The “right now” work of elections, and the “all-the-time” work of movement-building

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Framing: Beyond the what-I-hope-is-obvious point that Trump is a fascist scumbag and we shouldn’t vote for him, there are people in my life genuinely struggling with what we *should* do this year, between the threat of Trump/Project 2025 on one side, and both parties’ ongoing support for the genocide in Gaza on the other. Here, I’m not giving anyone any answers, just offering a few thoughts, plus a bunch of links to people smarter than me grappling with that question.

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In 2020, I shared this poem about how I think about voting. The big takeaway is really just repeating what I’ve heard from organizers and activists my whole life: Change comes from mass movements, and voting is a small but meaningful piece of what must be a larger movement-building strategy. No candidate will give us the world we want, and both major parties are invested in capitalism and empire—but there are also meaningful differences between them, and those differences both impact people’s lives now and create organizing opportunities for the future. 

I stand by all of that… in the context of 2020. I’d be lying if I said that 2024 feels exactly the same. 

I think a central tension this year is that the following two points both make sense: 

  1. It is worth expending energy to crush the most proudly, actively xenophobic, white supremacist, misogynistic, climate crisis-denying, transphobic, anti-democratic elements in US society exemplified by the Republicans. It is worth taking this small action to deny Benjamin Netanyahu, Elon Musk, Chris Rufo, and the far right at home and abroad the outcome they want. We can’t get everything we need from the ballot box, but the things we can get are worth getting, and the things we can block are worth blocking—if only to open up more, rather than less, space to be able to take action beyond voting. And, also…
  1. The Biden administration’s response to the genocide in Gaza is unforgivable. They haven’t done enough to stop it, and have done far too much to facilitate it. Harris hasn’t signaled any meaningful change in that policy, and “Trump would be worse” rings hollow when children are dying right now. As I write this in October, it seems like Dem strategists are making the call that they can win without the pro-Palestine, anti-war left; whether they’re right or wrong, this is dangerous. There must be consequences for those who have supported these policies, and it makes sense to say, “change course or lose my vote,” and actually mean it.

The overton window shifts right when we’re always voting for garbage Dems in order to block GOP fascists. But the overton window *also* shifts right when the fascists win, amplifying their power to shape narrative, policy, and the conditions that impact our ability to resist. So the question can’t just be “who should I vote for?” It has to also be “how do we stop that shift?”

First, I just want to affirm for people caught up in this tension (especially young people engaged in their first election cycle, trying to navigate this terrible information ecosystem): you’re not stupid, or naive, or evil for aligning with either of those two points.

There is a tendency (especially online) to assume that one side or the other isn’t taking the genocide seriously, that it’s either “throw Gaza under the bus to go back to brunch” on the pro-Harris side, or “express your individual righteousness with no plan for next steps” on the anti-Harris side. But each position here is connected to a coherent theory of change with both strengths and weaknesses, and principled people can have tactical disagreements about what will actually work.

So what do we do with that?

Some try to thread the needle. Whether you’re Chappell Roan or the Uncommitted Movement, the basic idea I’d prefer that Harris win, but she hasn’t earned my endorsement or active participation in the campaign might make sense for some people. Others might be all-in for a third party candidate, whether delusional or clear-eyed about their inability to win. Others may dig into the details of how elections work in the US: vote for Harris if you live in a swing state, otherwise don’t.

These tactical maneuvers can feel so… small in the face of this US-funded genocide, and part of the takeaway here is that they are small, that voting will never be the one magic key to unlocking liberation. It’s a “right-now” action, and I think part of the frustration so many are feeling is that most right-now actions (the vote, the march, the post, the call to your reps, etc.) are not enough… at least not right away, not when they’re disconnected from the “all-the-time” work of long-term organizing and power-building. It’s not a very hot take, but I would argue that both matter.

I’m not here to tell anyone what to do; my hope is that the tension between those positions can be generative.

Because if you spend any time online, it is very easy to find the worst versions of people who hold these positions: the condescending vote-blue-no-matter-who liberal who assumes all leftist critique comes from Russian bots on one side, and the miserable internet radical who takes performatively maximalist rhetorical positions while being completely disconnected from any actual organizing on the other. But beyond those loudest, most annoying voices, there are also smart, principled, committed people (some of whom are personally impacted by the genocide) genuinely grappling with this moment. In the spirit of listening to organizers, here are a few perspectives:

Perspectives on the power—and limits—of voting

No one linked to here is the absolute authority or beyond critique. They also don’t all agree with each other. But they’re all worth reading. The bulk of the people here are also actively engaged in the work of building a better world, accountable to and in relationship with their communities (as opposed to anonymous social media engagement-farmers or influencers). That point matters, I think: so many of us are drowning in “content” right now, every random person’s opinion about everything—identifying a few activist guiding stars can be useful.

