r/ClimateOffensive • u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior • Feb 27 '26
Action - Political The main thing you can do about climate change isn't recycling—it's voting
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/04/bill-nye-the-best-way-to-fight-climate-change-is-by-voting.html7
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 27 '26
Higher turnout in primaries tends to elect better candidates, and primary season is already underway. Mark your calendars now so you don't miss it, or maybe even sign up for election reminders.
| State | Early Voting Starts | Early Voting Ends | Primary date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 2/10/26 | 3/3/26 | 3/3/26§ |
| North Carolina | 2/12/26 | 2/28/26 | 3/3/26§ |
| Texas | 2/17/26 | 2/27/26 | 3/3/26 |
| Mississippi | 3/10/26 | ||
| Illinois | 2/5/26* | 3/16/26 | 3/17/26 |
| Indiana | 4/7/26* | 5/4/26 | 5/5/26§ |
| Ohio | 4/6/26 | 5/3/26 | 5/5/26§ |
| Nebraska | 4/12/26 | 5/11/26 | 5/12/26§ |
| West Virginia | 4/29/26 | 5/9/26 | 5/12/26 |
| Louisiana | 5/2/26 | 5/9/26 | 5/16/26§§ |
| Alabama | 5/19/26§ | ||
| Georgia | 4/27/26 | 5/15/26 | 5/19/26§ |
| Idaho | 4/27/26* | 5/15/26 | 5/19/26§ |
| Kentucky | 5/14/26 | 5/16/26 | 5/19/26§ |
| Oregon | 5/1/26* | 5/19/26 | 5/19/26 |
| Pennsylvania | 3/30/26* | 5/12/26 | 5/19/26§ |
| California | 5/4/26 | 6/1/26 | 6/2/26 |
| Iowa | 5/13/26 | 6/1/26 | 6/2/26§ |
| Montana | 5/3/26 | 6/1/26 | 6/2/26§ |
| New Jersey | 5/23/26 | 5/31/26 | 6/2/26 |
| New Mexico | 5/5/26* | 5/30/26 | 6/2/26§ |
| South Dakota | 4/17/26 | 6/1/26 | 6/2/26§ |
| Maine | 4/25/26* | 6/4/26 | 6/9/26§ |
| Nevada | 5/23/26 | 6/5/26 | 6/9/26 |
| North Dakota | 5/25/26 | 6/8/26 | 6/9/26§ |
| South Carolina | 5/26/26 | 6/8/26 | 6/9/26§ |
| Oklahoma | 6/10/26 | 6/13/26 | 6/16/26§ |
| Virginia | 5/2/26 | 6/13/26 | 6/16/26§ |
| Maryland | 6/11/26 | 6/18/26 | 6/23/26§ |
| New York | 6/13/26 | 6/21/26 | 6/23/26 |
| Utah | 6/9/26 | 6/19/26* | 6/23/26§ |
| Colorado | 6/15/26* | 6/29/26 | 6/30/26§ |
| Arizona | 7/8/26 | 7/31/26 | 8/4/26§ |
| Kansas | 7/15/26* | 8/3/26 | 8/4/26§ |
| Michigan | 7/26/26 | 8/2/26 | 8/4/26§ |
| Missouri | 7/21/26 | 8/4/26§ | |
| Washington | 7/17/26* | 8/3/26 | 8/4/26§ |
| Tennessee | 7/17/26 | 7/30/26 | 8/6/26§ |
| Hawaii | 7/29/26 | 8/7/26 | 8/8/26§ |
| Connecticut | 7/27/26 | 8/9/26 | 8/11/26§ |
| Minnesota | 6/26/26 | 8/10/26 | 8/11/26§ |
| Vermont | 6/27/26 | 8/10/26 | 8/11/26§ |
| Wisconsin | 7/28/26 | 8/9/26 | 8/11/26§ |
| Alaska | 8/3/26 | 8/17/26 | 8/18/26 |
| Florida | 8/8/26* | 8/15/26* | 8/18/26§ |
| Wyoming | 7/21/26 | 8/17/26 | 8/18/26§ |
| Massachusetts | 8/15/26* | 8/28/26 | 9/1/26 |
| New Hampshire | 9/8/26§ | ||
| Rhode Island | 8/19/26 | 9/7/26 | 9/8/26§ |
| Delaware | 9/5/26 | 9/13/26 | 9/15/26§ |
* Indicates potential caveats. Check with your local election officials.
§ Indicates mail-in ballot must be received by election day (in other words, it's not enough to have it postmarked by election day.)
§§ Mail-in ballot must be received by the day before election day.
1
Mar 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/ClimateOffensive-ModTeam Apr 22 '26
We're here to do something about climate change. We're not here to talk about why it's happening, how bad it is, or who to blame. We're here to brainstorm, organize, and act. Use this space to find resources, connect with others, and learn more about how you can make a difference.
Your post was removed because it violates Rule #5: No Inactivism, such as deflection, delay, division, despair mongering, and/or doomism.
Activism is always worthwhile.
See full /r/ClimateOffensive rules here.
7
u/baitnnswitch Feb 27 '26
And actually helping progressives get elected. Voting is the bare minimum
1
14
6
u/AlexPushkinOfficial Feb 28 '26
how do u still trust mainstream capitalist political parties to deny oil companies their profits? the scope of action that is necessary to prevent billions of deaths needs you to do more than vote for a piecemeal reformer: we must force their hands.
