In this issue
- Training & Resources
- Contact Congress (even if they are useless bastards)
- Precinct Caucus – Tuesday, February 3-7
- No Kings Protest, March 28
- Protect the 2026 Elections
- Inspiration
You don’t have to do everything. But do something.
Training & Resources
Defend 612 has local and national resources for legal issues, rapid response best practices, school patrol, where to get whistles and more.
Eyes on Ice – Document & Record – This is a recording of a training about exercising your rights in a moment when federal agents are terrorizing our communities and using excessive force. A neighbor writes: “A mix of practical information and encouraging words. Not too in depth but helpful I thought.”
2. Contact Congress (even if they are useless bastards)
If Congress were functioning properly and keeping Trump in check, we would not be in the crisis that we are in. So, contacting our reps might seem futile. It isn’t. We should all do that. In addition, we need to be asking others to do it. That is where our power is. We must turn up the volume.
Action: Gather and list ways we can lobby our friends , family and neighbors to raise their voices. Try some things. See what works. Share what works. We need your creativity in this moment.
How do I contact my representatives?
Indivisible
Indivisible ma1kes it easy to contact your congressional representatives. Regarding ICE, they have talking points if you need a place to start. They are leading a campaign to keep up the pressure to “make sure Dems don’t accept empty reforms and call that a win,” offering talking points and advice for contacting your Senators.
5calls.org
5calls.org makes it easy to contact your congressional representatives about timely issues.
ACLU
Sign a petition, “Stop ICE’s Attack On Our Communities”
Speed Dial
You can always contact your representatives directly. To find out who represents you on the state and national level, us this tool from the MN Legislative Coordination Commission. Put their contact information in your address book.
Local Representatives
While you’re at it, add your local representative to your address book.
3. DFL Precinct Caucuses – Tuesday, February 3 – 7 PM
If you are looking for caucus information pertaining to any other party in Minnesota, look here:
At the precinct caucuses neighbors will gather according to political parties to cast “preferential ballots” for candidates who are seeking the endorsement for the 2026 elections. While there will also be a primary that will ultimately advance candidates to the general election, DFL endorsed candidates will enjoy the support of the Party in the general election.1
Supporting Candidates
By attending your caucus, you can have an impact on who your party endorses in a competitive Governor’s race and U.S. Senate.
Governor’s Race
At your precinct caucus, the preferential ballot for the governor’s race will be a single write-in line. This is because candidates did not make the deadline to declare that they wanted to be on the ballot. Instead, according to someone I talked to at DFL HQ, candidates will be listed on a white board. HQ would not tell me who would be listed. There were rules. There were reasons. It was weird. Weirder yet is that the best list I could find was on Wikipedia.
MN U.S. Senate Race
The preferential ballot will not include senate candidates. To support a candidate for US Senate, delegates will move up through the conventions to the DFL state convention. The top two DFL candidates are Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan who is not funded by corporations and Angie Craig who is.
How to Support a Candidate who is Seeking the DFL Endorsement
The poll that will be taken at the precinct caucus is non-binding. A candidate for governor will actually be endorsed by delegates at the MN DFL State Convention. The best thing you can do to support a candidate on an level who is seeking the DFL endorsement is:
- Attend the precinct caucus on Tuesday;
- Get elected/volunteer as a delegate to the next convention level (i.e., move up as a delegate) and move up through the convention system as far as you are able. The goal is to become a state delegate; or you can
- Help elect delegates who support your candidate.
What will be on the MN 2026 Ballot?
The MN Secretary of State’s office lists:
- U.S. Senator (Sen. Tina’s Smith’s seat is open)
- U.S. Representative
- Governor & Lt. Governor
- Secretary of State
- State Auditor
- Attourny General
- MN State Senator
- MN State Representative
- Judicial Seats
Voters might also see:
- County Officials
- City Officials
- School Board Members
- Township Officers
- Local Ballot Questions
Passing Resolutions
ICE Out of Minnesota – You can present this resolution at your DFL precinct caucus on Tuesday. Print it and when the chair asks for resolutions, you can submit it.
4. No Kings Protest, March 28
Watch Jen Rubin’s interview with Indivisible founder Ezra Levin to learn more.
5. Protect the 2026 Election
As a condition of pulling ICE out of Minnesota, in a letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded that Minnesota allow the Department of Justice to have access to its voter rolls. As Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison commented, “She said the quiet part out loud.”2 Elections Attorney Mark Elias of Democracy Docket has been sounding the alarm regarding the 2026 elections. In September 2025, he argued that Trump is planning to steal the 2026 election.
Prepare to Protect the Elections
Given what we know about Trump’s intentions to disrupt the 2026, we must be prepared. I don’t know what that means, but I think it will be useful if we start to formulate some ideas about it. As a starting point, Elias recommends:
- Be informed. Pay attention to state and local election board meetings. As he stresses in the video, “Rules matter!”
- Communicate with Congress and your state legislature about this issue. What are they doing to prepare?
I would add:
- Attend this forum: “Truth, Trust & the Ballot Box: Understanding Election Security,” on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM at the Ramsey County Public Library, Roseville, MN
- Become an election judge (Minnesota Info)
- Join local groups involved in protecting the vote, registering people to vote, or working on other election issues. For example, FairVote MN advocates for Ranked-Choice Voting. There is also American Promise. They are “building a non-partisan citizen action campaign for a constitutional amendment that will protect free speech and bring reasonable, transparent and accountable rules for how money is used to influence elections.”
- If you are organizing in your neighborhood, see if there is anyone who can follow these issues and keep the neighbors updated about any actions that are needed.
Inspiration
Merriam Park is showing up: Lights for Alex Pretti & Renee Good.
Notes
- Unless you’re Zohran Mamdani or Omar Fateh. Anomalies aside – I’m sure that Sen. Chuck Schumer and the Clintons had their reasons for joining Trump in supporting a sexual harasser who lied about COVID numbers and who left New York’s governor’s office in shame over a wildly popular progressive. ↩︎
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc1b0OMXB24 (Min. 7:41) ↩︎