Voting, it turns out, may be good for the environment. The World Resource Institute asserts that "a growing literature supports the idea that political freedoms may be as important as economic factors in improving environmental quality." So if you’re concerned about the state of the environment, make sure that you’re expressing your political freedom by voting. (Remember, without registering at least a few weeks before an election, you can’t vote — even if you beg the poll workers.)

If our goal is to encourage environmental protection legislation, it is our responsibility (indeed, our exciting privilege) to educate ourselves on the environmental impact of local and state propositions and vote accordingly. If our goal is to support elected officials who serve our interests as citizens (such as clean air and water), we have to make our interests known and hold officials accountable with our power to vote them in or out of office. Voting is possibly the single most important way to ensure strong civil liberties, government accountability, and policies that protect the health of the environment in which we live.

For one source of information on the environmental policies and view of the 2008 presidential candidates, take a look at Mike Garofalo’s blog on GO, which addresses each candidate one by one. The League of Conservation Voters also offers a quick reference database of the candidates for president, graded by their response to a series of questions on the environment.

We need no reminding that in this 2008 presidential election, there is a lot at stake. With President Bush spouting off about World War III, and with the U.S. still refusing to acknowledge its share of responsibility on climate change, it may even be an understatement to simply say that there’s a lot at stake. If you are a citizen of the United States, you can be assured that your decision to vote has the power to affect change — potentially positive change — the world over.

Here’s the good news: in the 2004 elections, voter turnout was higher than in the 2000 elections by 3.6%. With any hope, in 2008 the numbers will be even greater. The sad news, however, is that even in 2004, still less than two thirds of the country performed their civic duty of voting: 58.3%. Of people age 24-44, only 52.2% voted in 2004 and for the age group 18-24 just 41.9% voted. (U.S. Census Bureau)

So what gives? Do people not know that they have a "Get Out of Work Free" card on voting day that requires employers to let employees out of work long enough to vote? This alone should be enough to motivate us to head to the polling booths in droves whenever there’s an election. Do people cavalierly forget when voting day comes around? Or does half of our population actually think that they can’t make a difference by voting and recklessly forfeit their suffrage?

Maybe you know somebody who desperately wants positive reform in this country and a change of political agenda, but who suffers from voter apathy: the apathetic rebel. The apathetic rebel imagines that s/he’s doing something extraordinary by not voting — that s/he’s somehow taking a stance against the status quo by brushing off democracy. But how can a person change the system when s/he won’t tell the system how it should change. We do this by voting.

So wherever you are, register to vote. You can register at your local post office and your registration must be up to date with your current address. By doing so, you are sending a strong message that you care about the course of environmental, social, and political events at home and abroad. It’s easy to put off registering and the primary elections are coming up fast. Maybe you vote Republican, maybe Democratic, maybe Green. However you vote, the most important thing is simply that you do vote. As John Lennon said, "We came here to show and to say to all of you that apathy isn’t it, that we can do something!"

References and Resources:

Home | Rock The Vote!

Earth Trends: More Democracy, Better Environment? | The World Resource Institute

Mike Garofalo’s blog | GO

Presidential Profiles, 2008 | The League of Conservation Voters

Voting and Registration | U.S. Census Bureau

Photo Source:

Your Vote Is Your Voice | Flickr