One unifying national event in September was the outpouring of collective grief at the passing of Dolly Parton. Read What Dolly Can Teach Us About Trust, by Julie Sweetland, “through six decades of public life, she showed us how to follow a moral compass, connect where others couldn’t, and talk about tough realities in ways that sparked empathy and action.” From our partners at For Freedoms, if you’re based in LA, you won’t want to miss the upcoming immersive event AMERICA(!) THE BEAUTIFUL(?) taking place on Saturday, October 3; a night of “jazz, soul, hip-hop, and poetry combined for an eye-opening exploration of belonging, freedom, and civic life.”
Many democracy actors are zeroing in on the up-coming midterms, and we continue to reflect on and plan for the potential of election interference. For example, you can read States prep for ICE agents to be at polls, just in case; and National Security Leaders for America Call on State Attorneys General to Prepare to Block Armed Federal Interference in the 2026 Elections. “States should be prepared to seek emergency injunctive relief before military forces or massed federal law enforcement deployments can intimidate voters or interfere with state-run elections.”
But Tyler Hagenbuch asks, Does Talking About Threats to Democracy Actually Get People to Vote? “My conclusion, for now, is that we lean into joy, determination, and collective power. Don’t pretend the attacks aren’t happening but zoom out from each one…What I can do is help you understand the attacks in a way that makes you feel like part of a movement that’s bigger than any of them. That’s how we get more people to the polls.” And Eileen Flanagan shares How to combat fear at the polls this November, “As we approach a midterm election shadowed by threats of violence, there are freely available trainings for people who want to protect the vote.” In that vein, you can register for these upcoming elections-focused trainings from Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence here.
Check out the newly updated Hold the Line Guide. “Whether you are a political newcomer, an experienced community advocate, or anywhere in between, Hold the Line can help you and members of your community take action to ensure a successful election in 2026, and beyond.” Also, Democracy Forward launched their Dinners for Democracy Toolkit, “event[s] where people gather together to share drinks or food, talk about issues that matter to them, and take action.”
Other helpful resources shared this month: the ACLU and AFL CIO released a new report showing how mass deportations are worsening the affordability crisis for everyone – driving down wages and killing jobs. And Just Security disseminated the Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability as part of their anti-corruption series: When the Guardrails Erode.
And finally, from Horizons, don’t miss reading the Story of NEAD, by Chief Network Weaver Julia Roig and James Savage from the Fund for Global Human Rights. This article describes how narrative engagement across difference (NEAD) is key to building collective power, and shares the newly launched NEAD resources: (1) an animated video and accompanying guide on thinking narratively; (2) a Narrative Landscape Mapping tool and accompanying podcast overview; and a compendium of strategic tensions and provocations for counter narrative strategies. You can hear Chief Organizer Maria J. Stephan together with other partners on the webinar recording of How Faith Leaders Can Protect our Sacred Democracy. And read about Senior Organizer Andrew Regalado’s experience with other Gen Z leaders from around the world at the recent Nobel Peace Conference: A Collective Effort for Democracy.
Lastly, experienced trainers and facilitators who are interested in learning more about pillars of support and encouraging shifts away from authoritarian systems are invited to apply to this upcoming training of trainers here.
Here are some additional resources we’re reading, watching and listening to in September.
READING
Countering Disinformation: Strategies for 2026 and Beyond
Dewey Square Group & the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas
“In recent years, a growing number of organizations have moved from studying inoculation to deploying prebunking campaigns in practice, including large-scale efforts around elections and on social media. A growing body of evidence shows that well-designed inoculation interventions can meaningfully improve resilience in the face of misinformation. This document serves as a practitioner’s guide on how to conduct large-scale disinformation countermeasure strategies. It offers actionable guidelines for crafting inoculation messages, details the necessity of long-term planning, and outlines proven methods to deploy ongoing ‘booster shots’ over time.”
The Civic Right: Lessons Learned Leading up to the 2026 Midterms
by Matt Germer, Scott Warren, Sophia Winner, Johns Hopkins University Agora Institute
“…a primary challenge facing constitutional conservatism is not a shortage of thoughtful leaders or constructive ideas. Rather, it is the absence of the civic infrastructure necessary to support those leaders, connect them to one another, and enable them to exercise sustained collective leadership. The consequences of this lack of civic infrastructure are compounded by a political environment that [is] rewarding confrontation over competence and total partisan loyalty over institutional stewardship. Public officials who defend constitutional processes, work across party lines, or pursue practical solutions frequently face primary challenges, harassment, professional isolation, and threats to their personal safety. These realities are driving experienced public servants from political life while discouraging other qualified leaders from entering it.”
