We are hours away from the most consequential election - perhaps the most important choice - of our lifetimes. At People’s Action, we’ve been working hard to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because we know they are the only candidates with a plan to improve our health, our economy, and our future. 

If you’ve been reading my columns, you already know a second Trump presidency would be a disaster for our climate, health, economy, workers, immigrants, and government. What Trump wants will be bad for every one of us. But what do we want, and how can we get there?

For months, our deep canvass volunteers have been listening to everyday people all across the country, especially in battleground states, about their hopes and dreams for the future - what we can build together, and how our votes will shape the country we live in. 

We’ve already reached out to more than three million undecided voters, and we’ll have many more conversations by Election Day. What we’re hearing is already changing the lives of everyone involved, but it’s also giving us the map for how we come together in 2025 and beyond.  

Here’s what we’re hearing: everyone we talk with, whether they support Harris or Trump, wants to save our country. People are struggling to make ends meet. They want to offer their loved ones a brighter future, yet don’t always feel elected officials hear or understand the challenges they face. They are deeply motivated by their values, and many by their faith. 

When we talk with our neighbors with open hearts, as these volunteers do, we create common ground. Here’s what some of what they say about their deep canvassing experiences:

"Practicing these conversations has supported me in leading with my heart more in everyday life, and staying in hard conversations,” says Halle, who has been talking with voters in Michigan. “It is also a practice that helps bridge the gaps between a liberatory vision of our world, day-to-day organizing, and community practices with one another."

“Some of the voters at the doors welcome us with open arms, because they have nobody else to talk to,” says Ashlee from North Carolina. “We’re talking about the American Dream, and economic issues, really digging deep and having those emotional conversations. We’re telling our stories and getting them to tell their stories. it’s such a beautiful experience, because people don’t really communicate anymore.”

Conversations like these tell us that no matter what happens on Tuesday, we know exactly what we need to do in 2025. We must continue to organize and build powerful human connections like these. Because only together can we move forward.

We know that when we organize, we can build bridges and be the antidote to divisions and even despair. The powerful weaponize our differences - and even our faith - to keep us apart. They use lies and misinformation to create mistrust. They don’t care about bringing us together, as long as they get more.  

The good news is that the uber-rich and powerful don’t get to decide our future: we do. When we vote, we decide who represents us, and if we support good government, our votes empower us to hold every elected official to account and ensure they work for the people, not for themselves and their wealthy friends. 

Our work as community organizers truly starts after Election Day, because that’s when each and every one of us will have to turn to our neighbors, join hands, and start to build the future that we want: a brighter future for all of us. At People’s Action, we will work every day with our members in every community to ensure democracy lives up to its promises where we live, and our elected officials work with us to improve all of our lives. 

Together we can win. Together we will win. And together, we will build this brighter future. 

Will you join us?