Hold the Line: What You Can Do to Defend Democracy this Election Season

The 2026 midterm elections are less than two weeks away – and right now, our freedom to vote, to have our votes counted, and to have the results respected are all under threat.

With increasing frequency, the Trump Administration makes its intentions clear. Its actions appear designed to stoke fear among voters, intimidate election officials, prevent eligible Americans from casting their ballots, shift election rules, and lay the groundwork to deny the results if their preferred candidates lose. The stakes of this moment are high. If efforts to undermine elections are successful, the democratic progress that our forebears fought and died for will be lost. 

But no administration can subvert elections on its own. Election subversion relies on large numbers of people and institutions following orders, while many others stay home or on the sidelines thinking it’s someone else’s job to push back. That’s why successful democracy defense in the upcoming midterms will depend significantly on local level organizing – and why we invite you to join us in forming a small team to do this vital work in your own community.

Not sure how to get started? That’s where Hold the Line comes in. 

Hold the Line – which was originally developed in 2020, and has recently been updated for 2026 – is a non-partisan effort that includes a guide, trainings, and a growing community to equip everyday citizens with actionable, research-backed strategies to protect our freedom to vote, counter disinformation, and mobilize nonviolently if election integrity is threatened. 

Whether you’re a political newcomer, an experienced local advocate, or anywhere in between, the goal of Hold the Line is to help you and members of your community take action and use your power to ensure successful elections in 2026 and beyond. The four criteria for successful elections are that they must be Free, Fair, Respected, and Safe. 

Accordingly, Hold the Line defines four critical “Red Lines” that should trigger community action: 

1. Voter Disenfranchisement: inaccurate voter roll purges, abrupt polling place closures, and unwarranted restrictions on mail or early voting.
2. Election Betrayal and Disinformation: coordinated campaigns to spread baseless fraud claims, disrupt ballot counts, or dismantle election infrastructure.
3. Refusal to Accept Valid Results: refusal by local, state, or federal officials to certify legitimate results or concede after clear losses.
4. Political Violence and Persecution: intimidation, harassment, threats, or politicized targeting of election workers, poll observers, or voters.

The Hold the Line guide begins by outlining steps you can take as an individual to ensure your constitutional right to vote is being upheld. These include registering to vote if you’re eligible, making a plan to cast your ballot, checking your voter registration, ensuring at least three other eligible voters you know have a plan to vote, and signing up to be a poll worker or poll observer.

We then provide a process to organize an election protection team in your community. This is not as big a lift as you may think. It starts with finding two or three friends or neighbors who are interested in protecting the election. From there, the Hold the Line guide offers meeting agendas, training opportunities, a structure for you to begin assessing options for organizing, and support as you develop a local election protection plan.

We know that organizing to protect elections is new to many people. But with a committed team, some motivation, and a relatively small time commitment, you can have a big impact.

The backbone of this work is preparation and organization. These attributes enable communities to move quickly and powerfully when a Red Line is crossed. Here’s an example of what this looks like: When the Wayne County (Michigan) Board of Canvassers faced political pressure to throw out valid election results in 2020, poll workers, clergy, activists and neighbors in Detroit rapidly mobilized and stood together to demand that the results be respected. Thanks to a groundswell of people signing up to speak at a critical Board meeting, the County Board certified the results.

Then, three days before Michigan’s Board of State Canvassers was set to certify the 2020 elections, the president invited the leaders of Michigan’s state House and Senate to the White House. People in Michigan responded by mobilizing and more than two dozen activists met the Senate Majority Leader at the airport with signs, chanting “protect our vote.” The leaders of Michigan’s House and Senate subsequently issued a joint statement saying they would “follow the law and follow the normal process” regarding Michigan’s electors. Three days later, more than 500 people registered to speak at the Board of State Canvassers and a caravan of more than 100 cars rallied outside the Capitol. After nearly four hours of public comment, the state board certified the results.

The lesson from Michigan is clear: When people are organized, show up, and make it known that they will not accept the Red Lines being crossed, election officials and other power holders are more likely to follow the law. 

We can’t predict exactly when and where election attacks may occur, but grounding election protection work locally allows communities to increase their self-reliance to respond to diverse and rapidly developing circumstances. Local Hold the Line teams grow this capacity – they have the potential to quickly activate a list of family, friends, and neighbors to plan peaceful protests, call on community leaders to take a stand, engage in consumer boycotts, and more — in response to potential disruption. And their work continues during both the pre- and post-election periods. Our defense of democracy extends all the way through January 3, 2027, when the new Congress will be sworn in. 

We hope you’ll join in this fight – because the more of us that stand together, the more powerful we will be. 

The full Hold the Line guide is accessible here. If you want to learn more about democracy protection – and/or form a Hold the Line team, please sign up here.