by Colby Kyes
Can 2020 just end already?! Jk, we all know there’s an immense amount of work to do. On the heels of news coverage about RBG’s death, the mockery of justice around Breonna Taylor’s murder, and the continued attacks on our democracy (not to mention the fact that we’re still in the midst of a pandemic), the current administration continues to make decisions that actively contribute to climate change despite the West Coast’s ongoing climate change-exacerbated fires.
With so many important issues swirling around right now, it’s understandable that attacks on environmental regulations aren’t getting much press coverage. But some, like Trump’s steady effort to open the Alaskan wilderness to development and exploration, deserve attention and action. Racial justice and environmental justice (EJ) are tightly connected and often overlooked by politicians. Alongside our efforts to stop the murder of black and brown people by the police, we must stop adding burdens of toxic facilities to communities of color.
So let’s take a quick walk down memory lane. A year ago we wrote about the Environmental Voter Project, a group working to create a voting bloc of environmentalists. We talked about the need for environmentalists to vote regularly so that these issues could be heard by pollsters and candidates, who mainly target consistent voters. This year might have you feeling pretty hopeless, and voting might seem like an insignificant action to take in the face of so much bad news. But it isn’t!
If you’re already a registered voter, make sure you have a plan for voting. If you haven’t done so already go to Vote.org and make sure you’re registered and that you know where your polling location is. It is not unheard of for people who think they’re registered to vote to be purged from voter rolls (which is a form of voter suppression). If your state offers mail-in voting options, ask for a ballot and vote from the comfort of your home, especially if you or a loved one are immunocompromised. If your state offers early voting, this may be a good option for you. Early voting spaces out the concentration of people at polling locations over many days. If all else fails, be prepared to show up at your voting location early on November 3rd, because long lines may form, especially if your location serves multiple voting districts.
If you’re not registered to vote, go to Vote.org. From there you can click the button to register to vote, which is really a quick process. Seriously, it takes 2 minutes, you can do it while you brush your teeth (you do brush your teeth for the full 2 minutes right?). Registration deadlines vary by state so check out your states deadlines here to make sure you still have time.
Hugo is a good boy! Would you vote for him?! Source: Flickr
If you’re called by a canvasser for the Biden or Trump campaign, don’t hang up! Let them know the issues you care about, especially the environment. These conversations generally last under 5 minutes and can show these politicians what people actually care about. The worst thing you can do for the environment from a political standpoint is to take your voice out of the conversation. Nathaniel Stinnett, the Executive Director of Environmental Voter Project, advises that even if you ultimately decide you don’t want to vote for anyone on the ballot, choose a write-in option instead (he suggested if you’re out of ideas for a serious write-in, write in your pet, a recommendation which surprisingly has quite a bit of precedent) to make sure you remain on the list of frequent voters.
Voting is the foundation upon which our democracy is built. It is not, nor has it ever been a flawless system. Those who have been historically disenfranchised from this process are the ones who are the most at risk in the climate crisis. The election of new representatives is not a solution but a start toward ensuring lasting systemic change. We must prevent the climate crisis from worsening and reverse the damage that’s been done. So from all of us here at Climable: please vote. Vote like your planet depends on it, because it does!