FEBRUARY 28, 2026

CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT - The University of Colorado
Democracy Matters at the U of Colorado – founded just last September by Hannah Feinner – has grown into one of our most active chapters. DM members joined protests against ICE and hosted an “I Love Democracy” event where students called their representatives, urging support for pro-democracy legislation.
Colorado DM is also planning a “Civil Debate” night to model positive discourse on controversial issues like the war on Iran and gun control. Subcommittees regularly table and create programming on climate change, elections, and basic rights. And DM is already mobilizing students to participate in “No Kings” rallies later this month in Boulder and Denver. 
https://www.democracymatters.org/action-campaigns    

QUOTES OF THE MONTH 

“Not voting is not a protest. It’s a surrender.” Keith Ellison, former Minnesota Attorney General
“Voting is not only our right—it’s our power.” Loung Ung, Human Rights Activist

IDEAS OF THE MONTH - Fighting for the Vote 1848 and 2026

In March, Women’s History Month reminds us of a time when, like today, many Americans could not vote. But in 1850 women fought back with rallies, hunger strikes and hundred-mile marches. Ridiculed, jailed, and force-fed, they finally won the right to vote in 1920 after sixty years of organizing. This year, more than a hundred years later, millions of Americans are again marching to protect the right to vote. This time, it’s Donald Trump and his MAGA enablers who are attacking and undermining that freedom. At “No Kings” protests across the country on March 28th, a broad coalition of Americans will be demanding a real democracy – not a king. Acting with the same determination, bravery and persistence as suffragists, we will rally to make certain that, this November and beyond, every citizen can freely cast a vote that counts.  
A NOVEMBER 2026 ELECTION?

The Steady State, an organization of hundreds of former intelligence analysts and FBI, CIA and national security professionals, is speaking out against the destruction of our democracy. In discussions with Democracy Matters students, the organization’s Executive Director Steven Cash has explained that because of Trump’s unprecedented attacks on elections, we may not see a fair and free vote this November…and perhaps no election at all.  But at the same time, Cash insists that such a damaging outcome is not inevitable. He argues that the widespread and growing resistance to Trump may yet thwart the President’s attempted authoritarian takeover. 

A DEMOCRATIC FUTURE FOR US ?

Among both Democrats and Independents today, Trump’s approval ratings are abysmal. But many of these same voters also express disapproval of today’s Democratic Party.
If Democrats are to soundly defeat Trump and significantly transform our institutions, the Party must genuinely change. It must offer a new vision that convincingly coommunicates the specific steps by which an inclusive and just American future will be constructed.

FACTS YOU CAN USE  - Defeat the SAVE Act

Congressional Republicans have launched a renewed push to undermine November’s election. The SAVE**Act, recently passed by the House of Representatives, would seriously undermine Americans’ freedom to vote. The Act requires citizens to show documents like passports or birth certificates to register to vote. More than twenty million Americans lack ready access to those documents, and younger voters and voters of color would suffer disproportionately.  The Senate has yet to vote on the Act. So there is still time to block this anti-democratic bill from passage.

Call your Senator now to demand a NO vote on the SAVE Act.