2026 Midterm Elections | Indivisible Cortland

Election Planning - 2026 Midterms
“Regime Change Through Community-Building”

Mission and Overview

Partnering with other organizations that have similar purposes and goals, Indivisible Cortland County (ICC) will have a transformative impact on the November 2026 midterm elections. This coalition’s express intention is to ensure that Donald Trump is a true “lame duck” after the midterms, with no support or assistance – and in fact strong opposition – from the legislative branch of government. This is how we begin to get our country back.

Since ICC reconstituted itself after the 2024 presidential election, community-building has been at the heart of virtually everything we’ve done. Our approach has employed a grassroots democratic strategy that shifts power from the top down by empowering local residents to participate in collective action and drive change. As a result, ICC has developed an impressive membership base, built from the ground up, that is passionate about participating in efforts that directly challenge and reform what is an oppressive, broken system. At this point in time, three months before the midterm elections, we need to channel that passion and energy into the arena in which our members can make the most significant and lasting difference: the ballot box.

This document describes an election planning process that has community-building at the center of everything it aspires to do. The process is focused on five primary goals: 1) Flipping the House; 2) Flipping the Senate; 3) Hands Off Our Vote; 4) Engaging and educating voters; and 5) Re-electing Lea Webb to the State Senate, Anna Kelles to the State Assembly, and Governor Kathy Hochul. Successful implementation of the plan will require significant buy-in and participation by community members and effective partnering with other groups that share these same aspirations.

It is ICC’s responsibility to coordinate shared actions with other organizations and attract sufficient and enthusiastic volunteers to carry out the plan. We feel confident we will succeed if we meet the following fundamental assumptions:

Build volunteer capacity through widespread and persuasive recruitment strategies that emphasize community-building and the joy that is inherent in working alongside like-minded people toward such an important outcome.
Ensure that all individuals who want to help have the opportunity to contribute at some level; and support that participation through encouragement and resources.
Coordinate consistent and relentless messaging among all our communication outlets, with focused targeting of millennial and Gen Z voters.
Build a support structure for endorsed candidates that includes fundraising, public meetings/town halls, and phone banking/post carding/canvassing.

Goals, Objectives, and Actions

1. Flip the House with a focus on seats both within and outside New York.

Objectives:

Re-elect John Mannion (NY-22) and Josh Riley (NY-19).
Elect Democratic candidates in other New York swing districts.
Elect Democratic congressional candidates in swing districts outside New York State.

Actions:

For Mannion and Riley:
- Establish timetables for each candidate for postcarding/phone banking/canvassing and form volunteer groups for each activity.
- Hold public forums featuring these candidates in the months leading up to the election.
- Support and participate in candidates’ fundraising events.
Help produce and widely publicize an “Oberacker Toolkit” that gives individuals the opportunity to take effective and ongoing action against Riley’s opponent Peter Oberacker.
For races in NYS swing districts outside NY19 and NY22, work with Battleground New York to hold all Democratic swing seats and flip those seats currently occupied by Republicans.
Work with Battleground Alliance to connect, coordinate, and drive Democratic wins in key swing districts across the country.
Research and participate in postcarding and phone banking activities for races taking place outside Cortland County.

2. Flip the Senate with a focus on seats outside New York.

Objective:

Elect a Democratic majority in the Senate.

Actions:

Work with Movement Voter Project to determine target seats and focus efforts on those races.
Form volunteer teams to research and participate in postcarding and phone banking activities for these races.

3. Hands Off Our Vote

Objective:

Establish a culture within the community that emphasizes the importance of free and fair elections, possible threats to election integrity, and actions individuals can take to strengthen the election process.

Actions:

Lead efforts in the community to oppose the SAVE Act.
Work with Common Cause and National Indivisible to provide regular updates to the community on the status of election integrity – and threats to it – both locally and nationally.
Work with No Kings to prepare for rapid-response rally(s) in the event of clear election fraud and/or efforts to overturn election results.
Hold at least one public forum on this topic prior to the election.

4. Engage and educate voters, focusing on new, millennial/Gen Z voters and independents.

Objectives:

Ensure that ICC-endorsed candidates are known and familiar to Cortland County voters and that contrasts are clear between them and their opponents.
Ensure that Cortland County residents are aware of voting procedures, processes, and timelines, including those regulating voter registration.
Cultivate a culture of political participation in the community.

Actions:

Use all ICC communication outlets to:
- Educate the community about local elections and candidates.
- Increase awareness about voting procedures, processes, and timelines.
- Educate the community about voter registration processes.
In the month prior to the election, submit strong letters to the editor every week at the Cortland Standard endorsing candidates.
Host public meetings/town halls for endorsed candidates.
Host meetings to educate the community about election processes and procedures.
Add a voter resource site to the ICC webpage and update it regularly.
Generate more interest among younger voters through strategies such as TikTok.
Hold a large election-focused rally within two weeks of the election.
Hold two smaller election-focused “pop-up” rallies in September and October.
Use affinity group approach at public gatherings to gauge community interest and concerns regarding the midterms.
Utilize techniques like Highway Bannering to influence and educate voters.

5. Re-elect current Democratic state-level candidates who are on the Cortland County ballot.

Objectives:

Re-elect Anna Kelles to the State Assembly and Lea Webb to the State Senate.
Re-elect Governor Kathy Hochul.

Actions:

For Kelles and Webb:
- Establish timetables for each candidate for post carding/phone banking/canvassing and form volunteer groups for each activity.
- Hold public forums featuring these candidates in the months leading up to the election.
- Support and participate in candidates’ local fundraising events.
For Hochul:
- Establish timetables for postcarding/phone banking/canvassing and form volunteer groups for each activity.