As a country we are in a full democratic backslide right now, and are careening toward authoritarianism. It can be hard to fully wrap our heads around that. It can feel daunting. 

But the good news is we are not the first people on this planet to experience that – we have everyday people and scholars alike from other countries who we can learn from. And what we know from that research is that we need two things to stop authoritarianism and instead get people sitting in seats of power who will enact OUR agenda. 

One –  we need to engage in elections. 

This is a key tool we have at our disposal. Depending on how things go, we may not have free and fair elections forever. So while we do have elections, we need to fight like hell to win them. Lives depend on it. 

Two – we need to engage in tools outside of the ballot box

Building a mass movement of everyday people like teachers, social workers, accountants, government workers at every level, our neighbors – who will pledge to NOT COOPERATE with what Trump is telling us to do. We can elect fighters who will pledge not to cooperate! and we can do that in our own roles wherever we are.  Are you a school principal and ICE is asking to be let into your school? Nope. Are you a National Guard member and Trump is asking you to turn on peaceful protesters? Nope. Or on a smaller and equally important scale, is a MAGA congressperson holding a town hall in your district and he is asking you to sit quietly while he spews lies? Nope. Research shows that movements can succeed when just  3.5% of the population is actively engaged in sustained, collective action. 

So, our goals as SURJ by the end of 2028 are: 

1. Defeat Trump (and Trumpism) in 2028 at the ballot box, and then defend the results  - because we know he’s gonna try to mess with them. And we know he’s going to try to run for a third term! We’ve all seen his campaign merch store selling 2028 hats, right? He’s made his intentions very clear for years now. 

2. In the meantime, organize our slice of the 3.5% to be ready for strategic noncooperation so we have more tools in our toolbox and are ready if/when the moment comes where elections are no longer free and fair (e.g. if Trump tries to cancel the 2028 election or nullify the results)

3. Along the way, train teams to elect hundreds of candidates fighting for the working class  at all levels of government running united under the same platform who will (unlike current Democratic Party leadership in Congress, unfortunately) pledge to actually fight against MAGA and for the multiracial working class. 

4. And in everything we do, grow the number of supporters and members and help us all develop into strong and powerful organizers so we can be lifelong movement leaders.

   • Because we are getting ready to not just oust Trump but then get right to work rebuilding a society that actually works for all of us. 

   • Because we know with how much DOGE has already cut and how much they’re hollowing out government and the social safety net, that tinkering around the edges won’t cut it - our job is not just to oppose them but paint a picture of the world we wanna see after they’re out and then get to work building it!

• SURJ Chapters and Circles across the country throw down in dozens of local races to elect candidates willing to fight for our people, and get rid of those who won’t! By contributing to at least half of them winning, we’ll demonstrate our capacity to build governing power and be ready to go even bigger in the midterm elections in 2026.

• Thousands of SURJ members will make a total of over 300,000 dials for New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani to send a strong message to the Democratic establishment: the way to win white voters is by taking bold stances on issues that affect the lives of working people of all races. 

• SURJ members will also make over 200,000 dials for Virginia Governor candidate Abigail Spanberger to send a strong message in the referendum of MAGA: white voters say no to MAGA.

• Doing this in a way that – win or lose – we have grown our membership and sharpened our skills so we are more equipped to take on the next campaigns!

A note on how SURJ National staff choose the top 5 priority locations for this fall

Note: these are priority locations just for this fall, based on the current political conditions and campaigns. These may shift for 2026 depending on how congressional races shape up.  

We chose the top 5 locations for this fall  based on these criteria: 

• Is there a strong team, circle, or chapter that is willing and ready to organize hard to flank a local candidate, AND grow as organizers in the process?

• Does this location have a competitive 2026 Congressional race OR is a 2028 swing state?

• Does this location have a compelling candidate, whether or not they were endorsed by the Working Families Party?

• Is this team generally aligned and excited in SURJ National’s long term strategy to win governing power through elections and mass noncooperation?

Why it matters to gather a team

Teams help us make better decisions and reach more people. Have you ever gotten totally stuck making a decision, but then talked to a friend for 5 minutes and felt so much clearer? Or made a decision but totally forgot to consider a major factor, because it just slipped your mind? Or tried to take on planning something big, but failed because you took on too much. We need a team – even if it’s just you plus two friends – in order to take on this work this fall. 

