Day by day, it’s becoming more difficult to predict any outcomes of the midterms. It’s especially difficult to predict how Republicans might respond to varying degrees of defeat at the polls. President Trump has made his intentions to steal and bribe his way toward a MAGA victory very clear. This has included aggressively demanding the passage of the SAVE Act, which was designed to limit access to voting. It has also included more off-the-wall, farcical schemes like offering straight-up $5000 bribes to every American if Republicans win. But the threat is serious: we’ve seen his administration send federal goon squads to local elections boards and organizing groups as an intimidation tactic over the past few years. It’s intensifying with investigations into sitting members of the opposition, like the search executed by Homeland Security Investigations agents at the home of Representative Ilhan Omar.
But we aren’t powerless in the face of this antidemocratic abuse. Many organizing efforts are underway around the country to make sure next month’s elections are as safe, fair, and secure as possible. Many scenarios being gamed out involve public-facing protest against federal interference should it happen.
Artists and organizers Rachel Schragis and Josh Yoder, who make up the movement and protest art collective Look Loud, worked with organizations across the country to understand what election defense should look like. After talking with organizers about the necessary optics and strategy, they created what they’re calling the Election Defense Visuals Drive–a collection of art and templates that are freely available for any movement organization or activist to download and print to use in defending election integrity in their area.
The drive is full of art which is ready to send straight to a printer, stencil and design templates to make your own, and even slogan brainstorming for concise messaging. You can access it now at lookloud.org/electiondefense and there will also be a link to the drive in this episode’s show notes for anyone interested in putting it to use in their own election defense work.
Rachel and Josh join the show to discuss the idea and purpose behind this toolkit as well as the deep consideration that goes into protest optics, down to details like color choice and word counts.
Resources From This Episode
- “Seeing Our Power: How Visual Strategy Fuels Our Movements” by Rachel Schragis and Josh Yoder
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Episode Guests
Rachel is a cultural worker, organizer and co-lead of the visual strategy team Look Loud. She is a lifelong New Yorker and former elementary art school art teacher who entered movements by making posters and banners for Occupy Wall Street. Rachel’s work focuses on crafting participatory visual tools for wielding power. Formerly part of the visuals team for Sunrise Movement and the People’s Climate March, with Look Loud she has developed props and curricula in support of groups including the Cop City Referendum campaign, Firelands, GreenFaith, Hands Off NYC, If Not Now, Mennonite Action, People’s Action, Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Rising Majority and Uncommitted. She is a member leader at Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, a co-founder of the contradiction-mapping project @vent_diagrams, and a co-founder of the NYC social movement art spaces Many Hands Workshop and Building Stories.
Josh Yoder is an organizer from South Central Pennsylvania where he’s worked on pipeline fights, housing justice, anti-war organizing, congressional campaigns, and defending rural voting rights. His work focuses on supporting narratives and tactics to make the jump between digital and physical space. As co-lead of Look Loud, he has developed visual strategy props and curricula in support of movement groups including Cop City Referendum campaign, GreenFaith, Hands Off NYC, If Not Now, Mennonite Action, People’s Action, Sunrise Movement, Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Rising Majority, and Uncommitted.