ClassACT HR73 Voting: Our Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities Alerts

ClassACTion Alert 6: Time to VOTE In Support of the Environment, a Summary

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:53:06 GMT

A FACT:

Since January 2025, the US president and cabinet officials have done more damage to the environment of the United States than any other single, concerted set of actions in the history of the nation. More than five decades of federal legislation and rulemaking have been trashed or weakened. Scientific research, present and future, has been impaired. With the rationale of saving money, making consumer goods more affordable, or lifting “outdated” or “burdensome” regulations, federal actions of the last 20 months have instead benefited special interests and a small number of corporations and companies.

A SELECTIVE LIST OF FEDERAL ACTIONS

United States Environmental Protection Agency logo and U.S. flag are seen in this illustration taken April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

**Denying the primary role of the Environmental Protection Agency

Enfeeblement of the National Environmental Policy Act
Large staff reductions, experts replaced or ignored
Permitting use of untested chemicals

**Gutting the Endangered Species Act

Habitat destruction and incidental death or injury no longer illegal, only direct, intentional killing, though most harm to endangered species comes from habitat destruction and “incidental take”
Continued damage to biodiversity
Encroachments on US wetlands, loosening their protections

**Attack on federal lands

Rescinding the Roadless Rule; altering the Forest Service Travel Management Plan
Disastrous reorganizations and staff cuts at National Park Service and Forest Service
Climate change has increased wildfires, which further boost climate change and pollute air
Bogus timber “emergency” declared
Reduced size of, or attempted to eliminate, National Monuments
Attempting to build roads through Wilderness temporarily stopped by Federal courts

**Attack on climate law and renewable energy

Near elimination of US tax credits for EVs, solar panels, heat pumps
Rescinded the Endangerment Finding, which since 2009 had provided the legal justification for regulating greenhouse gases under the terms of the Clean Air Act
Provided new waivers for coal power plants, which increase mercury, arsenic, and air pollution, resulting in more pulmonary and cardiovascular illness and deaths
EPA to cancel greenhouse gas limits on coal and gas (methane) power plants—and try to prevent future administrations from reinstating them
Rescinded greenhouse gas emissions standards for US vehicles
Drastically reduced standards for vehicle gas mileage
Bought-out planned wind power projects with tax dollars while losing American jobs
Promoting gas and oil drilling, including in the Arctic and 1.2 billion acres of ocean
Pulled US out of Paris Climate Accord
August 2026 was the hottest month on record for entire world; 1.5℃ UN limit on temperature increase now impossible

A rally protesting against the Trump administration’s cuts to federal scientific funding in New York in March 2025. Photograph: Sarah Yenesel/EPA

**Attack on federal scientists

Many fired; others quit under pressure
The National Science Foundation and Commerce Department scrubbed prohibitions against political interference from policies on scientific integrity
Attempted to politicize all federal research grants by OMB rule change
Killed the National Nature Assessment
Killed the National Climate Assessment
Staff cuts: Federal science-related agencies lost ~118,000 staff September 2024 to February 2026; Forest Service and National Science Foundation each down 33%; National Park Service down 37%; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration down 42%; science PhDs working for federal government in January 2024 down ~14%
In health: National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration each with ~22% staff loss; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention down 35%; Senior leadership ranks reduced
American scientists at early career stages are taking jobs overseas and in Canada. Brain drain diminishes US science and research for decades.
Reduced number of independent specialists and scientists on Federal Advisory Councils; entire EPA board was fired; Agency head Lee Zeldin replaced academic experts with industry representatives

**Data center proliferation

Implications for water use, energy consumption, climate change, and land use
Allowed unpermitted and unregulated power generation for data centers, pollution entering air, water, and soil; noise and light pollution
Public outcry opposing data centers, sometimes linked to A.I. skepticism, has ballooned, a major issue in midterm elections, one of few upon which voters across the political spectrum—and across geographical areas and demographics—agree
Administration moved eliminating a requirement that states announce plans and solicit local feedback
Data centers have often raised electric bills for far-flung ratepayers by 2x or more
Some governors and state lawmakers are enacting policies to slow or halt construction of data centers, but more than 1500 projects are in development nationally; centers in planning stages number in the thousands

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026. Photo- Sasan; Getty Images

**Environmental degradation caused by war

War with Iran has raised world coal use to new high
War with Iran has proliferated oil spills and toxic fires
War with Iran has increased pollution that damages biodiversity in a region with fragile ecosystems
Environmental damage in Russian war with Ukrain approaches $100 billion
In war in Sudan chemical weapons and pollution threaten human and ecosystem health

Note: Many of the above issues have been covered in earlier Action Alerts.