Collective action is the only thing that can get us out of this. Things are serious, and now is not the time to be a lone wolf. Research from other countries shows us our chances at defeating authoritarianism is 52% with a mass movement of everyday people who are resisting, and only 7% without. All of us are responsible for building that mass movement –  it starts with getting at least 2 others to join your team and do this work with you. 

Working in teams is a skill we all have to sharpen. Sometimes it can be challenging to work in a team – but it’s on us to sharpen the skill for how to lead an effective team that can do powerful things together. 

Asking people to join your team

Maybe you’re already part of a SURJ Circle or Chapter, and you know who your team is.

If not, here’s how to build a team: 

1. Make a list of who you can ask. Yes, actually sit down with pen and paper and write a list! It’s organizing wisdom – it actually works. 

   • First think big. Write down every single person who comes to mind in a stream of consciousness, even if you think it’s unlikely they’d ever say yes. Think about: 

     • Family

     • Friends

     • Coworkers

     • Neighbors

     • Hobbies you’re part of

     • Faith groups you’re part of 

     • Acquaintances and social media friends who post political opinions you agree with 

2. Then, order the list in terms of priority: 

   • Who do you most want to be on your team?

   • Who is most likely to say yes? (Note: Those two groups of people are not always the same!)

   • However big you want your team to be, you’ll want to ask at least twice that number to be on your team – since we expect about half of people will say no.

3. Optional: Tweak this sample text to be in your own voice: 

   • Hey ___, I’ve been feeling [totally overwhelmed - or whatever is true for you] reading the news lately and trying to figure out how I could do something. I’ve been getting involved with a group called SURJ, they’re supporting people to find a local candidate near them to support. I’m just getting started researching and getting a couple people together and I thought of you because [genuine and specific reason they came to mind for you].  Would you be down to take a walk this week so I can tell you more and see if it’s something we wanna do together?

4. Hit send!

5. Follow up, and be persistent. People are busy! How many times have you accidentally missed a text? If you haven’t heard back in two days, call them to make sure they got it, and see what questions they are sitting on. 

Recommended Team Roles

It’s common to want to keep things informal on our teams, especially when it’s a smaller team or it’s your friends. But people need clear roles in order to feel like they matter on the team (or else they will think it doesn’t matter whether they’re there or not, and leave) and to feel like they know what they should be doing to keep the work moving forward. 

Our opponents are the billionaires and the authoritarians, and they have a lot of money. But we have the people – so time is our most precious resource. Clear roles help us use that time efficiently. 

• Facilitator - prepares agendas for team meetings, facilitates team meetings, and is the main liaison with SURJ National (attends Peer Support Calls, checks Slack, responds to the coach if you have one)

• Recruitment Captain - makes sure the team is recruiting enough other people to join you in your work so you can meet your goals of turning out votes for the candidate

• Logistics Captain - takes notes at meetings, makes sure the group has a place to meet, finds the details for the candidate canvasses you’ll be attending

Sample Team Meeting Agenda

Coming soon!

Tips for finding out what seats are up in your town:

• Search in Google: 

  • [YOUR COUNTY, STATE] local elections 2025

  • [YOUR TOWN, STATE] local elections 2025

  • [YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, STATE] local elections 2025

• Go to the websites of your local state government

  • Mayor’s website

  • City council website

  • School district website

  • Municipal or county court website

• Go to your county’s Board of Elections

  • Search in Google “[YOUR COUNTY, STATE] board of elections”

  • Try to find the section of the website with a “sample ballot” If it’s already available for the election this year, this will let you see what’s on your ballot.

• Poke around BallotPedia: https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_municipal_elections,_2025 

• Talk to people!

  • Community leaders

  • Community organizations

  • Teachers, faith leaders, social workers

  • Democratic Party or progressive party organizations

  • Text your neighbor who seems to know everybody….

Still can’t find the answer? You’re not alone. Unfortunately a lot of government websites are really hard to navigate. That’s why we’re building a multiracial movement of working people who can support each other :) 

Our Slack (SURJ message board) is a great place to crowdsource tips from others who are also trying to find this info. 

Then, choose which candidate you'll support. 

Choosing which candidate to support can feel daunting. It can feel like we’ll never know enough to be sure if the candidate is trustworthy, or if they hold the “right” stances – or even what the “right” stances are!

The truth is that for most of us, once we spend 20 minutes Googling the candidates, it will become quite clear who you want to support. 

