Nice job everyone! If there's anyone following this thread who wants to help out in the midterms but doesn't know how, speak up! We can brainstorm and recommend options. There are races everywhere and at all levels, not just federal, and they can use a variety of skills and volunteer activities. Calling, texting, door-knocking, data entry, food donations, etc. You may not be up for a day of canvassing, but maybe you can print out materials or help in a field office for a couple hours. I always find it fun to hang out with the campaign staff and other volunteers. Very cool, inspiring vibe.
My big move: I got a job! I wanted to be a world-class couch-surfer in FIRE, but instead I started working in the political realm. My day job will have a direct, positive impact on the midterms and beyond. I'm also planning to donate much of my salary to charitable and political causes, since I don't need the money.
Smaller, but still important move: This weekend I will be volunteering with a sexual health org at the DC Pride Parade. "Condom Orientation" is on the official agenda. That makes me giggle. Maybe I am not mature enough for this...
[SAPPINESS ALERT]
I'm so happy that this thread is still going, eighteen months and a thousand posts in. Y'all are awesome. Some people are dismissive of small, sustainable actions, but everything adds up. They can also be a stepping stone to larger things, as you gain knowledge and make connections with other passionate people. I am seeing many of my volunteer buddies go on to run for local office or get jobs on campaigns, putting their expected career path on hold or abandoning it completely. There are friends taking a semester off from law school so they can work for Beto O'Rourke, or taking a sabbatical so they can devote more time to unpaid activism. People who now give speeches at events and are featured on TV because a year ago they decided to devote their weekends to a cause.
Two years ago, I could not have predicted that I'd have a network of campaign friends across the country, a grassroots advocacy group to my name, and a sweet job with bean bag chairs and free ice cream, but here I am.
This thread was one of the first steps I took after the election to do something. Even if it didn't go anywhere, I felt like I had to try whatever I could. So thanks to everyone who has contributed and is doing their part to make a difference!