An unpleasant term for a technique used by unpleasant people. They’re going to get weirder and more violent as we close in on the increasingly misnamed Election Day (it’s really the day voting stops). Ignore the theater and keep your eyes on the prize. (The prize is us getting to keep living in a functioning democracy.)

If you can give a few dollars or knock on a few doors or make a few calls, please do. And please talk to friends and family about the importance of getting to the polls (or getting the polls to come to you in the form of absentee ballots). Vote early if that’s possible for you, and encourage others to do the same—it helps to concentrate get-out-the-vote efforts where they can do the most good. We’re all in this together!