The Pulse – 10/22/26: The case for crossing the divide
This is an issue of the Bioneers Pulse, an email newsletter filled with insights into the people, projects, and organizations creating lasting change in the world. Subscribe to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox.
Democracy Is a Verb
Less than two weeks before the midterms, the rules and protections that shape who gets to vote, and whose vote counts, are under strain.
In April, the Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, sharply weakening the Voting Rights Act’s protections against maps that dilute the voting power of communities of color. Within days, Republican-led legislatures in Alabama and Tennessee started special redistricting sessions. In a Votebeat survey of 37 election experts, a majority expected federal agents to attempt to disrupt voting or the counting of ballots. And cybersecurity researchers warn that the biggest threats may target voters rather than ballots, through phishing, impersonation, and AI-driven misinformation meant to erode trust in the process.
But democracy has never been something that’s simply handed to us. It’s built by people who show up. In this newsletter, sociologist Manuel Pastor makes the case for a broad, durable coalition anchored in shared values, and former Maine state senator Chloe Maxmin shares what it takes to earn trust down rural dirt roads where no candidate had ever knocked. We look to Haudenosaunee traditions of governance for other models of democracy, and share ways you can help protect the vote this November.
Stories, Voices, and Perspectives
Highest Common Ground: A Conversation with Manuel Pastor
A broad coalition doesn’t have to settle for the mushy middle. USC scholar Manuel Pastor argues for a multiracial, multi-class “durable supermajority” anchored by progressive principles, built on shared values of opportunity, dignity, and community. Ahead of the midterms, he talks immigration, climate as an affordability issue, and how to prepare to rebuild after this era.
Showing Up for Rural America: A Conversation with Chloe Maxmin
You can’t represent people you’ve never talked to. Chloe Maxmin learned that knocking on doors in rural Maine, where she won two state races in conservative districts by reaching out to Republicans and independents that many campaigns had never contacted. Now co-founder of Dirtroad Organizing, she talks about rural disenfranchisement, the power of local office, and why year-round, face-to-face organizing is what holds democracy together.
Further Reading from Our Community
- A Country in Search of Repair: Niketa Brar of the Democracy & Belonging Forum asks what’s really broken about American democracy, and what it would take to build one rooted in repair.
- Native Americans Build Strategies to Overcome Voter Suppression: Barn Raising Media reports on how Native communities are preparing to protect their vote this November.
- End Times Fascism: Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor on the apocalyptic worldview driving today’s far right, and what it will take to counter it.
- How to Combat Fear in the November Midterms: Practical guidance from Waging Nonviolence for staying grounded and engaged heading into Election Day.
Book Club: American Indigenous Democracy: A Call for Interdependence
What can Haudenosaunee traditions of governance teach us about the democracy we’re fighting for now? Join Bioneers Learning on Wednesdays, Nov. 18–Dec. 9, to read this anthology featuring Oren Lyons, the late John Mohawk, Katsi Cook, and others, with a foreword by Baratunde Thurston. Participants will talk with one another and hear directly from contributors about Indigenous ways of living as an alternative to today’s political dilemmas. Registration opens soon; sign up now for an early bird invite.
What You Can Do
- Know who to call if something goes wrong at the polls. Election Protection runs a free voter hotline in all 50 states: 866-OUR-VOTE. Save it and share it before November 3, or sign up to volunteer in person or from home.
- Make sure you and the people you care about are ready to vote. Fair Elections Center keeps an up-to-date 2026 Election Survival Guide and tools to check your registration status. If you’ve ever considered becoming a poll worker, their Work Elections Project can help you get started.
- Back the officials who run our elections. Local election officials are on the front lines this year, facing threats from federal investigations to the possibility of immigration agents at polling sites. Public Rights Project offers them free legal support. If you know a county clerk or local official, send this their way, or support the work directly.
“Equity is fundamentally about opportunity, dignity, and community. People want to have the ability to work hard and get ahead. They want to be deeply respected for who they are and what they do, and to exist in community. When you appeal to those broad values, you build coalitions that are more lasting.”
— Manuel Pastor
