In this episode of How to Win Friends and Save The Republic, a podcast from the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers, special guests technology gurus Sara Gifford and Victor Allis talk about their app, ActiVote, which helps people increase their civic engagement by completing meaningful, daily actions.
Students vote at the University of California, Irvine student center on Nov. 5.
As this election cycle draws to a close, I'm experiencing a whirlwind of emotions — hope and worry, resolve and trepidation, clarity and uncertainty. But above all, my abiding faith in the power of our collective voice and the sacredness of our vote fuels me.
I'm a member of Generation X, a son of the African diaspora, a husband, a father and a minister. My journey has been shaped by the struggles and triumphs of those who paved the way and the promise of a better tomorrow for those who will follow. From this vantage point, I pen this appeal to you, Generations Next — the millennials and Generation Z.
Current events serve as a powerful reminder of the weight and potential of the ballot. It's not just a piece of paper or a screen tap; it's a sacred tool for justice, equity and the promise of a more perfect union. For Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC+), the vote was a hard-fought accomplishment, a victory achieved through the sacrifice of blood, sweat and tears. The vote symbolizes the inherent worth of all in a nation that's often fallen short of its highest aspirations. It's a thread that connects us to the struggles and triumphs of those who came before us, shaping the narrative of our collective history.
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For example, the vote honors the suffragettes' tireless struggle for basic rights in the face of ridicule, arrests and brutality. It was the way to realize women's reproductive rights and equal pay. The vote remains the most powerful tool to secure their bodily autonomy, yet it is still under threat. The vote is a bulwark against turning back the clock even further.
My young siblings, this election isn't just political — it's a moment that will reverberate through the annals of history. It's a moral mandate, a testament to our democracy's resilience and a defining choice for our nation's soul. It's a choice between a country where everyone is valued, every story is respected and every individual can thrive. A path down the dark alleys of division, inequality and despair threatens to extinguish our shared humanity's essence. A choice resulting from some among us who are prepared to silence the voices of many, drown out the chorus of our collective conscience, revise history, distort the mirror that reflects our past and guides our future, bastardize our republic's ideals and norms, profaning the sacred principles upon which our great nation was founded; as well as reduce our diversity's majesty to a monochrome, draining the vibrant colors that make our tapestry so rich and robust. However, we, the people, hold the keys to our destiny.
That is why I implore you to exercise this sacred right: Vote. In a democratic republic, your voice is articulated through the ballot. Every election, from the local school board to the presidency, is an opportunity to steer the direction of our communities and nation. Your vote matters. It is an instrument of personal and collective change to hold elected officials accountable and bring about reform. Your vote is representative of your values, the embodiment of your convictions put into action.
It is the fulfillment of a moral obligation, a duty to participate in the democratic process that generations have fought to preserve. When you cast your ballot, you are shaping your family, community and country's future. Do not take this right lightly. Please educate yourself on the issues, the candidates and their platforms. Then, go vote!
If you didn't know, change rests with a single action: casting a ballot. You've registered, educated yourself and maybe even mobilized others. There are some obstacles to navigate to ensure every voice is heard. No democracy is simple, easy or clean. However, you are not just a voter; you're an architect. You are the chief designer of a better nation. You are an author writing the next chapter of the American story. It is a story of hope and resilience, multiethnic and interfaith. We are not waiting for change. Instead, each of us is offered an invitation to create it.
I admonish you, young friends, to activate your superpower. If you need guidance or information visit websites like Vote.org and BallotReady that offer tools to check your registration, find your polling place, and research candidates and issues. Also, if you face harassment or intimidation at the polls, report it to the Election Protection Hotline (1-866-OUR-VOTE) or the Department of Justice Voting Rights Hotline (1-800-CALL-FBI).
Vote like all our lives depend on it because they do. This plea is not just a simple ask from an "older" sibling; it's a call to action to take up your role as a responsible citizen and to shape the future you want to see.
Johnson is a United Methodist pastor, the author of "Holding Up Your Corner: Talking About Race in Your Community" and program director for the Bridge Alliance, which houses The Fulcrum.