Leena, an organizer with the Palestinian Feminist Collective: I think as with any tactic, electoral politics is simply one tool among many. And we need all the tools at our disposal. And we have a duty, as Eman said, as people in the belly of the beast, to translate our demands into material change for people on the ground to no longer suffer… So much oxygen is sucked out of the room around electoral politics, and so much energy and resources get put into it as well. Yes, it’s a tool that we use. I’ve always understood that, but I no longer support us putting so much energy and resources into a tactic that hasn’t translated into real material change for our people, at least on the national level.

Eman Abdelhadi, author and organizer: I think we should keep on building our power… I think the electoral arena is one area, but I don’t think that that’s where most of our power has been built. To borrow Jane McAlevey’s words, I think we need to go from a strategy of mobilizing to organizing. I think we need to build strong communities and build power within our communities such that we see each other at protests, but we also see each other in a more sustained fashion, and we start to use that power to address the institutions that are within our sphere of influence. So organizing within our workplaces, organizing within our identity-based communities, organizing within our schools or universities, wherever is accessible to us.

Voices from the Uncommitted Movement (who do not all agree with one another):

  • Lexi Zeidan: It’s clear Netanyahu will be doing everything in his power to get Trump elected, and we have to do everything in our power to stop him.
  • Asma Mohammed: I will be voting for the first time in my life, third party at the top of the ticket [and voting for Democrats down ballot]. If people ask me, I think if you’re in a blue state, I think it’s really safe to say that you’re not going to impact the results of the race.
  • Waleed Shahid: Political parties are not teams: they are arenas of struggle. The Democratic and Republican Parties are often misunderstood as two distinct teams. It’s more accurate to see them as battlegrounds, where various factions continuously compete for influence and dominance. 
  • Ethan Eblaghie: Despite pursuing an extensive inside-outside strategy that has won over hundreds of thousands of Americans to our movement, over seven months, we have failed at all our strategic goals… Abdicating the best card in our hand – our collective tactical vote – means we no longer have any leverage. 
  • Abbas Alawieh: It’s important for us to have an eye toward not just the next week or two or the next month or two, even though that can be really hard for us to do through our pain, but to the question of how we build an antiwar movement in our country that gets more power than the pro-war side.

Abdullah Hammoud, mayor of Dearborn, MI: What’s more important than November 5 is the work I’m doing today. I’m trying to advocate for this carnage and this war to end, for this genocide to cease, for our US taxpayer dollars to stop funding this and supporting this. And I do know regardless of what happens on November 5, I’ll probably be on the phone organizing people on the ground, November 6 and beyond, to begin to hold that new administration accountable as well.

Angela Davis, movement elder, activist and writer: When we engage in electoral politics, it can’t be just because a particular individual is running for office. It is to enlarge the terrain of mass struggle, to guarantee a space for the trade union movement to win victories, for the women’s movement to win victories, for people of color to win victories, for working and poor people to win victories… But when you reach that level, you have to be the face of capitalism, militarism, and neo-colonialism. [Harris] has told us she will be that face, that she will build the most lethal military apparatus ever. As dangerous as that reality is, however, there’s more to think about: Harris is not a fascist, and the other person running for president is… there’s no question about who progressive people should vote for… It’s not just about electing Kamala Harris—it’s about opening space for those of us who are more radical than Kamala Harris to put the pressure for change, especially in the first place when it comes to the genocide in Palestine.

Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party: Our strategy is a block-and-build strategy: We need to block the authoritarians, and then we need to build movements outside of the Democratic Party in order to demand that these pieces of rhetoric turn into concrete action… Electoral politics is just one piece of the fight. That allows us to reset the balance of power and decide who we’re going to be organizing with, and also organizing against, in order to demonstrate over four years what we can win. And then we do it all over again. Elections aren’t the prize. Governing is the prize. And governing happens every single day.

Barbara Ransby, historian, professor, and activist: Defeating fascism at the polls is important not only because there are an array of issues that there’s a great divergence between the Democrats and Republicans on, but also in order to have the oxygen in order to continue the protests in solidarity with Palestine. If we have an authoritarian regime in power, we’re going to have very much difficulty doing that.

Hala Alyan, clinical psychologist, professor, and writer: Ultimately, nobody is owed constituents. Nobody is owed votes. They must be earned. It behooves candidates to listen to the people who probably helped elect them into power and might be needed to do it again… Politicians are not our friends or aunties. They are the people we choose to serve our communities, and I can’t think of anything that shows more regard for this country than believing in its capacity to do better. Accountability is the ultimate act of hope — one that should be extended to everyone.

Aurora Levins Morales, writer, artist, historian, teacher and mentor: We on the Left are not choosing a leader. We’re choosing an opponent… [Harris] is an opponent that radicals can both pressure and make limited alliances with. It’s fine to be enthusiastic, but we can’t let relief cloud our judgment, make us think less critically about her, or get in the way of continuing to organize and lead the real work of transforming our society.

