Why these two votes matter
The Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader run Congress. For the next two years, they decide:
- What gets a vote. If they don’t bring a bill to the floor, it dies. No debate, no vote, no record of who was for or against it.
- Who gets confirmed. Every judge, every cabinet pick, every ambassador waits on the Majority Leader’s calendar. He can confirm them in a week or never schedule them at all.
- Who runs the committees. They choose the chairs who decide which hearings happen, which bills get written, and which investigations go anywhere.
- Whether Trump gets real oversight. Subpoenas, hearings, and impeachment all need their sign off. If they want it quiet, it stays quiet.
- The filibuster. The Majority Leader decides whether the 60 vote rule stays, which means whether anything big can pass at all.
- Who gets to run in 2028. This is the one people miss. The leaders control the party’s campaign money. They decide which candidates get funded and which get starved. They pick who runs the campaign committees, who gets endorsed in primaries, and who gets millions in ads. If you want different Democrats in Congress two years from now, these two people decide whether they ever get the money to win.
Voters don’t pick the Speaker or the Majority Leader. Your senators and your representative do, in a closed door vote, in the next few weeks. That is the only vote that matters here, and they are the only people who can cast it.
Questions
Why are the Democrats the ones that matter?
Each party chooses its own leaders. Only Democratic members-elect, plus independents who caucus with them, vote on Chuck Schumer for Majority Leader and on Hakeem Jeffries as the Democratic nominee for Speaker. We still list your Republican members, but they don't get a vote on this.
When are the votes?
Both Democratic caucuses pick leaders for the new Congress in the weeks after the election, before members are sworn in on January 3. Sooner is better: members often make commitments early.
Why not just email everyone?
Most members of Congress don't publish an email address. They use web forms that check you live in their state or district. We give you an email draft when an address exists. Otherwise we copy your message and open the form so you can paste it in seconds.
Does a phone call help?
Yes. Staff tally calls by topic, and a call takes under a minute. Each card has the office number. Say your name, your ZIP code, and: "I'm asking the member to vote no on Schumer (or Jeffries) for Democratic leader."
My ZIP shows the wrong district.
Some ZIP codes cross district lines, and several states drew new maps for 2026. If your ZIP spans more than one district, you'll see a choice. Pick yours. If you're unsure, check your sample ballot or your state's election website.
Do you store my information?
No. Your name, city, and message never leave your device, except when you send them to your member of Congress yourself. Your name and city are saved only in your own browser so you don't have to retype them. If you tap “Count me,” we add one to an anonymous tally for your state. That's all we record: no name, email, or address.
Who made this?
An independent, volunteer, grassroots project. It isn't affiliated with or authorized by any candidate, party, or committee.
What do the Speaker and Majority Leader actually control?
Nearly everything. The Speaker decides which bills get a vote and who chairs every committee. The Senate Majority Leader controls the calendar, so every bill and every nominee moves only when he allows it. Together they run the party’s fundraising and decide which candidates get backed in 2028 and which get left to fend for themselves. Whoever holds these two jobs will shape the next two years, and the next election, more than any other two people in Washington.