As SURJ National, for legal reasons, we are not able this fall (this may change in the future) to individually vet and sign off on/endorse your decision. So treat this as a chance to practice choosing which candidate to support – it might not be perfect, but you’ll end this year having another rep under your belt. Our goal next year is to support 100 candidates across the country, and we need members across the country to use this fall to try some things, learn a lot, and enter next year feeling a little more confident. 

Here are some places you can go to learn about the candidate:

• The candidate’s campaign website

• Candidate’s social media page

• Past news coverage of the candidate

• Ask around your community:

  • Neighbors

  • nurses or teachers unions

  • Political and community groups like the Working Families Party, LGBTQ groups, immigrant groups, the local Democratic Club or progressive organizations

  • faith leaders you trust

Not sure which race you want to be involved in? You’ll want to weigh things like: 

• Which race can you really make a difference in? Is there a race that’s close, that your support could change the outcome?

• What race has high stakes? Is there a truly evil candidate running, who would wreak havoc in your community if he won?

In place where there are multiple strong candidates competing against each other in a race? What a blessing! That’s a great question to consult your team on, bring to your coach or a Campaign Check In & Peer Support Call and ultimately, try your best, don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good, and get to work supporting them. 

The best way you can have an impact this fall and practice many of the same skills is to get your crew together and join at least three phonebanks this fall. We all get together on Zoom, get trained in the most effective way to have persuasive conversations, and then all make calls together so you can have your questions answered in real time. 

Go here to sign up for our phonebanks on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays! 

Submit this Commitment Form to tell us your plans for the fall! 

After Sept. 15 you’ll still have 6 weeks til election day to meet with your team, choose a candidate, and attend 2+ events to get out the word for the candidate.

Missed the Sept. 18 deadline? Not to worry - we’d still love to know who you’re supporting! Submit the commitment form here.

The billionaires have the money, but we have the people – so people’s time and energy is our most precious resource. Goals help us focus that time and energy and have the biggest impact possible. 

At your team meeting in late September, your team should set a goal for how many phonebank or canvass shifts your team can recruit people to complete. That goal should be both meaningful (taking into account what the candidate needs to actually win) and achievable (taking into account what is possible). 

Remember, setting goals is an art not a science! Take your best guess and don't fall into analysis paralysis. To calculate your goal:

The simple version:

• How many people do you have on your team/volunteering for the campaign now? How many do you want to reach by Election Day that would feel both achievable and like a challenge/stretch that you'd be proud of?

The more complicated version:

• Determine the candidate’s overall “win number” – how many votes (roughly) your candidate will need to win this year. 

  • How many votes did the winning candidate(s) get in your race in the last election? You can typically find this by Googling or calling your local board of elections. If there are multiple win numbers in each year, find their average. 

• Then determine how many phonebank/canvass shifts would be needed to turn out this many votes. 

  • Typically, each individual can have ~8 conversations over a 2-hour phonebank or canvass shift (half that if two people knock on each door).

• Then, figure out -- of all the phonebank/canvass shifts the entire campaign will need, how many of those can you as your SURJ team deliver by recruiting others to join you? What is a number that would both feel achieveable, and like a challenge/stretch that you'd be proud of?

• Finally, based on how many shifts you want to deliver, double that number to figure out how many people you’ll need to ask to take a shift.

  • For example, if you want to deliver 50 shifts, you’ll either need to ask 100 people to do 1 shift, or ask 50 people to do 2 shifts each.

Find and attend canvasses (door knocking sessions) led by the candidate:

• Search the candidate's campaign page or Facebook page to find when they're hosting canvasses (or phonebanks - but we want as many people to get door knocking experience as possible! While phonebanks allow you to reach more people in one shift, face-to-face conversations are proven to be more effective at persuading voters than phone conversations.)

• Put on your SURJ shift, rally your crew, and show up! They will provide you with a list of voters to contact and a script.

How to get out the word to friends and family

• If for some reason the candidate isn't hosting canvasses or phonebanks, please do NOT host your own for compliance reasons. See the "Compliance with Election Laws" section below for more info.

• However, you can methodically organize your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers and make a big impact!

• Sometimes it can feel like you don't know enough people. Use this to get your brainstorm started. We recommend spending time at a team meeting all doing it together.

• Sample call, text, and email scripts - coming soon!