This fact brief was originally published by Wisconsin Watch. Read the original here. Fact briefs are published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network, and republished by The Fulcrum. Visit Gigafact to learn more.
Former President Donald Trump said in a TV interview he would withhold federal funding from schools based on how they teach history.
Repeating a pledge he made campaigning, Trump told "Fox & Friends" he would close the U.S. Education Department.
Host Brian Kilmeade asked: "So, let's say you have a liberal city ... and they just decide, 'Oh, we're going to get rid of that history. We have new history. This is America built off the backs of slaves on stolen land.' And that curriculum comes in."
Trump replied: “Then we don't send them money. We would save half of our budget.”
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers made the claim about what Trump said in an interview about the Nov. 5 election.
About 14% of the $857 billion in fiscal 2022 public K-12 school funding was federal, according to an August 2024 report from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Forbes Breaking News Trump: 'I'm Going To Close The Department Of Education And Move Education Back To The States'
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Roll Call Donald Trump "Fox & Friends" interview
101.7 The Truth Tony Evers interview
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U.S. military veteran standing in front of his home
Purdy is the founder and CEO of The Chamberlain Network, an organization that empowers veterans to defend democracy in their communities. He served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2012.
Veterans Day is a time when our country pauses to recognize the extraordinary sacrifices made by those of us who wore the uniform. But for many veterans, this day brings mixed emotions. On the one hand, we’re grateful that our nation honors our service. On the other, many of us don't think we should receive any special recognition - we just did our duty. For us, service isn’t something in our past — it’s a calling that continues. Veterans don’t want thanks; we want to keep serving. And for many of us, that means protecting the very democracy we swore to defend.
For those of us in the post-9/11 generation, this commitment is especially strong. We volunteered, understanding the risks, knowing that deployment was likely. And now we’ve come home and our time in uniform has ended, we find that call to service endures. Today, that commitment lives on in a new mission: protecting democracy here at home, in the communities in which we live.
Veterans across the country are stepping up to lead efforts that strengthen our democratic institutions. Through organizations like The Chamberlain Network, we’re addressing some of the most urgent challenges facing our country: political polarization, the erosion of public trust and the rise of authoritarian impulses that threaten the rule of law. At The Chamberlain Network, we believe the best way to honor veterans is to support us as we protect the democratic ideals we served to uphold.
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Many of us have served in places where basic freedoms are rare, where people have little control over their own future. That experience gives us a profound respect for democracy and its freedoms — and a deep commitment to defend them here at home.
I remember this feeling vividly from my time in Iraq, where sectarian violence had torn the country apart. People we met often felt a deep sense of hopelessness. It was a difficult thing to witness, but it made me realize why democracy — the rule of law, free and fair elections, the peaceful resolution of conflict — is so precious and worth protecting.
In the United States, veterans are some of the most trusted voices in our communities. When we speak about civic engagement, building bridges and defending democratic principles, people listen. Our service has earned us credibility and trust, and we want to use that trust to inspire others to see democracy as something worth safeguarding.
At The Chamberlain Network, we are focused on organizing veterans to protect democracy where it matters most: in our own communities. Democracy doesn’t just live in Washington, D.C. — it lives in our neighborhoods, schools and local institutions. We can’t always control what happens at the national level, but we can make an impact where we live. By equipping veterans with the tools they need to engage locally, we are building a coalition of leaders who are ready to stand up for democratic values on the ground.
Veterans bring resilience, skills and a spirit of service to this work. With the right support, we can counter division, encourage participation and inspire our neighbors to engage in democracy. By empowering us to lead in our own towns and neighborhoods, The Chamberlain Network is creating a force for democracy that’s nimble, responsive and prepared to meet today’s challenges.
This Veterans Day, honoring veterans means more than saying “thank you.” Many of us don’t seek gratitude — we seek purpose. We have a complicated relationship with this day because we don’t see service as something that ended when we took off the uniform. The work we do through organizations like The Chamberlain Network allows us to keep serving, to continue fulfilling the oath we took. But to make a real impact, this work requires resources.
