March for Peace
and DemocracyOct 23 · Washington, DC
Make a difference

Take action

Let's collapse the distance between the will of the people and the actions of the powerful. Here are four things you can do to make a difference.

Step 1

Make sure you can vote

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Every seat in the House and a third of the Senate are on the ballot, and so are the people who decide whether these wars go on.

Many states' registration deadlines fall in October, but a lot of states, including DC, Maryland and Virginia, let you register and vote on the same day. Early voting is open in most states too. Check your status now; it takes two minutes.

Virginians: Friday, October 23, the day of the march, is the last day to register online in Virginia. Do it before you head to the Mall. After that you can still register in person, right up to Election Day.

Am I registered? Register to vote See my ballot + polling place
37
days until Election Day

Vote.gov is the U.S. government's official registration site. Vote.org and Vote411 (from the League of Women Voters) are nonpartisan.

Step 2

Follow the money

Before you vote, find out who is paying for your candidates. Some of it is easy to see: candidates must report anyone who gives them more than $200. The rest is harder. Super PACs and political nonprofits can spend unlimited amounts, and money routed through a nonprofit with a patriotic-sounding name never has to say where it came from. That's dark money, and it's everywhere. Here's how to find what you can.

How to read what you find

  1. Open a candidate's page and look at their top contributors and top industries.
  2. Check "outside spending." That's super PACs and groups spending for or against them, often far more than the campaign itself. If a big spender has a name like "Americans for Apple Pie and Liberty" and you can't tell who funds it, you've probably found dark money.
  3. Look for the war money: the defense and aerospace industry, and single-issue foreign-policy PACs.
  4. Compare small donors to big money. What share comes from everyday people giving under $200?
  5. Then ask them directly, at a town hall, by phone or in writing: Who do you answer to?

More trackers

  • OpenSecrets: the most complete nonpartisan database of money in politics, including lobbying and industry totals.
  • Defense industry money: which members of Congress defense contractors fund, and how much they spend lobbying.
  • FEC.gov: the official federal filings behind every number.
  • Track AIPAC: an advocacy project tallying pro-Israel lobby spending on each member of Congress.
  • Ballotpedia: plain-language guides to every race on your ballot.
Step 3

Call Congress

Offices count every call. It takes about a minute, and you'll usually talk to a staffer, not the member.

Call the Capitol switchboard and ask for your senator or representative by name:

(202) 224-3121

Don't know who represents you? Find your members of Congress by address. Or use 5 Calls, which finds your members and dials for you.

Call all three: your representative and both senators. DC residents: call your delegate, then tell your friends in the states to call theirs.

Hi, my name is ______, and I'm a constituent from ______ (ZIP code).

I'm calling to ask the [Senator / Representative] to:

  1. Vote to end U.S. hostilities against Iran under the War Powers Resolution, and back a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement.
  2. Stop sending weapons to any government that uses them in violation of U.S. and international law, including in Gaza, as the Leahy Law and the Arms Export Control Act already require.
  3. Commit to take no money from PACs or big-money donors, to reject any super PAC spending on their behalf, and to make their campaign finances fully transparent.

Thank you.

Step 4

Volunteer

A march this size runs on volunteers. Pick a role below and sign up. We'll get back to you with details and a time for the volunteer briefing. No experience needed, except for first aid.

Route guide

Guide the march, keep it moving, and help anyone who needs it. Short briefing provided.

First aid

Nurses, EMTs, medics and anyone with current first-aid training.

Setup + cleanup

Arrive early to set up, or stay late to help leave the Mall cleaner than we found it.

Info table

Answer questions at Sylvan Theater and help people find restrooms, first aid and their friends.

Outreach

Before the march: hang posters, hand out flyers, and bring your community, congregation, union or campus.

Sign up to volunteer

Prefer email? Write to [email protected] with your name, phone number and the role you'd like.