At SURJ, unlike candidates or the Democratic Party, our goal in each election is both to win that election, and to use that election to grow our movement so we are stronger to take on the next campaign -- because we know we're not gonna win the transformative change our world needs in just one election. 

Here are some ideas for how to use the election to grow your team:

• Host an election night potluck to build community, be together when you learn the results, and give people an easy thing to say yes to 

• Block out an hour the day after the election to call every team member/person who canvassed with you this election to ask them how they're feeling about the results, share something you appreciate about them, and invite them to your next circle meeting

• Hold a circle meeting or (simplified) mass meeting within 1 week after the election to debrief the results, celebrate your work win or lose, and move people into next steps 

  • basic debrief template

  • debrief agenda used in Gear Up in spring 2025

  • mass meeting agenda from summer 2025

• Hold 1-1s in December with each team member to ask them how they've learned and grown this year, ask them what skills they want to sharpen next year, and make a hard ask of them to take on a new/increased role on the team 

Updated 8/27/25

This information is intended for SURJ members, circles, and chapters engaged in 2025 local elections campaigns. It includes key information from the SURJ National Organizing Department, as well as steps to take to ensure all campaign work is in compliance with election laws. 

Do your Compliance Research

• Any organizations that are working in elections must comply with federal, state & local election laws. 

• We advise you to look at your state and local elections laws to understand what you can legally do - failure to do so could cause legal challenges and/or significant fees for your group and/or SURJ. 

• It is possible to engage in electoral / candidate races in a variety of ways. Your local laws will help you assess what is the best strategy to engage in. These two resources (here & here) from Bolder Advocacy are a good place to start.

• Even if your chapter isn’t an official legal entity, in some places (such as Ohio), simply being an organized group of people will subject you to specific election laws that must be followed. This is why doing your research is critical.

This fall in our Local Elections Campaign, SURJ National and local SURJ-related groups will NOT be endorsing candidates. Rather, we as SURJ National will be training members how to build a team and choose a candidate to go volunteer for. 

That means that generally SURJ members, chapters, and circles (unless you are a chapter who is a 501(c)3 or has a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor) CAN:

• ✅ Email, text, or call (whether email blasts/phonebanks/textbanks or personal 1-1 emails/calls/texts) chapter members, circle members, SURJ members, or friends and family to tell them to support a candidate

  • The reason: Communications to members of a group (as distinct from the general public) often have less restrictive compliance requirements. However, we ask that you still do your own research into your state and locality’s rules around ‘member communications’ as different states may impose different restrictions.

• ✅ Email, text, or call (whether email blasts/textbanks/phonebanks or personal 1-1 emails/texts/calls) chapter members, circle members, SURJ members, or friends and family to tell them to attend the candidate’s campaign events

• ✅ Wear your SURJ t-shirt while volunteering for the candidate 

• ✅ Still have a big impact! 

Plus, these nonpartisan activities are always allowed, including by chapters who are a 501(c)3 or have a 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor):

• ✅ Telling people to register to vote, or to remember to go vote

• ✅ Telling people in an objective way who is on the ballot and what issue stances the candidates hold (without telling people who to support) – example here

• ✅ Host a townhall where all candidates are invited to attend or are represented, and attendees make their own decision about who to support

This fall, SURJ members, chapters, and circles should NOT:

• ❌ Put a SURJ or chapter logo on the candidate’s website saying you endorsed them 

• ❌ Host or co-host a canvass for a candidate

• ❌ Use your VAN/voter file to cut turf for a candidate’s campaign 

• ❌ Post on social media telling people to support a candidate 

• ❌ Post on social media, including by simply re-sharing the candidate’s post, saying ‘join SURJ members in attending this candidate’s canvass Saturday’

• ❌ Textbank voters or other non-SURJ members

The Hatch Act 

We sometimes get questions regarding the Hatch Act, which is a Federal law specially regarding Federal employees and their allowable political activities. We encourage you to consult this government guide regarding this law for more information if you’re a Federal employee.  

Running as a candidate?

If you are a SURJ member who is running as a candidate, assume we are NOT coordinating with your campaign, unless we have expressly communicated a shared understanding of being “coordinated.” This means neither party may communicate with or consult each other about specific campaign plans, activities, metrics, strategies or tactics. You must follow local, state & federal elections law regarding what constitutes coordinated activities to avoid potential fees and/or legal challenges to your campaign and/or to SURJ. If you (or someone who may be an agent of your campaign i.e campaign staff) are attending a public SURJ event, you may not self-promote your candidacy, campaign events/activities, or exchange information about your campaign plans. 

