As the 2026 midterm elections approach, May Day Strong and its coalition partners are planning more than 750 “Solidarity Schools” across the country, offering trainings focused on election participation, community organizing and nonviolent direct action.
The organization announced the initiative Sept. 2, alongside an interactive map showing planned trainings in cities nationwide. According to May Day Strong, the one- to two-day sessions bring labor organizers, community leaders and local residents together to develop strategies for responding to challenges involving voting access and broader community concerns.
The announcement comes amid renewed attention to Texas’ voter-registration rolls. More than 1.2 million Texas voters are currently listed on the state’s “suspense list,” a designation generally used when election officials cannot confirm a voter’s current address. Being on the list does not remove a person from the voter rolls, but voters may have to take additional steps to verify their residence when voting.
Texas has also used the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, database to identify registered voters whose citizenship status required additional review. In September, the Texas Secretary of State’s Office said its review of 2,724 potential noncitizen registrations had resulted in 578 voters demonstrating citizenship, with 506 of those cases involving citizenship information that had been added to the database after the original review.
The accuracy of the federal database has become a point of dispute. Texas’ former secretary of state raised concerns about the database after it flagged U.S. citizens as potential noncitizens, while voting-rights organizations have challenged the state’s use of the system in federal court.
Against that backdrop, May Day Strong says its Solidarity Schools are designed to give participants practical organizing skills. Sessions planned in cities including Albuquerque and Phoenix are expected to address election defense, nonviolent direct action and local strategies for helping communities navigate the voting process.
The trainings are part of May Day Strong’s broader organizing network, which the organization describes as a coalition of more than 600 labor and community organizations. Its stated focus includes expanding democracy, protecting voting rights and organizing around economic issues.
Recent Solidarity Schools have taken place in New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and the Twin Cities, with additional sessions planned in New Orleans and Phoenix.
The organization says the nationwide map will continue to be updated as new cities and training dates are added. The initiative reflects an effort by labor and community groups to build local organizing capacity ahead of the November elections while encouraging participants to work across organizations and communities.