The organization known today as Indivisible Vashon formed in 2017 to reject authoritarian and racist governance. We are still dedicated to taking action for democracy. Our goals today are just as crucial now as they were in 2017.

This time, however, we more clearly understand the implications of the former president returning to power. This time we have a very clear choice to continue making progress towards a more inclusive, just, and equitable governance that recognizes and respects us all.

How do we accomplish this?

For the White House, there is good reason you hear a lot about Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Most of the states which voted for the Biden/Harris ticket in 2020 are likely to do so again. Winning just these three “battleground” states will deliver exactly the 270 electoral college votes needed to retain a pro-democracy White House.

Retaining the U.S. Senate, another goal, is a formidable challenge this cycle. Fortunately, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin have three of the seven US Senate seats where we seek to retain progressive leadership. The others are Arizona, Montana, Nevada, and Ohio.

This combination of states creates an interesting opportunity to regain progressive leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives. These seven states contain thirteen very competitive House races. Encouraging voters to elect progressive candidates in these thirteen races will encourage “up ballot” votes for our preferred Senate and White House candidates while placing progressives in enough seats to regain a majority in the House.

That result will be easier, of course, if we in Washington return our record setting eight progressive House members to Congress. Key to accomplishing that outcome is re-electing Marie Gluesenkamp Perez in Southwest Washington’s 3rd Congressional District. Placing your entire Washington Congressional race focus on CD-3 is appropriate this year, as Dr. Kim Schrier in CD-8, typically our most competitive state Congressional race, is expected to comfortably retain her seat.

Speaking of Washington state candidates, did you know we have a seven-seat progressive majority in the State Senate and a 14-seat majority in the State House? This is the case despite Washington only having changed party control of the State Senate to Democrat in 2017.

As a clear demonstration that who we elect matters, this one change ushered in a wave of climate legislation, including the Clean Energy Transformation Act, requiring our utility to eliminate coal-generated electricity from our energy supply this year.

Despite this strong progressive majority, there is still unfinished climate business to be done in the next state legislative session. The Right to Repair act would result in less stuff being sent to the landfill, by making it easier to fix our own devices by expanding access to manufacturers’ spare parts. The WRAP act would improve and expand recycling services. These and legislation to expand rooftop and community solar still need to be passed.

Three state legislative districts could send more climate advocates to the legislature — the 10th, which includes Whidbey and Camano islands, the 26th, across Colvos passage between Bremerton and Gig Harbor and the 42nd in Bellingham.

If enough of us focus our time and treasure in the next two weeks we will create the voter surge needed to elect progressive leaders. Go to indivisiblevashon.org and click the 2024 “Get Out The Vote Guide” at the top of the page. The “Candidates and Initiatives” page includes ways to support all these key Washington and battleground state candidates. Each candidate listing includes a link to their donate and volunteer opportunities web pages.

Click on “the matrix” to find organizations supporting candidates in the “battleground” states. Pick your state, then look down the column in the matrix. Green cells show which organizations are organizing in that state. Click the organization name on that row to jump right to their website.

How to donate and support defeating the four initiatives on our ballot is also on the “Candidates and Initiatives” page. As a group, these initiatives, if passed, would allow climate polluters to continue polluting our air for free, would stifle efforts to transition to clean electricity and the clean energy economy, would create a tax break for the very wealthy and would eliminate the WA Cares Fund which provides long-term healthcare for Washington workers. Simply vote no.

Together, with enough focus and energy, we can preserve and expand progressive governance. Regarding the White House, after all, we elected Kamala once before, in 2020. Look what that accomplished!

We successfully navigated a global pandemic and the economic and market disruption of the largest European invasion since WWII to achieve an economy that The Economist magazine said on Oct. 19, 2024 is now “the envy of the world.” We passed the Inflation Reduction Act, the single largest global commitment ever to address the climate crisis.

Let’s keep making history by retaining progressive leadership in the White House, the Senate, the House and right here in Washington state.

Kevin Jones is the founder and a leadership team member of Indivisible Vashon and a leadership team member of the Vashon Climate Action Group.