The Last Two Weeks

Your handy mini-guide on how to talk to your friends, family, and loved ones about the elections these next 12 days.

Take a deep breath. No, really — if you are able to — put one palm on your chest, the other on the nape of your neck, and take a long deep breath in. And then a long deep breath out. We have made it this far and it has been four looooooooong years.

Now the moment we’ve been waiting for is here — it’s the last two weeks before the election. Less than 14 days to make sure that everyone we know mails in their ballots, turns in their ballots, votes early, or turns out to the polls on November 3. We know these next few days are not going to be easy. You’re likely to get those last-minute questions from your friends and family about who they should vote for and why. Maybe even how to vote safely during a pandemic or explain this moment that happened in the last debate. That’s why we put this mini-guide together — so when these questions come your way, you know exactly what to say.

The #1 thing we need you to repeat over and over again: what’s your voting plan?

Is your friend or family member voting early? Remind them to turn in their ballot on time! Not sure when their ballots are due for drop-off or mail-in? Check here on I Will Vote.

Voting in person instead? Review your plan to vote with them — and this part is key — have them share and repeat back their plan to you. Make a plan with each other to hold one another accountable. Maybe you’ll text each other a selfie at the polls or with your “I voted!” sticker. Whatever will remind you to check in with each other on the day of.

Here’s a helpful graphic that we love that you can save and share from TalkTheVote.org about how to start some of these difficult conversations.

Want to go above and beyond? Make a plan with your friends and family to reach out to your respective networks to triple your votes here.

Ok — your voting plan is set. Now, let’s go over some frequently asked questions that might come in handy.

Say you’re in a group chat with your family or friends while watching the final debate. Someone asks, “Joe Biden mentions all of these plans, but I’m not sure I’ve seen them. Where can I find them and how can I know they’re better than Trump’s plans?”

This is a great opportunity to open up a conversation around Joe Biden’s many plans for our futures! And to highlight the severe lack of plans both in the past and for the future from the Trump administration.

• Our friends at Vote Save America have a great page with comparisons of Biden and Trump on the issues. Check them out here.
• One of our favorite podcasts, The New York Times’ The Daily, had a recent episode on Trump’s failed campaign promises from the past four years. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript here.
• You can also find all of Biden’s plans on the issues that you care about on his website.

Now say a close friend or family member mentions QAnon and fake news.

And this is a tricky one because you don’t want to dig yourself into a conversation that will alienate them. Instead, take these steps to “debunk” QAnon.

• So, what is it? QAnon is a debunked conspiracy theory that has quickly caught on among Trump supporters and has led to a number of violent acts. The theory claims that there’s a massive Satanic child-trafficking and child-murdering cult made up of America’s elites, including high-profile Democrats. It uses false statistics, internet rumors, and incorrectly perceived symbolism to back up this idea. They also believe that Trump is their sole savior from this cult and that he is working to take it down.
• Why do debate moderators keep asking about Trump’s ties to QAnon? Despite countless evidence that disproves QAnon, a large number of Trump’s base believes these conspiracies. Trump and Republicans have done little to shut it down, partly because a sizable portion of their supporters are QAnon adherents. QAnon adherents often promote anti-Semitic, extreme anti-government, and racist ideologies, and there is a sizable number of people within QAnon who have advocated extremist violence.
• What can I do about QAnon? The best thing you can do is present the facts, maintain an open conversation with those who are willing to, and above all else — keep yourself safe. QAnon thrives on misinformation. This shareable graphic from SoYouWantToTalkAbout makes a great point on this: “Combating misinformation requires understanding. Believers aren’t bad people just because they’ve fallen for a conspiracy theory. Facts are the best response to disinformation.”
• Want to go above and beyond here? Join our Indivisible Truth Brigade, where we combat misinformation with other Indivisibles and share the truth on social media and more.

The final debate: what to highlight and how to talk about it

Say it’s the day after the debate and your friend or family member posts on Facebook, “Still not sure who WON the debate. Biden made good points but I don’t think he can stand up to Trump.” Here are some key points that you can reiterate with them to open up a conversation:

1. Joe Biden is committed to fighting for you and your family. On COVID-19, on climate, on injustice, and more — Joe will fight, and he has a plan to win. He recognizes the reality of our circumstances and doesn’t hide from the facts. As president, he will work with scientists, progressive leaders, and vulnerable communities to make sure we aren’t just surviving, but moving forward.
2. Under Trump, COVID-19 has killed over 220,000 Americans and the number continues to rise. As we face new spikes in cases, Trump and Senate Republicans are running around the country encouraging people to ignore science — all because they survived their own scares with help from the best doctors and most exclusive medicines. This is not leadership. While they should be passing COVID-19 relief, this administration is instead trading on lies.
3. This election is about survival, but we have the chance to do more. Donald Trump is a threat to all of us, and electing Joe Biden will protect democracy, our health, and our lives. But we have the opportunity to go so far beyond that, and we need to win this election for that to be possible. It all relies on your voting and volunteering.

And our all-time favorite question — when will we get the results?

Just kidding, this is the equivalent of the road trip question, “are we there yet?” Yes, chances are your close friends or family will know how involved you’ve been with this election and will look to you for all the answers.

Between record-breaking mail-in voting numbers and the unprecedented turn out that we’re expecting, the reality is that Election Day will not just be one day. Start normalizing use of the phrase “Election Week.” We can’t tell right now if we’ll have immediate results, if Trump will accept the results, or if any results will be contested and go into a recount. Start using “Election Week” now and set expectations early.

And if you’re a super-achiever, make sure to find an event (or host one!) near you to Protect the Results on November 4. Our fight doesn’t end after the election and it’ll take all of us to make sure that we’re ready to mobilize if Trump refuses to accept the results.

We hope this mini-guide gives you some guidance for the next two weeks. Think we missed something important? Comment below with more questions you’re getting from family and friends or tweet at us @IndivisibleTeam with your questions and we’ll reply to as many as we can!