Ruwa Romman, Georgia State Representative for House District 97: The reality is that more Democrats than ever before are voting against sending weapons to Israel. I don’t remember that ever happening in my life… Are these breadcrumbs? Yes. But if we are gaining momentum in a way that’s never happened before, on a policy that’s existed for 80 years, why would I give up on that? Why would I say it’s not worth it?”

Noura Erakat, writer and human rights attorney: Progressives voting Harris need to be public about it & include some sort of pledge to disrupt the system (resign en masse, go on strike…) if she doesnt deliver embargo,ceasefire in first 100 days. Secretly voting 4 “better organizing conditions” w/o an imperative is inadequate. Doing it to “avoid things get worse” pretends like its not already the worst for Palestinians enduring annihilation and for those of us racialized in the US as terrorists, who r enemies of the state, sleeper cells, etc enduring violence, doxxing, loss of employment, deportation. So if voting Harris is your position- own it loudly and connect it to your self imposed accountability. Make a pledge- dont vote and disappear, vote, take the front line, and sacrifice – make good on your theory of change.

Kelly Hayes, writer and organizer: Until we have built a hell of a lot more power, our work will be countercultural. If we want that countercultural work to grow into something transformative, we have to do more than reject the status quo. Most people don’t want to do the work that this moment requires of us. The thought work, the imaginative work, and the profoundly unsexy work of navigating difference and operationalizing our political visions – none of this stuff offers the kind of instant gratification we can get from telling people off on the internet. But asserting our righteousness will not change the world. This week, I urge you to think about what you can do to help make your political visions material. Who can you learn with, build with, and take action with? What ongoing work can you support? Does the structure or container you want to be a part of exist? If not, what would it take to make it real?

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, Executive Director at the Highlander Research and Education Center: Our work isn’t particularly different tomorrow. If you’re going to vote, vote for Harris. If you’re not going to vote for Harris, vote down ballot. If you’re not going to vote at all, have a plan to keep as many of us safe and supported in case Trump wins. And all of us, every single one of us, need to be doing the multitactical work of politically educating our folks, organizing bases, putting pressure on electeds & candidates to win our demands via direct action, getting prepared to defend the election if Harris wins & to be ungovernable & in defense of our people if she loses.

Hammer & Hope, Fall 2024: Even if the worst outcome of an all-out takeover by the far right is avoided in the weeks and months ahead, the left can hardly begin to claim victory. To have any hope of actually creating change on a scale that meets the crises that define our time, we need to organize everywhere, building power person by person, day after day in our workplaces, schools, faith centers, neighborhoods, rural communities, local governments, and more.

NDN Collective’s “Vote Like a Radical” statement/video: It means acknowledging that politicians will never create or facilitate the change the world needs– the People will. We know that to facilitate this change, it is easier to mobilize with one party over the other but that our resistance does not begin or end at the ballot box.

A final thought on recommitment

I hope all those quotes and links are useful. They’re not going to satisfy everyone on all sides of this question, because there isn’t going to be a perfect, satisfactory answer. The clearest thread in the collection, to me, is that it is important to recommit to the all-the-time work, to pivot our attention and energy toward justice and liberation, no matter what happens with this election.

Imagine a world in which election season is about using the heightened attention on politics not to yell at people on the internet, but to *invite* them to commit, or recommit, to the work. What might a recommitment look like? It’ll be different based on who we are, where we are, and what spaces and resources we have access to. A few links and resources:

For activists and aspiring activists:

For artists, performers, and educators:

I wrote a much longer version of this piece, exploring the ins-and-outs of different arguments and counter-arguments, but I think what’s here is the valuable stuff: let’s listen to organizers about the right-now question of electoral strategy, commit to the all-the-time work no matter what happens on November 5, and put our energy and attention where it will be most effective. If you want Harris to win, get involved and vote. If you believe in a different way forward, get involved in other ways. Or both!

Three final shout-outs: pre-election, Beyond the Ballot: The Left in a Time of Polycrisis is coming up 10/19/24 in NYC. If there’s a recording, I’ll post it here once it’s up (EDIT: see below). Post-election, two events:

A diagram of four quadrants: the X axis goes from "outside" to "inside" and the y axis goes from "mobilizing" to "demobilizing." Text in RE: “Let’s build specific ways to invite people into the everyday work of shaping the future that we want to live in. Maybe those people start with electoral politics; that’s fine—we can open up more doors from there.” Text in LE: “I think keeping the extreme right out of power is important so I am going to focus my GOTV energy not on scolding strangers online but on volunteering for a campaign and/or finding ways to support close races.” Text in MR: “Oh how cute that you think voting matters, or that we haven’t *always* been a fascist country. Too little, too late; nothing can or will ever get better. Also, everyone does everything wrong except me.” Text in ML: “Vote, you stupid piece of garbage!”