How to Vote for the Environment
The United States 2020 Election is underway, with some states opening for early voting already. There has never been more at stake for the environment than in this election, and much of this change also needs to happen at the state and local levels. As we inch closer to Election Day, and in honor of National Voter Registration Day, we’ve put together some resources for you to learn more about environmental policies, candidates, and staying up to date with voting information.
General Resources:
Text VOTER to 26797 to register to vote, find your polling place, & get election updates through I am a Voter. : this non-partisan organization works to make voting more accessible to all Americans, check out their site for great voting info.
Ballotpedia: this site is a go-to for presidential, congressional, state, and local elections. There’s lots of information to navigate but you can usually find what you’re looking for pretty quickly with a simple search of the election you’d like to know more about (i.e ‘United States Senate Election in [insert state], 2020’) or a candidate’s name.
How to Participate in Politics - New York Times: a great guide to becoming more politically active.
EPA Laws + Regulations: here is more information on the laws, regulations, and regulatory information surrounding our environment. Familiarizing yourself with these is helpful for understanding the extent of what is being done, and analyzing which candidates have the best plans to improve.
OpenSecrets: this platform helps you see how money can influence elections and public policy by tracking campaign funding, super PACS, Dark Money, and more. By digging into some of this information, you can learn about the priorities of businesses, and the candidates they choose to support.
Other organizations to check out: Rock the Vote, Vote.org
The Presidential Election
While the future of our planet truly should not be a partisan issue, in this election it most definitely is. With so little time left to protect the Earth from irreversible climate damage, our vote in 2020 is a make or break our environment. In short, Joe Biden’s platform is centered around building infrastructure and increasing spending in clean energy, while President Trump is working to roll back 100 policies protecting the planet (with over 70 already completed), centering his climate platform around the coal + oil industries. Here are a few resources to learn more:
Greenpeace: Where’s Your 2020 Candidate on Climate?
Politico: Joe Biden’s Views on Energy, Environment, and Climate Change
Ballotpedia: 2020 presidential candidates on energy and environmental issues
NRDC: Tracking Trump’s Environmental Rollbacks
Congressional Candidates
Vote Smart Vote Easy Quiz: at the most basic level, this quick quiz can help you learn about which congressional candidate is most similar to you in regards to specific issues, including energy & the environment.
According to Ballotpedia, in this election, are 16 battleground Senate elections and 59 battleground House elections. In many case previous candidates, or the incumbents, are running for re-election. If you’d like to learn about these candidates’ time in office and the decisions that they’ve made, you can check out Propublica’s Represent. Using this resource, you can look up a candidate’s name and see how they have voted in the past, and decide if it aligns with your own values.
State or Local Elections
Your local paper and news channels: keep an eye on these sources for special stories or interviews with local candidates.
Find your state or local election - USA.gov: this resource is great for finding where your state provides information about elections, candidates, initiatives, and any special circumstances surrounding voting in your area. Be sure to go down the rabbit hole of researching candidates in your local elections and don’t be afraid to get in touch with them if you have any questions about the decisions they may influence, especially regarding the environment.
