I can't tell a Palestinian to vote for a genocide supporter or a Black person to vote for a mass incarceration prosecutor or an immigrant to vote for people that have adopted the GOP's xenophobic immigration policy. This election is disgusting - I certainly can't shame anyone's non-MAGA choices - but maybe hear me out, and give me the same courtesy in not shaming me for my choices.

Harris’ “I'm talking here” responses to demands for action on the genocide in Palestine are insulting and unforgivable. Her new anti-immigrant hype is also disgusting. And I hate Walz fake progressive crap. And yes, the Democrats mostly serve the rich and imperialism, not us.

But Trump will broadly attack rights and necessary institutions, which means everyone fighting for justice will be stretched thinner. Trump plans to criminalize protest. We can't help Gaza or reproductive rights if we're in jail on Trumped-up felony charges for being activists. Trump also plans to deport immigrant protesters.

The man behind the Muslim ban and moving our embassy to Jerusalem has no intention of forcing Netanyahu to end the war. He greenlit Netanyahu annexing parts of the West Bank. We have some small hope to pressure Harris to stop sending weapons to Israel. We have no hope with Trump - he will likely instead throw gasoline on the fire.

Under Trump white nationalist (and likely psychopath) Stephen Miller will craft immigration and deportation policies that will be far worse than Harris’ hideous immigration plans, and they will include for mass deportations.

Trump will put vaccine denier, homophobic HIV denier, and road kill aficionado Robert Kennedy, Jr. in charge of healthcare; and that will have a real toll in illness and death.

Look at the hot points of Project 2025. Trump implemented like 60% of their recommendations last time he won. Ask yourself if we you can fight even a fraction of all those horrible things, and what that means to the causes we already are fighting for.

None of these statements about Trump are supposition. They are stated goals and plans of Trump and his allies.

Consider that JD Vance, not Trump, is the far right end game. His entire career has been funded by Christian nationalist Peter Thiel, who is essentially a neo-feudalist tech bro that wants to bring back The Divine Right of Kings as The Divine Right of Billionaires. These fuckers are end-of-the-world bad on basically every issue.

So anyway, here's my original thoughts on voting as harm reduction:

Harm reduction is taking action to minimize consequences of things we cannot fix. We can't magically solve addiction, but methadone programs allow some addicts to lead more normal lives, to unlearn drug-seeking behavior, and to potentially get clean over time. Clean needle programs and free condom programs reduce the spread of disease.

Right-wingers, because they like to propose sociopathy as policy, are against harm reduction, and think that we should let addicts suffer, get diseases, and die.

I believe in less suffering in the name of human decency. I also believe in reducing collateral damage. Making addicts' lives better reduces the spread of disease (to addicts and non-addicts), it reduces strain on healthcare, and it reduces crime. Harm Reduction isn't just decent, it's the safest and most practical choice for society as a whole.

Voting is harm reduction. I despise having to vote for the lesser of evils. I absolutely want to teach The Democrats a lesson - to get people to vote against the Dems to demand they stand up for people over money. I absolutely want to see a third party get enough votes to be viable. But right now, Republicans in power represent a massive threat to civil and human rights, climate change, healthcare, education, democracy, and most people I care about.

Yes, the US is an imperialist, colonial power. Yes, we need radical change. Yes, the Democrats suck.

But for me personally, not voting or protest voting, means the safety of my queer, trans, Black, Brown, Indigenous, Muslim, Jewish, immigrant friends is at risk. As well as women's reproductive rights and personal freedom. As well as our right to protest and free speech. As well as democracy itself.

Short of a revolution, people can't fight for broad liberation when they are struggling for the right and ability to exist.

If you aren't an accelerationist (which is questionable), then it seems to me that the best strategy is to vote for the candidate who will do the least harm, and then between elections fight for better options - which begins by organizing locally.

With Trump in office, anti-trans violence nearly tripled, and it took a couple of years after to go back down. And similar threats exist for every other marginalized group. I am exhausted with being told that I am “propping up neoliberalist capitalism”, “selling out”, or “undermining change” by voting to minimize harm to the people I love.

I am not going to sink to that level and shame you for your ideals if you refuse to vote in this grotesque lesser-of-evils pony show. I certainly can relate to your disgust with electoral politics, politicians in general, Democrats in specific, and especially Harris-Walz. But I do ask you to sincerely consider what puts us in the best place to keep fighting for change and justice, and act accordingly.

What we can do is hold the Democrats feet to the flame. Harass them about their policies every chance you get. Protest the shit out of them. Push local candidates that are actual progressives or leftists. Organize locally through grassroots groups and unions. And organize protest votes where we can afford to.