CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS
We're excited to welcome many new Democracy Matters chapters, including those at the University of Hawaii, the University of Massachusetts, Skidmore and Middlebury Colleges, Utah State, Syracuse University and the University of North Carolina.
NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY SEPTEMBER 15th
Democracy Matters chapters will celebrate by registering students to vote, checking their registration information, providing details about early voting and transportation to the polls, and creating a personal voting plan for every student.
NATIONAL ACTION - HANDS OFF OUR ELECTIONS
The Indivisible Coalition has issued a call for national demonstrations and early voting. Together we'll send a clear message to Trump.
NO KINGS - VOTE EARLY!
When: November 17, 2026
Where: EVERYWHERE ( city, town or village near you)
What: RALLIES and then reaching out in your community to ensure everyone is registered and can vote.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." Abraham Lincoln
IDEAS OF THE MONTH
Campus Outreach - Tabling Petition Campaigns
State Representatives - Ask students to sign petitions urging their state reps to make elections free and fair.
Members of Congress - Ask students to sign petitions demanding that Congress stop the expansion of data centers and regulate AI.
DM Meetings – DM Members in Action.
Make a Call – DM members call their elected representatives to leave a message about an issue they care about (e.g. stop climate change, lower the cost of college, hands off our elections etc.).
Write a Card - DM members write postcards to elected representatives on an issue; or they write cards for low-turnout voters, urging them to vote.
SAVING THE 2026 MIDTERMS
Concerned about the upcoming midterm elections, Mandle urges serious attention to the mobilization of a grassroots defense of the electoral process.
He argues that now is the time to prepare coordinated “rapid response” contingency action plans. These will be needed as long as Trump threatens our voting and tries to manipulate the outcomes of our elections.
https://www.democracymatters.org/money_on_my_mind/saving-the-2026-midterms/
FACTS YOU CAN USE
Young activists are taking on a new foe: the proliferation of AI data centers, concerned about the amount of water that data centers consume, the potential to worsen air pollution, and their incessant noise.
Recent polling by Pew Research reports that 54% of adults under 30 years believe that "data centers have a mostly negative effect on the environment." That 54% of younger people compares with 44% of adults (ages 30 to 49), 35% (of those 50 to 64), and 26% (of those 65 and older.)
The United States now has more than 4,000 data centers, with especially large numbers in Virginia, Texas and California. A student in Virginia has launched a club he calls Students Against High-Voltage Expansion.
Students are also concerned about AI itself. At graduation ceremonies around the country this spring, college students showered boos on the commencement speakers who were optimistic about AI.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/style/ai-data-centers-teens.html?searchResultPosition=5
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/12/how-americans-view-data-centers-impact-in-key-areas-from-the-environment-to-jobs/