In the final days before the presidential election, roughly 2,000 volunteers from across the country spend hours calling voters in 19 states. What is their purpose? Let’s encourage people who care about climate change to come vote, especially those who didn’t come in the last presidential election.
One might expect this army of volunteers, assembled by the nonprofit Environment Voter Project, to talk about specific candidates. After all, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who cast the decisive vote on the largest climate bill in Congress’ history, was the Republican vice president who rolled back dozens of environmental protection measures and pulled the U.S. out of the green bill. This is a stark contrast to former President Donald Trump. Paris climate agreement. While it is true that most voters who prioritize climate change chose Democratic ticketthe Telephone Bankers of the Environmental Voter Project keeps its message bipartisan. In fact, their script doesn’t even mention climate change.
In elections that are expected to be won by a narrow margin, the estimated 8 million Registered voters who care about the environment but did not vote in 2020 could sway the entire state, especially in what is expected to be a close race. The group found 245,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania who care about climate change but rarely vote.
“Climate voters and first-time climate voters can definitely make a difference this fall,” said Nathaniel Stinnett, founder and executive director of the Environmental Voters Project. .
Research suggests that climate voters in 2020 had a significant impact on the election. According to a research report, the biggest factor forcing voters under 45 who previously voted for a third party or never voted at all to vote for President Joe Biden in 2020 was It was climate change. Navigator Research Voting. Another analysis from University of Colorado Boulderit turns out that Biden would have lost. 3 percent The share of the popular vote that climate change had not affected voter preferences would be enough to sway the election.
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According to Environmental Voter magazine, Stinnett is leading the charge in three swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, where voters who care about climate change are the most likely to vote but are least likely to vote. However, he believes that voting on climate change could be important in this year’s presidential election. Project modeling. The group reports that since 2017, it has helped turn more than 350,000 previously inactive voters into highly stable voters in Pennsylvania, a state that Biden won in 2020. won by a margin of only 80,555 votes. By contrast, it hasn’t reached out to Michigan voters. And in Wisconsin, because there aren’t that many environmental activists who don’t vote in these battleground states.
Of the 4.8 million “potential first-time climate voters” volunteers are targeting in 19 states, nearly 350,000 have voted early, which is promising, Stinnett said. Stinnett said he thinks it’s a good sign. This includes 45,000 first-time climate voters in Georgia and more than 33,000 in North Carolina.
Anyone who lists climate change as a top priority is considered a climate voter. But some segments of Americans are more likely to belong to this group than others: Democrats, women, young people, black people, People of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. “People who are more likely to directly feel the effects of toxic air, toxic water, and extreme weather events are likely to be more concerned about the climate crisis and environmental issues,” Stinnett said.
Of course, voters have other concerns about climate change. That’s why League of Conservation Voters volunteers knock on 2.5 million doors across the country, asking potential voters what’s important to them and how that issue relates to climate change. I’m explaining it. “You know, we’re trying to tell them what’s important. It may be important, but it’s generally much more effective than asking what someone cares about. That’s not true,” said Pete Maysmith, senior vice president of campaigns for the environmental advocacy group. About 75% of voters the group spoke to said they planned to vote for Harris, who is backed by the League of Conservative Voters. approved.
The group is also working to reach voters online, working with TikTok personalities to reach younger voters and creating digital ads that run on platforms like Hulu and YouTube. . One TikTok video features the ‘Queen of WaterTok’ While talking about the Vice President’s efforts against environmental pollution, he baked macarons decorated with Kamala Harris’ face. A completely different approach and new digital advertising Shown to voters in Georgia and North Carolina in the aftermath of hurricanes, Herren conveys the dangers of the presidential election by showing how climate change storms could threaten babies born today. are. Living through fires, floods, or extreme heat typically results in Has only a small effect on how people votea disaster could make the difference in a close race.
The Environmental Voter Project takes a different approach to getting voters concerned about climate change to the polls. The group does not endorse any candidates, and its volunteers do not speak to voters about climate change at all. Instead, the group leverages the power of peer pressure to persuade people to vote using tactics rooted in behavioral science, such as mailing people their voting history and reminding them that it is public record. I’m urging you. They also ask voters whether they plan to vote early, by mail or by Election Day, wording the question in a way that avoids the option of not voting.
“All we’re trying to do is change someone’s behavior, not change their mind,” Stinnett said.
