#Election2016 has been a wild ride. The presidential race has thrown open our country’s Pandora’s box, shedding light on the simmering discontents and deep-seated problems that we face as organizers (and citizens!). The U.S. is struggling with some fundamental questions right now: about what type of America we want, what we stand for, and how we treat one another. It’s clear that our movements have a lot of work to do — not just now, but in the long haul.
We know that the outcomes of November 8th’s election will have lasting consequences for people and the climate. Too much is at stake to sit back. With this urgency nipping at our heels, 350 Action has been running around the country this fall to train young people in the politics and practice of voting as a social movement. Hundreds of students across the United States have convened their divestment campaigns to dig into what’s at stake for us and our movements on November 8th, and gain skills to mobilize for climate justice on election day.
As trainers, we’ve had powerful conversations. We’ve discussed what drives us to organize against the fossil fuel industry’s stranglehold on our democracy. We’ve talked openly and honestly about what’s at stake for us and our communities. We’ve reckoned with the real threat of Donald Trump as president. We’ve discussed the choice to get out the vote for Hillary Clinton. She’s the only one who can defeat Donald Trump. She’s the candidate we’ve pushed to adopt the most progressive Democratic Party platform in modern history, but we have no illusions about her. We’re going to fight to elect her on November 8th, and fight her every day afterwards for the climate.
At every GOTV training, we endorse our movement. Energy of young people from the climate movement is powering the engines of one of the largest national GOTV operations in modern history. It’s not over yet: on November 1st, young people in the climate movement will send 200,000 texts to young millennial voters. Please join us.
As organizers and activists, we know the power of collective action. We defeated Keystone. We divested millions of dollars. Our movement can swing this election to defeat hate and climate denial up and down the ballot box. In this final weeks of the election, we aren’t tired. We’re doing what we do best. Let’s get out the vote.