October 2026 Institute for Democracy

We've never faced an election moment like this one. In the past, we've voted and some of us have done election work but we've never never been in a time like this; we have never had to defend the count itself, against refusals to certify, manufactured chaos, and localized attacks designed to be fought alone, city by city, until there's nothing left to defend. Conditions will be emergent, but not entirely unpredictable. No one is better positioned to meet this moment than movements. The question in front of us is whether your movement moves strategically, quickly and decisively, or waits to be moved.

The Campaign Institute for Democracy is an official Nexus program offered 5 times a year. In the past, we've offered organizations 2-15 spots to the institute. The October Institute will be tailored just to your group. This is a chance for you to get aligned before that chaos hits, not after, so you can maximize your time together, tackling network specific problems and opportunities. This is an opportunity to get clearer around structure, decisions, strategy, and communications, and to surface blocks and start a process to navigating and upending them It's also, just as importantly, a chance to actually be in the same room. To retreat, breathe, and get to know and see each other as people during a stretch of running really hard.

Details:

• Travel day: October 9th

• Training Dates: October 10th–13th (session is until 3pm and departure is after 5pm)

• Where: Middle America, Location provided upon acceptance and confirmation

• Who: 35-40 members of the network's working-groups and chapter representatives.

• Cost and travel: Assistance is available to remove any barriers to participation, RSVP to learn more

• Deadline: Applications are strongly encouraged to be submitted by September 21, 2026