PUSHBACK

Numerous court cases have challenged Administration actions; a number have succeeded; others are in process (see litigation reports from leading organizations bringing these lawsuits: Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation); those actions that have been blocked by court action, subject to appeals and/or administrative end runs, include:

Federal moratorium on new offshore wind projects
EPA cancellation of $2.8 billion grant for climate justice
EPA cancellation of $7 billion Solar for All Program
USDA cancellation of sustainable agriculture grants
400,000 square miles of protected Pacific Ocean waters opened to commercial use
Department of Energy efforts to force old, inefficient coal plants to continue operating

Additional actions opposing environmental degradation:

Public comment on proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act, Rescinding the Roadless Rule, politicization of OMB peer-review proposal, and other federal actions have been overwhelmingly negative; this does not seem to have deterred Administration plans, but these comments are now in the federal record and may guide future Administrations and sessions of Congress
With public opinion set against politicizing government grants, this Administration effort has met Congressional opposition, but the final result depends on midterm elections

ACTION

Sophie Stephens/Vermont Public

The most effective ways to alter or reverse these actions are:

1. Vote

2. Contact your government representatives, federal and state

Federal, state, and county representatives: USA.gov Elected Officials directory
Congressperson official website: Representatives - House.gov; Senators - Senate.gov
Phone numbers of Representatives: link; phone numbers of U.S. Senators: link

3. Support non-profit environmental organizations bringing lawsuits (per above)

ClassACTion Voting Alert 5: Calling All Citizens: Act on Your Right to Vote!

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:54:57 GMT

“Election Day ought to be the day that every single person is equal to everybody else. We're an imperfect country, yes, we have injustices, but we believe that everyone should have an equal right to control the destiny of the country."

--E.J. Dionne, NYT Columnist, Georgetown Professor

The election is only a few weeks away. In honor of National Voter Education Week (October 5-9), ClassACT HR73 encourages all American citizens to make a plan to participate in the November 3rd elections.

Educate Yourself about ongoing efforts to obstruct free and fair elections. View the video and resources from our September forum Democracy at 250: Is Your Midterm Vote at Risk?. In this email, we include quotes from the forum moderator, E.J. Dionne, as well as panelists Sherrilyn Iffil, Seth Waxman and Wendy Weiser.

The Federal government has made no secret of its intention to impede the elections by:

restricting information
limiting access to the polls
intimidating citizens from voting
creating an atmosphere of fear for election officials
interfering with the collecting, counting, and certifying of ballots
filing suits claiming fraud and irregularities

The time to take action is NOW.

“This is a singular threat to our democratic form of government. Everyone can do their part to make it likely that the wheels won’t come off the bus.”

--Seth Waxman, 41st Solicitor General of the United States

REGISTER and check your registration. Educate yourself about the candidates and issues on your state and local ballots. Check out ClassACT HR73's resources as a starting place!

“This is a moment that is calling on us to demonstrate a higher level of citizenship. You will hold elected officials accountable if they allow this [election] to collapse into something not befitting a democracy.”

--Sherrilyn Iffil, Former Director, NAACP Legal Defense Fund

VOTE EARLY. Do not leave your vote to the last minute or the pace of the US Postal Service. If you like voting in person, check if your state has early voting, If it does, use it. If you mail your ballot, do so at least a week before election day. Better yet, check if your state has ballot drop-boxes. If it does, avoid any potential delay by using one of those rather than the Postal Service.

“This is a time when your country, your community needs you to step up and do something. You can help other people register and vote. You can help other people learn the rules of voting and feel free from intimidation. You can be a poll worker, you can be a poll watcher, you can volunteer with an organization. Just pick something to do, commit to doing it and don't stay on the sidelines.”