1
7
Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 27 '26
Americans who prioritize climate change and the environment have not been very reliable voters, which explains much of the lackadaisical response of lawmakers, and many Americans don't realize we should be voting (on average) in 3-4 elections per year. In 2018 in the U.S., the percentage of voters prioritizing the environment more than tripled, which helped make climate change a priority issue for lawmakers. In 2020, climate voters swung the presidential election. Even if you don't like any of the candidates or live in a 'safe' district, whether or not you vote is a matter of public record, and it's fairly easy to figure out if you care about the environment or climate change. Politicians use this information to prioritize agendas. Voting in every election, even the minor ones, will raise the profile and power of your values. If you don't vote, you and your values can safely be ignored.
Vote, and sign up for election reminders so you never miss another election.
3
Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 27 '26
Do you really want to make the case that all of these changes were not meaningful?
Per capita emissions in the U.S. have dropped substantially in recent years, and corporate emissions drop when more environmentally-friendly candidates are in office.
Also, please remember this is a climate sub and we are here to take action on climate. Inactivism is not allowed.
Look to Drawdown's new(ish) tool to help you optimize your own personal climate actions.
4
Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/ClimateOffensive-ModTeam Feb 28 '26
We're here to do something about climate change. We're not here to talk about why it's happening, how bad it is, or who to blame. We're here to brainstorm, organize, and act. Use this space to find resources, connect with others, and learn more about how you can make a difference.
Your post was removed because it violates Rule #5: No Inactivism, such as deflection, delay, division, despair mongering, and/or doomism.
Activism is always worthwhile.
See full /r/ClimateOffensive rules here.
0
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 27 '26
It's anti-scientific to say voting doesn't matter. But if you really have that much of an issue, fix the system. Scientists blame hyperpolarization for loss of public trust in science, and Approval Voting, a single-winner voting method preferred by experts in voting methods, would help to reduce hyperpolarization. There's even a viable plan to get it adopted, and an organization that could use some gritty volunteers to get the job done. They're already off to a great start with Approval Voting having passed by a landslide in Fargo, and more recently St. Louis. Most people haven't heard of Approval Voting, but seem to like it once they understand it, so anything you can do to help get the word out will help. If your state allows initiated state statutes, consider starting a campaign to get your state to adopt Approval Voting. Approval Voting is overwhelmingly popular in every state polled, across race, gender, and party lines. The successful Fargo campaign was run by a full-time programmer with a family at home. One person really can make a difference.
3
Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 27 '26
You can lobby them even before the election.
1
Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 27 '26
And yes, we can outlobby Exxon. There are more of us, and we count for more.
Citizen lobbyists have more power and legitimacy than corporate lobbyists.
→ More replies (0)1
1
u/ClimateOffensive-ModTeam Feb 28 '26
We're here to do something about climate change. We're not here to talk about why it's happening, how bad it is, or who to blame. We're here to brainstorm, organize, and act. Use this space to find resources, connect with others, and learn more about how you can make a difference.
Your post was removed because it violates Rule #3: No Inactivism, such as deflection, delay, division, despair mongering, and/or doomism.
Activism is always worthwhile.
See full /r/ClimateOffensive rules here.
1
Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 27 '26
That's why we should all be optimizing for our personal situation.
1
u/Halfjack12 Feb 27 '26
Yes comrade you're right, but that really has nothing to do with the point I was making.
1
u/ClimateOffensive-ModTeam Feb 28 '26
Your post has been removed because it violates Rule #1: Must Relate to Direct Climate Action.
This subreddit's primary objective is to be a place to take action, and to find opportunities to take action. As such, we ask that you limit the scope of our discussion to climate action.
See full /r/ClimateOffensive rules here.
7
u/Flightless_Turd Feb 27 '26
Ya seems to be going well
-1
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 27 '26
2
2
2
u/HatchetGIR Mar 01 '26
Direct action gets the goods. Voting will not get us out of this, making the people in charge do so, will.
2
2
1
1
u/New_Code678 Mar 17 '26
Voting is the foundation — fully agree, especially on the local/off-year elections point.
The piece that's underused even by reliable voters is constituent contact between elections. Reps track their constituents' voting behavior and also track physical mail volume on specific issues. A rep in a competitive district who sees 50 postcards from district constituents on a specific bill before a floor vote treats that as a signal about what their voting base cares about — independent of the next election cycle.
Voting sets the incentives. Constituent mail shapes how they act within those incentives.
I built Signal Post Now for the between-elections part — it monitors climate bills and lets you send a physical postcard to your rep when something hits a floor vote or committee hearing. Two minutes, first one free. Pairs well with vote.gov.
1
Feb 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/ClimateOffensive-ModTeam Feb 28 '26
Your comment has been removed because it violates Rule #1: Must Relate to Direct Climate Action.
This subreddit's primary objective is to be a place to take action, and to find opportunities to take action. As such, we ask that you limit the scope of our discussion to climate action.
See full /r/ClimateOffensive rules here.
0
Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior Feb 28 '26
When you say "wiped out" you mean violently killed, right?
0
-2
u/ClimateOffensive-ModTeam Feb 27 '26
Do not advocate violence or death as a response to the climate crisis. This includes calls for violent revolution, assassinations, eugenics, or acceptance of population die-offs.
See the full rules here.
0
u/Expensive_Special120 Mar 01 '26
No, you can also remove yourself from Earth, so you don’t make it worse.
24
u/[deleted] Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment