Ultimately, We Beat Oil and Gas

As the volunteer coordinator at the Sierra Club Colorado Chapter, I remember the emotional time we had in the aftermath of last year's Aurora, CO, city council election. It took about 10 days to know the final results. The delay wasn't because of any nefarious actors—but rather to ensure every vote was counted and everyone's voice was heard.

I know you may be anxious about what happens next. I am too. Last year we were patient, and my team worked hard to ensure every vote across the city was counted freely and fairly -- including Latinx voters and younger voters who were more likely to have their ballots rejected. Ultimately, our perseverance paid off. We must do the same today.

I know we're all eager for this election season to be over, but the safety of our families, our communities, and our planet is on the line this election. We must make sure every single vote is counted because everyone counts.

In the midst of a pandemic, record numbers of people are voting early and by mail this year. Mail-in ballots will continue to arrive at election offices for days, and we should be prepared to know it's not over until every vote is counted.

Will you show up for democracy in the coming days and weeks? We'll let you know how best to get involved to ensure every vote counts.

In 2019, we were up against the fracking industry of Colorado. Aurora (a suburb near Denver) is a racially diverse city. But the town's leadership is predominantly white, and those decision-makers frequently gave oil and gas companies a free pass to pollute the air and water of communities of color.

Because several city council races were so close, we were determined that every voice in Aurora be heard. We discovered that there were many voters whose ballots had minor errors that could still be fixed. Our team spent several 12-hour days going around to individual voters' houses, not knowing who they voted for, but allowing them to fix their mistakes. Most voters were happy we were there to make sure that their ballots counted. Many were younger, first-time, or infrequent voters—the exact people we need to fold into our democratic process! This effort allowing voters to fix their mistakes is called "ballot curing," and it's a standard process in a number of states.

In the end, this extra push of ballot curing mattered, and Aurora elected a pro-environment majority on its city council who stood with the community over oil and gas interests.¹

These same consequential trends -- results taking longer, ballots with minor errors, attempted disenfranchisement of young voters and voters of color—are going national this year. Through my experience in Aurora, I know that patience and persistence were key in protecting the will of the people and making sure every vote was counted. Will you commit to joining us to do the same in the days to come?

Sign up to show your commitment to democracy in whatever way is best for you—whether it's protecting the results of the election, allowing for time to count every vote, or helping to cure ballots. Let's make sure our leaders are fairly elected by the people, with every vote counted.

We're taking nothing for granted this year because we know there are political forces making it harder for people to vote by limiting ballot dropoff sites,² reducing mail service,³ and implementing strict mail-in deadlines.⁴

In each of these cases, politicians and corporate polluter allies have set rules to block people from voting—disproportionately hurting first-time voters and voters of color. But this country belongs to all of us, and every one of our voices deserves to be heard.

At some point in the coming days or weeks, the election results will be final and certified. Then, together, we'll work tirelessly to move our politics toward focusing on a fairer, cleaner future where everyone has access to clean water, fresh air, green spaces, and the halls of power.

1 - McCormick-Cavanaugh, Conor, "Aurora City Council Now Has More Democrats Than Republicans," Westword, 11/8/2019.

2 - Glenn Thrush and Nick Corasaniti, "The Fight Over Absentee Ballots Intensifies Around Drop Boxes," New York Times, 10/13/2020.

3 - MacKinney, Taryn, "The Postal Service is Under Attack. Our Research Shows Who This Hurts Most," Union of Concerned Scientists, 10/19/2020.

4 - Timm, Jane C., "Election Day looms. Who's winning the legal war over mail-in voting?," NBC News, 10/17/2020.

Addy Baird and Zoe Tillman, "Here Is The Last Day Mail-In Ballots Will Be Accepted In Every State," Buzzfeed News, 10/27/2020.