--Wendy Weiser, Vice President, Brennan Center for Justice

ORGANIZE AND VOLUNTEER. It can be as simple as driving five people to the polls or becoming a voting advocate and resource by volunteering for a non-profit or cause. Check out ClassACT HR73's resource list to brainstorm ideas!

National and State Voting Activism Spreadsheet

Check out ClassACT’s 2026 Voting Activism Opportunities Spreadsheet (created by Marilyn Go '73), which lists non-profit organizations that focus on voting and voter participation. The list includes national and state organizations as well as those that concentrate on particular areas of interest.

CLASS ACTION RESOURCE LIST - VOTER EDUCATION WEEK SPECIAL EDITION

Click to download pdf version of resource list

EDUCATE YOURSELF:

The League of Women Voters has a one-stop shopping portal. Go to Vote411.org for state-by-state information on what’s on your ballot (candidates and propositions), how to register to vote, how to check if your voter registration is valid, early voting dates, and polling places.

Hold your elected officials to account for free and fair elections: See USA.gov Elected Officials directory to find federal, state, and county representatives based on your address.

Find your Senators and/or House Representatives here.

VOLUNTEER:

Volunteer for “Help Lines” at voteriders.org to support voters by answering questions about Voter ID, registration, poll locations, etc., as well as writing letters and texts.

For lawyers and law students: Your legal expertise can help protect the vote. Join wetheaction.org to be sent lists of volunteer opportunities and the qualifications for each.

Many voters lack transportation to the polls. Form a carpool or volunteer with organizations such as VoteRun.

NOVEMBER 3, 2026: ON ELECTION DAY. VOTE!!

If you or someone you know faces intimidation at the polls or is being denied the right to vote, call: 866-OUR-VOTE, Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA, Asian Languages: 888-API-VOTE, Arabic: 888-YALLA-US.

ClassACTion Voting Alert 4: Healthcare is on the Ballot in the Midterm Elections

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:25:32 GMT

Too many Americans do not get the healthcare they need because it’s either inaccessible or unaffordable. The healthcare provisions of the Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passed in July 2025 only made things worse.

5M lost Medicaid coverage in the year ending April 2026, with another 2.5M projected to lose it by 2034.

5M people dropped Affordable Care Act health insurance for 2026 largely due to skyrocketing premiums from the loss of subsidies.

Hospitals face $466B of uncompensated care costs due to additional uninsured patients and lower Medicaid payments. 446 hospitals may close.

4.5M people have already lost access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Federal SNAP cuts of $187B over 10 years are expected from shifting costs to states, and new work and eligibility requirements.

Photo from National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics

To address long-standing health access problems, the Act did include $50B in funds for rural health, but that will only modestly offset losses caused by implementing other provisions of the law. States have some flexibility regarding rural health funding as well as the health-related exemptions and work provisions people must meet to be covered by Medicaid under OBBBA.

Elected officials at all levels create and implement health policies, allocate budgets, and set rules for everything from how medical research is funded and conducted to how much health insurance and healthcare services cost. The White House and elected officials at all levels will continue to develop policies and laws that affect all aspects of health and access to healthcare. Vote during the Midterm Elections for candidates at local, state, and national levels based on their positions on these vital health and medical care issues.

To make your voices heard and your votes count, please consult the resources below!

CLASSACTION RESOURCE LINKS:

ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE ON THE BALLOT

Click to access and print resource guide

Illustration by Rose Wong, from commonwealthfund.org

CLASSACTION 1: Register to vote, check your registration status, research candidates’ positions, make a plan to vote, and VOTE! Encourage friends to do the same! See ClassACTion Voting Alert 1: To Vote or Not To Vote.

CLASSACTION 2: Learn how policies affect the healthcare and access environment. Some non-partisan resources that communicate and analyze policies are:

American Medical Association analyzes changes to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and other aspects of health care.
National Academy for State Health Policy analyzes policy impacts at state levels.
League of Women Voters provides information about the healthcare system and reforms
KFF, Kaiser Family Foundation, is a vital resource for research on health policy.
The Commonwealth Fund supports independent research on healthcare issues, and makes grants to increase access, quality, and efficiency.

