Some advocacy groups try to influence lawmakers, others focus on making change through the courts. And then there are those working to engage the "regular" people by encouraging them to take action.
Now that voting has begun in much of the country, many democracy reform groups are stepping up their efforts to support voters by offering a trove of online tools designed to educate and engage the electorate in the final days of one of the most consequential presidential elections ever — and one facing a unique range of challenges because of the pandemic.
Below is a sampling. Find the one that's right for you. And if we missed something, let us know at newsroom@thefulcrum.us.
Cleveland Clinic and Bipartisan Policy Center: Voting Amid Covid-19
"We've created this book to provide guidance on precautions you can take to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community from further spread while exercising your right to vote. Voting in the middle of a pandemic will be unlike anything we've experienced in the past century. By understanding your rights and being prepared ahead of time, you can ensure your voice is heard."
Ballotpedia: Election Help Desk
"The 2020 election is taking place against a backdrop of uncertainty. We understand you may have questions about what to expect in elections at all levels of government, from the casting of ballots to the certification of final results. We are dedicated to providing you with accurate, objective, and measured answers to those questions."
Democracy Docket: Voter Dashboards
"Our Voter Dashboards aim to help you—and voters everywhere— make a plan to vote by providing accurate information about the voting laws in your state."
Democracy for President: A Guide to How Americans Can Strengthen Democracy During a Divisive Election
"This report aims to describe how Americans are experiencing this election season. It examines Americans' attitudes, beliefs, and feelings toward the state of democracy, and covers core concerns related to the integrity of the election. ... This report also seeks to provide nonpartisan guidance for what Americans can do to strengthen our democracy in the coming weeks and months."
Headcount: Early and Mail-in Voting in Your State
"Warning: Mail-in voting is a convenient and safe way to vote, but if your ballot is submitted late or with errors, it might not count. So follow the directions below to make your vote count."
League of Women Voters: Guidance and Considerations for the 2020 General Election
"While the novel coronavirus outbreak is an ever-changing situation, we know that the risk of COVID-19 spread increases based on the number of people an individual interacts with and the length of time of the interaction. The following guidance and key considerations for the 2020 General Election come from the League's election preparation expertise, lessons learned from the 2020 Primaries, and recommendations from the CDC. No voter should have to choose between their safety and casting a ballot."
National Vote at Home Institute: Elections Officials Communications Toolkit
"This Election Official Communications Toolkit is for all election officials, but particularly those of you who are looking to add more tools to your box. Whether you have no communications capacity or a large budget, you can find something useful to include in your elections communications plan."
Nonprofit Vote: Voter Registration Toolkit and Get Out the Vote Toolkit
"Nonprofits have more than 10 million employees and engage more than 60 million volunteers each year. Let's make our voices heard."
PEN America: What to Expect This Election Season
"The 2020 general election will be unlike any previous election, happening against the backdrop of a pandemic, and with disinformation running rampant. It's vital that voters know what to expect. Here are five things to keep in mind."
RepresentUs: 6 Steps to Save the Vote
"We are a fiercely non-partisan movement with one mission: Protect democracy. President Trump's public statements have made it clear he's laying the groundwork for an electoral coup. This is beyond partisanship. We must act now. The more steps you take, the bigger difference you make."
A golden tray sits on the Resolute Desk as President Donald Trump speaks during an announcement on American nuclear innovation in the Oval Office at the White House on July 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Trump is signing multiple executive orders targeting the nuclear energy sector and easing rules for new reactors and nuclear fuel supply chains.
Trump’s hubris rivals the fallen heroes of ancient Greek mythology
In January, the New York Times asked President Donald Trump if there were any limits on his global powers.
“Yeah,” the president responded, “there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
That was eight months ago, but fortunately Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of “The Odyssey” has made ancient Greek literature newly relevant. Before that window closes, I’d like to talk about hubris.
Today, the term mostly means excessive pride or arrogance. That’s part of what the Greeks meant by it too, but the meaning was a bit richer and more specific. Hubris was an insolent or outrageous act that offended the gods, often because the transgressor was claiming abilities or authorities that solely belonged to supreme beings.
Nolan renamed and slightly modified the concept of xenia for the film, calling it “Zeus’ law.” In the director’s telling, mortals should follow the rules laid out by the gods, specifically the requirement to treat strangers with respect lest they be gods in disguise.
In a sense, hubris is the opposite, or at least the rejection, of xenia. The hubris of the suitors, and at times Odysseus himself, invites punishment by the gods and their mortal instruments.
Which brings me back to Donald Trump. His claim that there are no constraints on his personal power to dictate events on the global stage was one of the greatest expressions of hubris ever uttered by a political leader.
Trump’s claim was obviously false when he made it.
He vowed that he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours. He’s proved powerless to make that happen. If he had divine powers to work his will, why would he have balked at implementing his tariffs so often that Wall Street adopted the “TACO trade” term for his deals? “TACO” stands for “Trump always chickens out.”
And why would Trump have made so many embarrassing concessions to China — from rescinding tariffs on Chinese goods to allowing them to buy crucial and incredibly valuable computer chips?
But Trump saw his success at capturing Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro as proof of his ability to launch missiles to the same effect as Zeus’ lightning bolts. Trump believed he was the most powerful man who ever lived.
This is no exaggeration. In March, when the Iran invasion seemed successful, Trump gave a document penned by“Presidential Historian David King” to New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan purporting to prove that Trump was “the most powerful person to have EVER walked this planet.” King was, in fact, a businessman and occasional caddy for legendary golfer Gary Player.
King compared Trump favorably to many of history’s most powerful, and often heinous, figures: Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, William the Conqueror, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joseph Stalin, Genghis Khan, Mao Tse Tung, Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin. Many of these men thought they were the most powerful person in the world, too. And many were defeated precisely because they believed it.
At least Napoleon and Hitler had a string of truly impressive victories before they learned the folly of hubris. The limits on Trump’s power have been exposed by far less august forces than the combined might of the allies in World War II or the fearsome Russian winter.
Iran is a comparatively middling power. But the regime’s ability to absorb punishment while imposing its will on the Strait of Hormuz has proved to be a greater constraint on Trump’s power than his morality or mind. We should note that, at least rhetorically, his morality has not proved much of a constraint. He has repeatedly promised to destroy Iranian “civilization” if the regime refuses to capitulate.
But they haven’t — and won’t anytime soon — because the regime’s tolerance for pain far outstrips Trump’s. The combined fear of skyrocketing oil prices, outrage of Gulf state potentates, diminishing weapon supplies and domestic unpopularity is doing the work that international law, congressional oversight and the collective opinion of foreign policy experts can’t or won’t do.
If I considered Trump more heroic than reason and facts could allow, I would say his Sisyphean predicament has the whiff of Greek tragedy to it. Trump is vexed by the fact that the Iranians won’t honor deals or ratify his countless premature claims of victory — giving new meaning to his vow that his presidency would make people tired of winning. It’s almost like they’re out-Trumping Trump.
Things might have gone better if he’d heeded that great Greek tragedian Sophocles: “For Zeus utterly abhors the boasts of a proud tongue.”
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Jonah Goldberg is editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and the host of The Remnant podcast. His Twitter handle is @JonahDispatch.