Everyone who has the right to vote must vote. We must send a clear message to authoritarians that we reject their plan, and reject division. We stand together, in numbers they cannot deny.
On the eve of elections in the United States, I never thought I’d be in the Alps for the first time. But this is where I am, and where I need to be - meeting with movement leaders from around the world at the Democracy Resilience Forum, a week of honest exchange between leaders from places where our right to vote is under attack.
I am one of fifty leaders from five continents invited here by Salzburg Global, an organization born out of the ashes of World War II to help “open-minded leaders overcome barriers and open a world of possibilities.” This group helped rebuild Europe, then with the fall of the Berlin Wall, expanded their horizons around the globe.
Conversations in Salzburg have helped shape global responses to the AIDS and COVID crises, establish an international order to defend human rights, reform South Africa after apartheid, and bring peace to Ireland through the Good Friday agreements.
Americans were involved in Salzburg’s early days mostly as benefactors. At that time, through the Marshall Plan, the Peace Corps and USAID, the United States wanted to be seen by other nations as a beacon of peace, security, and generosity. While many of us knew this was not always true, at least our leaders said we were a democracy, and always would be.
Times have changed. The United States is no longer a beacon of democracy. Our leaders enrich themselves at our expense, and try to keep us from voting. We have abandoned foreign aid and public health, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. We side with despots and tyrants, not those who want peace. Armed militias roam our streets, arresting anyone who looks or sounds foreign. Federal agents raid the homes of elected officials, and seize voting rolls. Our democracy is at its weakest since the Civil War, and many have lost faith in our government.
The United States long thought we could help others. Now we need help. That’s why I’m grateful to be here - because if we want to keep our democracy, we need to learn from those who have saved their own. We once thought we could heal the world; now we need the world’s help.
The movement for social justice in the United States is large and vibrant. Over two centuries, we helped end slavery and racial segregation, win voting rights for all, and dignity for working people. Yet we have become fragmented, so are now unprepared for the rise of authoritarianism. This rise is fueled by the wealth of a few billionaires, who seek to divide us and buy our government.
That’s why the organization I lead, People’s Action, has been working hard to bring people together and rebuild our democratic life. I'm so proud of our members, people like Kevin and Cherie in Iowa, who are reaching out to election auditors in every one of their state’s 99 counties, and Elaine in Arkansas, who is registering voters who do not know they have the right, and Allison in Ohio, who is preparing to ensure every eligible vote in her state is counted.
Last October, we gathered more than a thousand senior organizers like these in Washington, D.C. for a “Pro-Democracy Boot Camp,” to build a shared strategy to defend our right to vote. We also invited guests who have led successful movements in South Korea, Brazil, Serbia and Kenya. Many of our leaders, inspired by what they heard, went home to organize their members to protect elections where they live, knowing voters will be intimidated and challenged.
This was part of our Organizing Revival, an effort to promote more cooperation to create a stronger movement for social justice. This initiative has grown to include all of the largest networks of powerbuilding and faith-based grassroots groups in the United States, representing millions of members, and organized labor.
If there’s one thing we are learning in the United States, it’s that if we want democracy to survive, it is up to us. No one is coming to save us. Yet no one, or single organization, can do this alone: we can only do it together. We must stand together in this moment.
As organizers in the United States, we are fortunate to have resources and a sense of security many do not have. In Salzburg, I have heard stories of the immense personal risks organizers around the world take in their daily lives, at great cost, only because it is the right thing to do.
And democracy in the United States, while weakened, still stands. So everyone who has the right to vote must vote this November. We must send a clear message to the authoritarians that we reject their plan, and reject division: we stand together in numbers they cannot deny.
So we must vote, then stay vigilant until every vote is counted and results are certified. If we do this, we can reclaim our democracy. If we don’t, it will take many years to recover. Many will try to intimidate and threaten us, but we must stay strong. Our votes are our last lever of democracy, so we must make them count.
I, for one, believe organized people can be an antidote to the rise of authoritarianism we see around the world. I have seen this power in action too many times to not believe we can do it now.
We are fighting for our very humanity. We are fighting for our families and our communities, with all those who share our hope for a better future. We are fighting for dignity, decency, and fairness - not just for ourselves, but for every one of us. That’s what it means to fight for democracy. We are fighting for what makes us human. All we need to start is us.