CLASSACTION 3: Follow Congressional Action: For active bills and floor votes, search the Congress.gov Legislative Database using keywords like "health care access," "prescription drugs," or "price transparency."

Monitor Congressional Committees: Access Committee on Finance and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee websites to watch hearings, often with administration officials, discussing health priorities and proposed rule changes.

CLASSACTION 4: Call or write to your local, state, and federal elected officials. Urge them to ensure that everyone has access to the healthcare they need at a reasonable cost. Be concise and specific, focus on how healthcare access or costs impact your life and community, share a personal story, and clearly state the actions or legislation you want them to support.

Some tools to reach them:

Use USA.gov Elected Officials directory to find federal, state, and county representatives based on your address.
You can contact a Congressperson through the representative's official website. Find your Representative via House.gov and your Senators at Senate.gov.
Call your representative or senators.
- Here’s a link to the phone numbers of Congressional Representatives.
- Here’s a link to the phone numbers of U.S. Senators.

CLASSACTION 5: For rural health concerns, contact the Congressional Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, an informal group of House members. Advocate for increased funding. Check out the Rural Health Information Hub for information, opportunities, and resources, including state and federal contacts.

CLASSACTION 6: Direct people concerned about getting healthcare or insurance for themselves or their families to state and local organizations that can support them with information and options. These include:

Federally Qualified Health Centers - community-based clinics that provide comprehensive primary, dental, and behavioral health care to everyone
State Health Insurance Programs - a federally funded network that provides free, unbiased, and personalized Medicare counseling
Healthcare.gov – official marketplace for many states for Affordable Care Act insurance
Medicare.gov
Medicare Rights Center- works to ensure access to health care for older and disabled persons
National Council on Aging for help in understanding Medicare
Patient Advocate Foundation provides case management services and financial aid to Americans with serious illnesses.

2026 VOTING ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITIES SPREADSHEET

Created by Marilyn Go '73, this spreadsheet lists non-profit organizations that focus on voting and voter participation. The list includes national and state organizations as well as those that concentrate on particular areas of interest.

Click to view

Don't forget to check out our Previous alerts below!

ClassACTion Voting Alert 3: Protect Our Democracy, Protect Your Right to Vote

August 11, 2026

ClassACTion Voting Alert 2: Vote for the Arts!
July 13, 2026

ClassACTion Voting Alert 1: To Vote or Not To Vote
May 15, 2026

ClassACTion Voting Alert 3: Protect Our Democracy, Protect Your Right to Vote

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 20:37:26 GMT

"Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters."

–Abraham Lincoln

Warnings about the November 3 elections grow louder every day. Threats to jail local and state election officials who do not abide by the Trump administration’s Executive Orders; and suggestions that ICE agents and even the military will be sent to the polls have intensified. This would violate federal laws existing for 150 years.

Registered voters may face obstacles casting their ballots. The fear – once unthinkable – that voting across the country will be suspended has been voiced by current and former lawmakers.

The list of troubling developments grows longer:

President Trump's insistence that Congress pass the SAVE Act, which would require every citizen to reregister by bringing documents (passports, birth or naturalization certificates) to an election office. The time and cost to provide these documents would be prohibitive for many.
Recent firings of Democratic members of the Independent Election Assistance Commission and resignation of a Republican member after facing pressure to quit
Spread of false information about the integrity of elections, e.g., specious claims that more than 250,000 non-citizens are on voter rolls.
Efforts to construct a federal voter data base that would use citizens’ sensitive personal information – thus violating federal privacy laws – to construct a list then used to purge voter rolls.
Threats by the Homeland Security Secretary to investigate and imprison state and local officials accused of not complying with Trump administration efforts to change election laws.
Trump’s request to the Supreme Court to allow an Executive Order that restricts vote-by-mail to remain in place until the Court rules on those proposed changes – even if the Court waits until after the midterms.
Hints that the federal government might take over – or prevent – the November elections on the outlandish premise of countering foreign interference or preventing a wave of non-citizens from voting.

We at ClassACT HR73 urge everyone to make a plan to vote. Do what you can to ensure the midterm elections on November 3rd remain accessible to all citizens. Exercising our right to vote is the right on which all others rest. Together we buttress a democracy that has survived revolution, civil war, and a global struggle against fascism. Extend our nation’s freedom by encouraging fellow citizens to vote.