For many veterans, service is woven into who we are — it’s a calling that persists, shaping our lives long after we take off the uniform. This Veterans Day is a reminder that our commitment to the country and to democracy endures. We don’t seek recognition or gratitude; we seek opportunities to keep making a difference. Supporting these efforts means empowering veterans to fulfill that drive — to continue serving and to strengthen the foundations of democracy we all depend on.
Holmes is associate vice provost for teaching and learning at Oregon State University and a public voices fellow with The OpEd Project.
According to a recent BBC article, first-time U.S. voters reported “feeling uneasy” prior to the presidential election, with one interviewee describing the election as “very overwhelming” and another saying “it feels like we can’t have as many civil conversations.” Colleges and university classrooms are a valuable place for practicing those civil conversations and learning about the issues impacting their community.
However, college and university enrollments have been steadily dropping due to a mix of ongoing impacts from Covid-19,difficulties with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, fewer numbers of college-aged students (e.g., the projected “enrollment cliff”) and uncertainty about the return on investment of a college degree.
I’m concerned that fewer people are pursuing post-secondary degrees today than they did 10 years ago. This means fewer people are finding themselves in classrooms where they are prompted to talk across differences, exchange ideas and develop empathy in working toward shared goals of learning, growth and higher education.
Political polarization in the United States is deepening and that trend, unfortunately, seems on track to continue. In an AAUP survey, 80 percent of respondents ranked the political atmosphere surrounding colleges and universities as poor or very poor. The combination of lower enrollments and an increasingly poor political atmosphere in higher education has major implications for the health of our democracy.
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I have been teaching public writing and researching civic engagement in higher education for the last 20 years. I assign students to research public issues, to write public letters, emails and op-eds, and to talk with classmates about their evidence-based stances on issues, even if their peers and instructor disagree. I ask students to respectfully engage with others on civic and political issues. I model and facilitate how to listen, learn and share — how to take space and make space. In my courses and others, I see college classrooms playing a vital role in promoting civil discourse, but only if there are students in the seats.
When universities and colleges are fulfilling the role of promoting a healthy democracy, instructors help young people and first-time voters of all ages analyze and discuss issues from different disciplinary perspectives. For my book “Learning on Location: Place-Based Approaches for Diverse Learners in Higher Education,” I interviewed college and university instructors in the United States and Canada about how they leverage engagement with local places such as legislative buildings, city halls and community parks to help students deepen their learning and to civically engage with their communities.
One sociology professor I interviewed told me how he assigns his students to observe eviction court hearings. We talked about the powerful impacts on student learning when they actually experience civic and political spaces. Students come to a different understanding of eviction statistics in Atlanta, for example, when they observe the prevalence of African American women in eviction courts. University courses are places to reflect and try to grapple with inequities in our society, not to advance specific political agendas but to invite engagement in civic and democratic processes.
Of course, there are some professors who try to avoid politics in the classroom altogether and there are others who may overshare their personal political thinking about an issue. However, as a teaching and learning center director at large, high-level research universities — previously in an urban center in the southeast and currently in a smaller city in the Pacific northwest — I find that teachers falling into the extremes of avoiding or pushing politics in the classroom are the exception, not the norm. I talk to college teachers and administrators daily about what’s happening in their classrooms, and they are aware of the hyper-polarization around politics and many are up for the challenge of facilitating those conversations among students.
As young people experience disillusionment with politics and the polarization of society, I hope trusted family members, friends and mentors will encourage them to enroll in college classes — not only to better themselves in their lives and careers but also to disrupt patterns of civic disengagement and to improve our democratic society. I hope students of all ages will see higher education as a valuable space for engaging with people who may have different views or values than your own.
And, if you find yourself in one of my classes, you’ll get to hear my spiel, which I whole-heartedly believe in: that education is a public good, that you are now an academic citizen, and that when the day comes to move the tassel on your graduation cap from right to left, I’ll ask you to remember all the rights, privileges and responsibilities that come with your degree, including being a good steward of our democracy.
