November 1, 2016
Election season is in full swing as we come down to the wire on Tuesday, November 8. Candidates’ campaign staffs are working overtime and voters are inundated with robocalls, television commercials, canvassers and billboards. This year was especially exciting for New York voters as the Democratic and Republican candidates were not known until later than usual in the season, and primary candidates campaigned around the state seeking our votes. In Binghamton, I attended two events with primary candidates — the first time for a presidential election.
The civic energy and responsibility that emanates from voters this time of year is indeed quite gratifying, yet the enthusiasm and sense of responsibility seems to die off starting the next day when the winners are announced. I remember reading an article in which the author compares voting to the daily habit of brushing one’s teeth. It’s one of the most basic activities we can do for our health, but we should not and cannot stop there — there’s still much to be done to maintain the long-term health of our democracy.
A Google search reveals that this analogy is not so unique, but we should keep it in mind when thinking of our civic responsibility after election day. We must continue to work the other 364 days of the year toward better environmental policy— whether our candidates win or not. When respectable environmental candidates win, they still need our help as they act on bills and initiatives we support, and they need our assistance in putting public pressure on other elected officials to pass those bills and move forward on those initiatives.
In the midst of election season, we must definitely act to support our candidates by making campaign contributions, phone banking, canvasing, writing letters to the editor and much more. For a complete list of Sierra Club endorsements in New York, visit /content/2016-endorsements. If we want to achieve our environmental goals, we need allies who are willing to step up for the environment and public health, but they cannot be elected without grassroots support from organizations like the Sierra Club. We as members must get out there and show candidates we’re willing to put in the time and work for them and for ourselves.
Come November 9, our work is not complete — we’re just getting started. We must continue to build grassroots support for Sierra Club-endorsed candidates who won, and put pressure on all candidates elected to represent us. There are many opportunities to plug into ongoing actions, no matter your passion, interest or skills. Articles throughout this issue illustrate the tremendous and ongoing work of our staff and volunteers, and the ways you can become involved. In addition, many volunteer opportunities can be found on Volunteer Connection: clubvolunteer.org. Just type in your zip code and find opportunities at the local group and state level.
So, do get out there and support strong environmental candidates, and vote on November 8 — but remember that the next day we embark on a long journey to defend and protect the environment, along with the democratic process that ensures that our values and concerns are represented. Go vote — it is quite literally the least you can do, but we cannot settle for the least. We rely on you to continue our work throughout the year.