Elmo’s (1536 Kenwood Ave.) and Wednesdays, noon-1:30 at Eclairons (430 S. Washington St.). Encourage Virginians to vote for Elaine Luria, Joy Powers and Shannon Taylor for the House of Representatives. For more: info@postcardsfromalx.com

Help cure ballots in Virginia, fill out a form to be part of the voter protection team with the Coordinated Campaign of Virginia. Volunteers act as poll observers, voter protection hotline staff members and ballot curers. Sign up here.

Election protection opportunities:

• Know your federal voting rights, Wednesday, Oct. 14 and Thursday, Oct. 29, 8-9 p.m. ET, virtual. NoKings.org helps you prepare for the elections by reviewing how to fight disinformation and understand what voter intimidation looks like in your community. Sign up here.
• Hands Off Our Vote. Sign up here for Indivisible National's efforts to get out the vote, strengthen poll watching and more. Trainings were held earlier this year; see materials from Election Protection 101 and Election Protection 201.
• Knock doors in VA-01 and help flip the House, weekend days starting Oct. 18, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., buses leaving from D.C.'s Union Station. Join Swing Left's Ground Truth deep-listening canvassing program to build trust to persuade voters to support Shannon Taylor. Sign up here. (Read about Ground Truth here.)

Ways to support civil liberties

• Protest the National Guard in D.C., Wednesday, Oct. 14, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Prettyman Federal Court House, 333 Constitution Ave. NW. Last year, a U.S. district judge found the deployment of troops in D.C. illegal. The decision was appealed, and Free D.C. asks people to attend the rally then pack the courthouse. Sign up here.
• Urge newsrooms to stand up for democracy. Columnist and former NY Times ombudsman Margaret Sullivan is among respected journalists urging news outlets to lay out the stakes clearly in their election coverage. Sign the open letter that the Media and Democracy Project is directing to media executives, editors and reporters.

Ways to support immigrant communities

• Join New Virginia Majority Solidarity to learn skills to stand with immigrant neighbors. Actions include ICE Watch trainings, political education and mutual aid. Sign up here.
• Distribute food to homes, Tuesdays in Northern Virginia with Food Justice DMV. Vetting is required, orientation provided. Also needed: goods including beans, rice, diapers, and formula (from neighbors and friends), which can be dropped off at a local collection center. Sign up here.