Our Resource Guide below shares the volunteer experiences of classmates as well as links to important non-profit, non-partisan resources.

PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY, PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE

RESOURCE GUIDE

Click to access and print resource guide

“The most important thing we can all do in the face of such a campaign is to double down on democracy. We must vote. We must make a plan to do so, and we must help our family, neighbors, and friends do the same.”

– Hayne Yoon, Brennan Center Senior Counsel

Photo from www.acludc.org

1. BEFORE THE ELECTION

Vote411 and Rock the Vote provide state by state information to register, validate your registration, and determine where to vote.

Check your state for Early Voting dates, and your local community for the location of Ballot Drop Boxes.

Non-profit, non-partisan organizations help coordinate grass roots efforts to get out the vote. Writing postcards, phone banking, or volunteering to work at the polls makes the struggle to preserve democracy tangible and gratifying.

“What I love about phone banking is the relatively unfiltered opportunity to interact with potential voters from a broad swath of the American population.”

– Vivian Lewis '73

Canvas in your community for your candidates of choice.

“Talking with neighbors and fellow citizens about the importance of voting while canvassing unites us all around a Constitutional right for which Americans have fought and died.”

– Jacki Swearingen '73

Volunteer for “Help Lines” at voteriders.org to support voters by answering questions about Voter ID, registration, poll locations, etc. as well as write letters and text.

Join in the effort to encourage all eligible citizens to cast their votes in November. Check out Common Cause for ways to increase voter participation, and Democracy Forward’s The People’s Guide to Voting Rights.

2. ELECTION DAY

Volunteer to be a Poll Worker or Poll Watcher. Poll Workers ensure the legitimacy of elections from the time they start checking in voters to when they secure ballots after voting ends. Find out the qualifications and sign up in your local community.

Poll Watchers or Election Observers observe different steps in the voting process and report irregularities to election officials. The guidelines vary by state.

“I have worked as a volunteer poll monitor and visited polling sites to ‘ensure that bilingual ballots and interpreters were available to voters as was required under the law.’ After becoming a judge, I could still take part in elections as a non-partisan poll worker. Poll workers are ‘vital’ to making ‘American elections work.’”

–Marilyn Go ’73

Many voters lack transportation to get to the polls. Form a carpool, or volunteer with organizations such as VoteRun.

If you are turned away from the polls, ask for a provisional ballot and call the Election Protection Hotline for immediate legal assistance. English: 1-866-Our-Vote. Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA. Assistance available in other languages as well.

3. AFTER THE ELECTION

If you vote by mail or absentee ballot, track your ballot.

2026 VOTING ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITIES SPREADSHEET

Created by Marilyn Go '73, this spreadsheet lists non-profit organizations that focus on voting and voter participation. The list includes national and state organizations as well as those that concentrate on particular areas of interest.

Click to view

Don't forget to check out our Previous alerts below!

ClassACTion Voting Alert 2: Vote for the Arts!
July 13, 2026

ClassACTion Voting Alert 1: To Vote or Not To Vote
May 15, 2026

ClassACTion Voting Alert 2: Vote for the Arts!

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 20:05:33 GMT

ClassACTion Voting Alert 2: Vote for the Arts!

Poster from National Museum of American History.

Click to listen to "Free and Fair Elections" (c. 1800) sung by Oscar Brand.

The arts have been an essential part of our nation’s culture since before we declared our independence – contributing to our civic celebrations and political campaigns as well as our daily lives. Enjoy the posters and music assembled by our Culture Counts team that accompany this alert!

Artists and musicians are everywhere in our communities – from the art, music and drama teachers in our schools, to painters whose murals enliven our towns and cities, to all those involved in creating and producing concerts and plays. They enrich our lives, offer inspiration and challenge, reflection and joy.

Poster from National Museum of American History.

Click to listen to "I Am America" (2020) by Shea Diamond.

But the arts and humanities are in trouble in this country. Music and art programs are being cut from elementary and secondary education as non-essential. Funding cuts in DC ripple through the economy and, because public funding has always been crucial to leveraging private support, funding for arts and humanities organizations is harder to find. States, cities and philanthropists shift priorities to fill in the gaps, and too often the arts are starved in the process.

