???? Help get out the vote!

Hi y’all,

Happy Wednesday!

Before getting into the election and an opportunity to help get out the vote, I just wanted to say thank you and give a quick update on the Kickstarter campaign.

The Kickstarter for “Your Guide to Climate Action” has been a big success!

A BIG thank you to everyone who has supported the Kickstarter campaign so far by making a pledge to get the book and/or has spread the good word by sharing it with others. I really, really appreciate it :)

That being said, there is still time for anyone who wants to support this work and get an early copy of the book! You can support the Kickstarter and get the book here.

(I’ve heard some people found Kickstarter a little tricky. I’m sorry about that - here are instructions that hopefully help if that’s you!)

Opportunities to help get out the vote for the 2024 election

Let’s start with the call to action.

I’ll be phone banking with Climate Changemakers on Friday at 12:30 pm EDT to help get out the vote in Pennsylvania - the most important swing state. I’d love for you to join me (or find another opportunity that works for you if you can’t!)

You can register for Friday here and find many other opportunities to act before the election here.

Why this matters

The 2024 US election is massively important for what our future will look like both in the US and around the world. Trump and his extremist MAGA movement pose a threat to our fundamental freedoms, democracy, climate, and much more.

The Presidential choice is pretty stark:

• A convicted felon (with multiple trials still pending) vs. a prosecutor
• Someone who attempted a coup to stay in power vs. someone who didn’t and will respect people’s votes
• Someone who only cares about himself vs. someone who is capable of empathy and cares about working-class people
• Someone who believes climate change is a hoax and recently asked big oil for $1 billion in exchange for doing what they want him to do vs. someone who will at least move us in the right direction on climate and clean air overall (...though I wish we'd move past this “all of the above” energy strategy because the science is crystal clear: we’ve got to get off fossil fuels asap)

But our information ecosystem is fairly polluted. And our highly unequal economy has many millions of people hurting.

So, as of now, it looks like it will be very close. And it also seems like Trump won’t accept the results if he loses…again. So, like I wrote before the 2020 election:

“we will also likely have to deal with him contesting the results of the election itself in the days, weeks, and maybe months that follow.

The best defense against all of this - the best way to save democracy and take big steps on climate is to defeat Trump in a landslide.

What can you do to help?

Make sure you are registered and have a plan to vote.

Just as importantly, ask your friends and family if they are voting. Encourage them and help them to vote if need be.

Remember, your family and friends inherently tend to trust and listen to you more than they do the news or campaigners. This love tap of peer pressure works about as well now as it did in middle school. Use it.

This is especially important if you know people living in the following swing states because this is where the election will ultimately be decided…”

They’re more or less the same as 2020 but updating the swing states here: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Nebraska’s 2nd district.

"I know, I know. I'm tired. You're probably tired.

But this is way bigger than us.

And we only get to do the next [21] days once.

We will win if enough of us work hard for our future together.

So let's help make it happen.

We've got this."

Much love,

Ryan

P.S. I will keep publishing the newsletter here on LinkedIn for some time, but I would love it if you subscribed to the newsletter on substack. It's free and I believe it will be better for both you and me going forward - thank you!