In regards to your local chapter, you and the chapter must also adhere to local, state and federal election laws. Members of your chapter may volunteer with your campaign so long as they are doing so individually and not as representatives of the chapter or while using chapter funds/resources. The exception to this is the chapter has decided to coordinate with your campaign and you have both agreed to this and the required compliance reporting. Again, both you and your local chapter should do your research to ensure compliance. 

• Slack is our platform for online communication, coordination and community building.  New to Slack? 

  • Click here for a “How-To” guide to get you started!  

• If you’ve never made an account for SURJ National’s Slack for the first time:

  • Click here to make an account

  • Follow the below instructions join appropriate channels. 

• If you already have a Slack account with SURJ National:

  • Join, the X channel 

Support and Tips

SURJ Support: 

• Review this guide! 

• Use the SURJ National member slack: use slack to ask general questions for peer support. Use signal if you want to get into specifics, like naming people, group, events, and places. 

• Connect with your coach for a great source of support. Make sure, again, that if you’re talking specifics, you use signal.

General Safety Tips

• Do not seek out interaction with hostile forces such as counter-protesters, militias, law enforcement, or individuals seeking to escalate a situation. The goal here is to keep things as calm as possible, and focused on your meeting or participation at an action. It is safer to walk away from a potential escalation than to engage with hostile forces. Plus, you want to keep the story of your action focused on your goals.

• Do not engage in any illegal activity.

• If you’re a SURJ Member, part of a SURJ Chapter, or an Action Host, report any safety or security incidents to SURJ National within 48 hours. Please tell your coach what happened with as much detail as possible – and make sure to share those details only on signal or a zoom call. Your coach will tell staff as soon as possible. Together, we’ll make a plan for any needed follow up.

Collective care

• At an action, everyone should have a buddy or group to stick with! That’s why having a meet-up before going to a rally, is a great way to participate in an action, with safety in mind.  You should leave together, too. Make sure your buddy/ whole group gets home safe. 

• Make sure everyone knows their participation is a personal decision; if your gut says to leave, listen to it.

• Someone in your group, whether you’re going to an action or you’re hosting a meeting, should carry snacks, water, and a first aid kit – that way your group can take care of any minor injuries, and everyone can keep their blood sugar stable and energy up. 

Know your rights: 

• Read this Know Your Rights booklet from the National Lawyers Guild.

• Listen to this Know Your Rights mixtape with accurate legal information. Great way to practice saying statements aloud (15 minutes)

• Watch this 1-hour Know Your Rights training on youtube by Civil Liberties Defense Center

Selected additional resources:

• A TroubleMakers Guide: Principles for Racial Justice Activists in the face of State Repression by Catalyst Project

• Security Culture for Activists by the Ruckus Society

• 26 ways to be in the struggle, beyond the streets by Disability Visibility Project

After the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, much of SURJ’s organizing went online. In the last year or so, SURJ National has re-committed to in person organizing as a key way of connecting with people who are hungry for meaning-making and a political home. As we return to more and more in-person organizing, here are accessibility considerations that we’d like you to take into account. 

COVID Safety 

COVID-19 and other viruses continue to spread, and there are people in all our communities who have long COVID or are immunocompromised. So we encourage you to practice COVID-safer meetings by wearing masks, providing rapid tests for folks to use on-site or take home to test with later, and considering having good ventilation or even finding an outdoor meeting space (weather permitting!). 

Accessible Meeting Spaces

We want to be a place where all people can come grapple with the stakes of this moment, get inspired, and move into action. And we know that people with disabilities have a clear shared interest in the future we are fighting for: one where all of us can live with dignity and with the support we deserve. It can feel easy to just think ‘My mass meeting will be small, and I don’t personally know anyone who uses a wheelchair,” and both those things may be true – but we want to plan for the fact that all sorts of new people might stream in the door day-of (who knows what will have happened in the headlines that week) and we don’t want anyone to show up feeling like we created a meeting that they can’t access. 

If possible, please consider picking locations that’s accessible by elevator or ramp. And one key thing to practice is to include in your meeting description details about how accessible your space is - like if there are stairs or nearby parking spots - so people know ahead of time and can assess if that is accessible for them.  You may choose to host your meeting online as well. Tips coming soon on how to host a powerful online meeting space.