What does this have to do with voting? Voting has consequences. Elected officials at all levels of government propose budgets and establish funding priorities that either include or exclude arts and humanities. Politicians who support the arts can play a critical role in keeping the arts alive and thriving.

The arts and humanities need your support. To help you get involved and take action, we have assembled the list of resources below.

ClassACTion Resource Guide:

Vote for the Arts!

Click for Shareable Vote for the Arts Resource Guide

Poster from National Museum of American History.

Click to listen to "19th Amendment" (2018) by Dolly Parton.

CLASSACTION 1: Register to vote or check your registration status, research the candidates’ positions, make a plan to vote, and VOTE! And encourage your friends to do the same! See our handy Voting Resource Guide, put together by members of the Voting: Our Constitutional Rights & Responsibilities Working Group.

CLASSACTION 2: Call or write to your local, state, and federal elected officials and ask them to preserve funding for the arts and humanities. For templates, and contact information for your representatives, go to Americans for the Arts website.

CLASSACTION 3: The Congressional Humanities Caucus and the Senate Cultural Caucus are informal groups of House and Senate members who share similar legislative or policy interests. Find out who is supporting the arts and contact them regarding federal funding. Use the Congressional Caucus webpage to get in contact.

CLASSACTION 4: Support state and local arts organizations and artists. Search for appropriations information plus lists of organizations in all 50 states and DC on the Americans For the Arts- By Location webpage. The National Humanities Alliance helps build greater support at the local, state, and federal levels for community-based humanities organizations, and their State and Jurisdictional Humanities Councils webpage features a list of these organizations.

Poster from National Museum of American History.

Click to listen to "People Have the Power" (1988) by Patti Smith.

CLASSACTION 5: If you work for or are involved with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization, check out theArtsVote Webinar Seriesof the Arts Action Fund to learn what your organization can do to encourage voter participation for people in the arts.

CLASSACTION 6: Learn permissible non- partisan voting activities for non-profits.

CLASSACTION 7: Find non-partisan actions you can take or support to encourage others to register and vote. For example, read through the League of American Orchestras Voter Engagement web page, including their recommendations to support at least $213 million for the NEA and NEH in FY2027 and to support the Arts Education for All Act.

CLASSACTION 8: Share your intent to vote to support the arts – and share this alert – with your followers on your social media accounts.

Click for Shareable Vote for the Arts Resource Guide

Don’t forget to review ClassACT’s Voting Alert 1: To Vote or Not to Vote, and our 2026 Voting Activism Opportunities Spreadsheet.

This alert has been prepared by ClassACT HR73, a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded by classmates at Harvard/Radcliffe to promote social justice and positive change. More at www.classacthr73.org.

ClassACTion Voting Alert 1: To Vote or Not To Vote

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:49:49 GMT

ClassACTion Voting Alert 1:
To Vote or Not To Vote

In the 2024 presidential election, 74% (or 174 million people) of the voting-age population was registered to vote and 65% (or 154 million people) voted, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Almost 1/3 of Americans did not vote in our last Presidential election.

That same year, 87 percent of House races were essentially determined by a primary victory. The seven percent of total eligible voters in the US who voted in those primaries chose those winners, who would then go on to win their races in the general election. Thus that shockingly small 7 percent picked the vast majority of the House.

We need to change this paradigm. Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. With the launch of our 2026 ClassACT HR73 Voting Initiative, we hope to motivate citizens to head to the polls and engage in the crucial democratic process of voting.

ClassACT has assembled a 2026 VOTING RESOURCE GUIDE (click this link or scroll down to view) with links to handbooks and web sites to help you exercise your right to vote. You can share this guide as an attached PDF via email, through social media, or by scanning the QR code below and posting it on bulletin boards in your place of work, worship, schools, your gym…basically any and everywhere!

We hope you will share these resources with members of your communities. Reach out to citizens who may not be registered as well as those who are registered but feel disenfranchised and think their vote doesn’t matter. Remind them that “Voting is power.”

GET INVOLVED!

DEMOCRACY AT 250: VOTING RESOURCE GUIDE FOR MID-TERM ELECTIONS, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3RD

We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.

--Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father, primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd President of the United States.

Voting for candidates in the 2026 mid-term elections takes place on November 3, 2026.

CLASSACTION 1: Check if your registration is up to date. Register to vote, see what’s on your local ballot and find your polling place.

For one-stop shopping, to go to the League of Women Voters Education Fund, https://www.vote411.org/

You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining… The one thing you've got going: your one vote.

-- Shirley Chisolm, first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress.

CLASSACTION 2: Educate yourself about the candidates in your community, the issues at hand, and how candidates uphold the Constitution.

Learn about important dates and issues from guides such as the AARP’s “How to Vote in the 2026 Elections in Your State” or the National Urban League’s “America at 250: A Guide for Defending Democracy.”

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.

--John F Kennedy, 35th President of the United States

CLASSACTION 3: Vote in the Primaries. Your vote in your state and local primaries will make a big difference in the make-up of Congress in 2027. For primary dates in your state, go to the National Council of Legislatures “2026 State Primary Election Dates.”

The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.

-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States.

CLASSACTION 4: Early Voting. Many states have early voting. Take advantage of this, to make sure that your ballot is counted and not subject to any challenges about timely submission. Check out Vote.org’s early voting chart for the 2026 midterms in your state.

Voting is a precious right that for two centuries Americans have fought and died to protect. Let's all honor that sacrifice this election day.

-- Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States

If you want to make a difference, get out there and vote.

-- Geraldine Ferraro, 1st female Vice-Presidential candidate

CLASSACTION 5: Mail-in ballots and absentee ballots. Check your state’s rules on submitting mail-in and absentee ballots. Make sure that you mail your ballot well in advance of the cut-off date for counting ballots. Use this League of Women Voters guide.

We can all agree on the importance of voting.

-- Jenna Bush Hager, American Journalist, daughter of George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States

CLASSACTION 6: ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 IS ELECTION DAY. VOTE!

There's no such thing as a vote that doesn't matter.

-- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States

This guide has been prepared by ClassACTHR73, a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded by classmates at Harvard/Radcliffe to promote social justice and positive change.www.classacthr73.org.

ClassACT HR73 Voting: Our Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities Alerts

ClassACTion Alert 6: Time to VOTE In Support of the Environment, a Summary

Table of Contents:

A Fact

A Selective List of Federal Actions

Pushback

Action

Link to Shareable PDF

View All Previous Voting Alerts

A FACT:

A SELECTIVE LIST OF FEDERAL ACTIONS

PUSHBACK

ACTION

ClassACTion Voting Alert 5: Calling All Citizens: Act on Your Right to Vote!

National and State Voting Activism Spreadsheet

CLASS ACTION RESOURCE LIST - VOTER EDUCATION WEEK SPECIAL EDITION

ClassACTion Voting Alert 4: Healthcare is on the Ballot in the Midterm Elections

CLASSACTION RESOURCE LINKS:

ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE ON THE BALLOT

2026 VOTING ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITIES SPREADSHEET

Don't forget to check out our Previous alerts below!

ClassACTion Voting Alert 3: Protect Our Democracy, Protect Your Right to Vote

"Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters."

–Abraham Lincoln

PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY, PROTECT YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE

RESOURCE GUIDE

Click to access and print resource guide

“The most important thing we can all do in the face of such a campaign is to double down on democracy. We must vote. We must make a plan to do so, and we must help our family, neighbors, and friends do the same.”

– Hayne Yoon, Brennan Center Senior Counsel

1. BEFORE THE ELECTION

2. ELECTION DAY

3. AFTER THE ELECTION

2026 VOTING ACTIVISM OPPORTUNITIES SPREADSHEET

Don't forget to check out our Previous alerts below!

ClassACTion Voting Alert 2: Vote for the Arts!

ClassACTion Resource Guide:

Vote for the Arts!

ClassACTion Voting Alert 1: To Vote or Not To Vote

ClassACTion Voting Alert 1: To Vote or Not To Vote

GET INVOLVED!

DEMOCRACY AT 250: VOTING RESOURCE GUIDE FOR MID-TERM ELECTIONS, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 3RD

We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.

ClassACTion Voting Alert 1:
To Vote or Not To Vote