About episode
We’re weeks away from a historic election. It’s one that will decide the course of climate action in the United States at a pivotal moment, a moment when we can’t afford to slow down or send mixed signals abroad. And, it’s an election that all expect to be decided by just tens of thousands of voters.
These are all facts that I’m sure you know already.
Here’s what you probably don’t know: millions of environmentalists don’t vote. These are people who list the environment and climate change as their number one most important issue – and getting just 1-2% of them to vote could easily decide the election.
This is the premise and work of the Environmental Voter Project. They’re a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, not focusing on a particular party, but instead focusing on protecting the environment simply by getting environmentalists to the polls. I learned a lot from my conversation with EVP Founder and Executive Director Nathaniel Stinnett. We talked about the difference between voter preferences and priorities, who these non-voting environmentalists are, and what actually works in getting them to vote. The answer to that riddle and much else in this episode might surprise you.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- [03:18] What’s at stake in the 2024 election?
- [04:40] The implications for climate
- [07:14] How local elections influence environmental policy
- [08:56] Public sentiment on the environment
- [11:13] The distinction between voter preference & voter prioritization
- [13:28] The lack of voter turnout among environmentalists
- [15:06] Why aren’t environmentalists voting
- [20:21] Fossil fuel PR campaigns
- [21:24] Environmental Voter Project & what they’re doing to engage
- [23:55] The most resonant, persuasive, helpful message to motivate behavior change
- [27:31] Measuring EVP’s impact
- [30:00] What is EVP hoping to achieve this year
- [32:49] The sensitivity analysis for EVP
What’s at stake in the 2024 election?
Nathaniel highlights that the 2024 election has enormous stakes, both politically and for environmental policy. Control of the White House, U.S. House, and Senate is up for grabs, with narrow majorities at risk. The future of the Supreme Court and even democracy itself may be in jeopardy. Most critically, climate and environmental policies, which impact millions of lives, are at stake, including access to clean air and water. The Inflation Reduction Act has already created over 300,000 clean energy jobs and reduced health risks like asthma. He emphasizes that science shows the climate crisis is accelerating, and the urgency to act cannot be overstated.
Public sentiment on the environment
Nathaniel highlights the crucial difference between voter preferences and voter priorities when it comes to climate issues. While polls show that large majorities of Americans prefer their politicians to lead on climate, far fewer—only about 3-7%—actually rank climate change as their top priority. This distinction matters because people vote based on their highest priorities, not just their preferences. For example, many may prefer to abolish daylight savings time, but it’s unlikely to influence their voting decisions. Similarly, despite broad support for climate action, it’s not a key voting issue for most Americans, which is why few politicians lead on it.
Environmental Voter Project & what they’re doing to engage
Environmental Voter Project focuses on activating voters who already prioritize climate issues, rather than trying to change minds or persuade people to care about climate change. The organization identifies millions of non-voting environmentalists using predictive models based on polling and voter data, then mobilizes them through behavioral interventions like canvassing, phone calls, postcards, and digital ads. With over 7,000 volunteers, EVP runs hundreds of experiments to find the most effective ways to turn these individuals into active voters, targeting 4.8 million non-voting environmentalists across 19 states.
The most resonant, persuasive, helpful message to motivate behavior change
Nathaniel explains that the Environmental Voter Project avoids discussing climate or environmental issues when trying to motivate people to vote. Instead, they focus on behavior change by tapping into social norms and peer pressure, as behavioral science suggests that people are more influenced by social cues than rational arguments. They use strategies like FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and highlight how many neighbors are voting to encourage participation. Additionally, they remind voters of their past commitments to vote, appealing to their desire to follow through and keep promises, which is far more effective than emphasizing the value of a single vote.
Resources Mentioned
Connect with Nathaniel Stinnett
- Connect with Nathaniel on LinkedIn
Connect with Jason Rissman
Keep up with Invested In Climate
- Sign up for our Newsletter
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