From Solidarity Wedges to Bridges: Discernment Toolkit
Building Movement Project (BMP)
“In times of heightened division, uncertainty, and crisis, wedges can deepen tensions, test values alignment and hinder our individual and collective capacity to build power and act in solidarity together. They can also offer insight into the conditions shaping our collective work. Wedges can reveal where relationships need repair, power dynamics need attention, and infrastructure needs strengthening. The toolkit…offers a framework for understanding the wedges that emerge in our collective work. It invites us to examine the conditions, relationships, risks, and possibilities at play and discern what it may take to transform wedges into bridges.”
WATCHING
Sherrilyn Ifill on the 14th Amendment and a lineage of founders
PolicyLink Summit
You don’t want to miss this powerful talk. “At the 2026 PolicyLink Summit, Sherrilyn Ifill, Founding Director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy at the Howard University School of Law, challenged us to expand our understanding of who counts as a founder — and reminded us that this country has already been refounded before. [You can] watch her remarks on the people who fought to redefine freedom, citizenship, and equality, and what their legacy asks of us today.”
Bucks County, USA
PBS Docuseries Trailor
From award-winning filmmakers Barry Levinson and Robert May, Bucks County USA, is a five-part limited series about a country divided. “Evi and Vanessa, two 14-year-olds living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are best friends despite their opposing political beliefs. As nationwide disputes explode into vitriol and division in their hometown, the girls and others in the community work to navigate their differences and find a new path forward for their community.”
Retired U.S. Military Leaders: Stand Up for Trusted Elections
Team Democracy
“Four years after coming together with a message ahead of the 2022 elections, senior retired military leaders are renewing that call for 2026. Drawing on decades of service to the Constitution, they remind us that trustworthy elections are not a Democratic principle or a Republican principle — they are an American responsibility. These retired U.S. military and national security leaders are calling on Americans to support free, fair and trusted elections — and to help uphold the principles that make self-government possible.” You can join them in signing the Principles for Trusted Elections Pledge here.
“Profiles in Cowardice” Author on How Trump Got Powerful Leaders to Back Down
Amanpour and Company
“Journalist Jacob Weisberg’s new book ‘Profiles in Cowardice’ delivers a stark twist on JFK’s famous title ‘Profiles in Courage.’ Through portraits of eight public figures, ranging from Jeff Bezos to George W. Bush to U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts, the book looks at why powerful people who once resisted President Trump have stayed silent during his second term.”
LISTENING TO
The Polycrisis Is Here- Why Fighting Harder May Not Get Us Further
The Horizon Story Podcast with Norma Wong
“We’re living through a polycrisis: multiple overlapping crises accelerating each other, which has only intensified this year with the energy of the Year of the Fire Horse… Our instinct to respond to crises by fighting harder, maneuvering for position, or escalating efforts can work against us strategically. Aggressive action is not necessarily forward-moving action. Chhaya Chhoum of Southeast Asian Freedom Network joins Norma to discuss the structural realities shaping this moment. They also explore burnout culture within movements, identity, and time. They even talk about time itself: that we’re never only living in the present. Instead, we always carry the past and already see the future coming, like a driver holding the rearview mirror and the road ahead at once.”
Belonging Before Belief with Daniel HoSang
The Fascism Barometer
“Scholar, researcher, and former organizer Daniel HoSang joins [host] Ejeris for a deeply clarifying conversation about how people can be drawn to movements that also target their communities. Daniel challenges the idea that shifts toward MAGA among communities of color are simply about misinformation or a political conversion. Instead, he points to a breakdown in civic life where people have lost connection to the institutions and communities that once helped them make sense of the world. This conversation explores how we talk to the people in our lives being pulled toward MAGA, why shame does not work, and how rebuilding trust, connection, and collective life may be one of the most important strategies we have in the fight against rising fascism.”
“End Times Fascism”: Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor on Billionaires, Bunkers, AI, Gaza & the Far Right
Democracy Now!
“Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor launch their new book, End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World on Democracy Now! It examines how wealthy elites are preparing for “the end of the world,” even as they contribute to growing inequality, political instability and the climate crisis. The rise of modern-day fascism is ‘not simply a rerun,’ explains Klein. ‘We don’t believe that history repeats on a loop. We believe that we’re in something more like a sequel, where the logics of fascism, which are the logics of dehumanization, of othering, of racial supremacy and hierarchy, are now being applied in a time of global existential crisis.’ In response, says Taylor, the growing movement seeking to resist this fatalistic vision ‘fundamentally needs to be grounded in a desire to stay here on Earth, to commit to this place.’”
FOR FUN
2026: Time for the Midterms
Hamilton
“It’s time for the midterms. You ready? In support of National Voter Registration Day (on September 14th), members of the Hamilton Broadway company headed to the studio to record 2026: Time for the Midterms. Together with When We All Vote, we’re helping make sure every voice is heard at the polls.”
