Your ballot, through a climate lens.

Oct 24

If you’re worried about the climate crisis, your ballot is one of the best places to make an impact. Voting for climate candidates is easy, but identifying them can be challenging.

This blog post outlines research strategies & resources, explains which elected offices matter for climate action, and offers paths to go beyond voting this November.

Let’s #voteclimate with confidence!

Your climate research strategy.

Pro-climate candidates look different in every town, region, and state. While there is no universal formula, here’s how you can approach your research through the climate lens.

Pro Tip: Start your research after narrowing down the field. Identify which candidates seem viable; you’ll be able to tell. If they have a minimal online presence, no endorsements, etc. they probably don’t have a great shot at winning. With a few exceptions (e.g. Utah), this late in election season, you’ll be choosing between the candidates nominated by a major party.

Start with endorsements.

State chapters of groups like the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters publish state-specific voting guides. These are “slates” of pro-climate candidates and positions in your state. Google: “state + Sierra Club (or LCV) + 2022 endorsements.”

Then, check the candidate’s website. Who else has endorsed them? Any other environmental (or other) organizations you respect? Do you see the names of any public officials you admire? If so, that’s a good indication that they’ve already planted the seeds of a positive working relationship with these organizations and elected officials.

Who does your local paper endorse and why? Many local papers will explain why they support each candidate or position, which is helpful when there are several strong candidates in one race.

Check the Climate Changemakers U.S. House slate, the Climate Cabinet down-ballot slate, and the Lead Locally candidates.

See what the candidates have to say.

See first hand if the candidates are climate champions. As you research, ask yourself: does this candidate seem to understand the urgency of the crisis? If you live in a place where climate action is not a salient voting issue, there may be no candidates who seems to understand the urgency of the crisis. While this realization is disappointing, you can still “vote climate” by voting for the candidate who is better on climate, relative to the others.

Visit the candidates’ websites. Look for a climate platform, or some mention of clean energy, protecting public lands and natural spaces, “environmental stewardship,” etc.
Check out their Twitter or Facebook feed (often linked from the campaign website). Twitter is like a long feed of highly-digestible press releases; it’s a great way to hear what the candidates have to say on a range of specific issues.
If you don’t see anything on social media, send them a direct message and ask about their position on climate change! Many down-ballot candidates are very accessible online.
If the candidate is the incumbent, meaning they already hold that office and are running to keep their seat, look up their voting, policymaking, and messaging record. Do they have a high LCV score (for Congress) or Climate Cabinet Score (for some state legislators)? Do they Tweet or issue press releases about climate action in their official capacities?
Extra credit: watch debate footage or read articles about campaign events in your local paper. Best yet, attend one yourself! Check their website or social media feeds.
When in doubt, a simple “candidate name + climate change” Google search will help.

Who is on the ballot this year?

Since 2022 is a midterm year, you won’t see a presidential candidate on your ballot. You may see one (or possibly both) of your U.S. senators on your ballot, and you’ll see your U.S. House representative. With each pro-climate candidate we send to Congress, we add to a voting bloc that can proactively pass Inflation Reduction Act-style legislation and reactively block pro-fossil fuel policies.

Residents of 36 states will see candidates running for governor. Governors are extraordinarily powerful — many are more influential than members of Congress. They can sign or veto state legislation, make executive policy, and appoint people to state executive offices that handle climate and environmental issues.

Your state legislators have immense power over state climate policy. They can pass transformative laws that set 100% zero-emissions electricity standards or ban gas hookups in new construction, for example. They also appropriate state funds to executive agencies and authorize public utilities commissions to regulate utilities. You’ll likely see 2-3 candidates on your ballot running for state senate and your state’s lower chamber, called a house of representatives, assembly, or house of delegates.

The attorney general is the state’s lawyer. They can hold polluters accountable by initiating lawsuits on behalf of the state.

In almost 2/3 of the states, you’ll see judges on your ballot for intermediate appellate courts or the state supreme court, where an increasing number of climate cases are being decided. A balanced, nonpartisan judiciary is critical for strengthening democracy and for establishing pro-climate legal precedent. Here’s a good resource on why judges matter.

Every state has a board of regulators that govern electric utilities called the public utilities commission, public service commission, or public utilities board. Electric power generation is a leading source of carbon emissions, so proper oversight and regulation matters. In 11 states, these commissioners are popularly elected, and 9 states will have them on the ballot in 2022. Since every state’s regulatory structure is different, be sure to Google your ‘state + energy regulation’ to double check. For example in Texas, oil and gas is regulated by the Texas Railroad Commission.

Not to be confused with the U.S. diplomat-in-chief, the secretary of state has the important duty of overseeing your state’s elections office. A strong democracy is crucial to addressing the climate crisis equitably.

The county commissioner or county supervisor is your top county official. They control local budgeting, which can help your county and school districts get electric transportation, public transit, rooftop solar, and more. County executives also have great lobbying potential with your members of Congress and governor.

Your local officials — like the mayor, city councillors, and school board members — also do climate and sustainability policymaking. For example, New York City’s banned fossil gas in new buildings. They can also take advantage of new federal funds for things like electric school buses. If you live in a large city, your mayor likely has serious political clout with the governor and members of Congress.

Many states allow proposed laws to appear as ballot measures for a popular vote. These ballot measures can have dramatic impacts on climate policy and climate funding — and you get a direct say.

You’re ready to vote! But wait—there’s more.

To make your vote go further, you have to “vote loudly.” Here are some ways to make a bigger impact:

Forward your notes or share your biggest learning with 3 people from your state.
Share this blog post on social media. Seriously. Make #voteclimate go viral!
Volunteer with the campaign of your favorite candidate, or come to a Climate Changemakers Hour of Action.
After (if) they’re elected and sworn in in 2023, reach out to them and introduce yourself! Say you’re excited for their climate leadership, and that their position on climate change was the primary reason you voted for them. Not sure how to do this? Come to a Climate Changemakers Hour of Action in 2023, where we’ll be holding elected officials accountable all year long.

Madeline Dyke