Hurricane Maria isn’t the first storm to devastate our communities, and unfortunately it won’t be the last. Hurricane Michael is the latest reminder, more than ever, we need leaders at all levels of government who see us, believe us, and won’t leave us behind. We can get there together, if we all do some ‘get out the vote’ between now and November 6th. Here are a few ways you can take action:
Visit VOTE411.org and enter your address to find your polling place, build your ballot with our online voters’ guide and much more! With this voters’ guide you can see the races on your ballot, compare candidates’ positions side-by-side, and print out a “ballot” indicating your preferences as a reminder and take it with you to the polls on Election Day. Good stuff!- Consider supporting The Environmental Voter Project, which aims to significantly increase voter demand for progressive environmental policy by identifying inactive environmentalists and then turning them into consistent activists and voters. Also, sign their pledge to be an environmental voter!
- Voter suppression is still happening and it’s important to our democracy that we all do something to help stop it. Whether it’s the number of poll sites being slashed by over 2,000 sites, millions of purged voter rolls, requiring forms of ID that are not accessible to millions of Americans, or race-based gerrymandering – voting rights are being gutted right before our eyes. However, we can swim against the current and fight to protect our rights! Get involved in organizations like Spread The Vote that gets IDs 365 days a year or Indivisible 435 which holds members of Congress accountable year round. After the election, keep holding your elected officials accountable. Keep working in your community!
- Check out Rock the Vote’s State by State Voting Policies Guide to make sure you’re all set to vote and then if you or anyone you know has questions or concerns about voting, call 866-OUR-VOTE.
- Spread the word! Talk to your family, friends, loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances and remind them: EACH AND EVERY VOTE MATTERS! Voting is the only way to ensure that your concerns matter. When you don’t vote, what you’re really doing is letting somebody else take power over your own life.
In closing, this week our plea is simple, please VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! It’s time for all of us to show up in solidarity and vote for a just recovery for Puerto Rico, meaningful action on climate, and dignity and support for the communities hit hardest by climate change.