Voter Suppression, Climate Justice, and the Polluter-Industrial Complex

How the Corporate Assault on American Democracy and the Climate Are Connected

Daniel Faber, Kayla Vestergaard, Nina Schlegel, Claire Spector

July 27, 2022

Read the ReportPress releasego to project pageExecutive Summary

Summary

Voters of color, young people, those with disabilities and working class folks are more likely to vote for environmentally conscious candidates. Over the last 10 years, we have seen a vicious attack on American democracy for the benefit of the fossil fuel industry and its corporate allies. The groups targeted by this oligarchical assault on the foundation of American democracy are also the communities and individuals most affected by environmental and climate injustices. The Polluter Industrial Complex (PIC) is using extensive resources to ensure that this voting bloc is stripped of its voice, thus removing the power of the people to effectively control their destructive profiteering and regulate their impact on communities and the environment. 

Supported by corporate campaign contributions, Republican officials have ramped up efforts to pass voting restrictions across the country, and new efforts have emerged to undermine trust in election offices and officials. Without federal voting rights legislation, discriminatory voting laws and election subversion could go unchallenged. This is now a code red situation for all citizens concerned with saving our democracy and the planet. 

This is one of the most critically important topics of our time. Our report, Climate Justice, Voter Suppression & the Polluter Industrial Complex connects the dots and exposes how corporate interests in the suppression of voting rights and stalling climate action go hand in hand. Going against these corporate goliaths will require unity, intersectionality, and swift mobilization. To counteract the spreading threats of election subversion and voter suppression, we must pass federal legislation that protects and expands voting rights; creates protections against the most common obstacles faced by voters; and creates new transparency requirements on the flood of dark money financing elections. We have the solutions: members of Congress have introduced key voting rights legislation and numerous organizations are already leading the charge to enhance and expand voting rights. Educated with the truth and with the support of voting rights organizations across America, we can reverse this assault and push the climate justice movement forward.

You can learn more by reading our landmark report Climate Justice, Voter Suppression & the Polluter Industrial Complex.

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