The 2026 mid-term elections are just weeks away, and democracy and voting are top of mind for us at CLF.
Everything CLF does – ensuring clean air and water for all, protecting habitats and waterways, and building our clean energy future – requires a government that’s responsive to the public.
Redistricting, attacks on mail-in voting, and misinformation are designed to make all of us doubt the integrity of our elections. But in the face of these attacks on our democracy and the systems that keep it healthy, your vote matters more than ever.
Fossil fuel interests are pouring money into politics
The ever-growing influx of money into politics that began with Citizens United has grown into a torrent of cash that threatens the work we do.
Money in politics is a problem across the board, and it’s especially dire when it comes to environmental issues. The disproportionate influence of fossil fuel companies, pesticide producers, and chemical manufacturers has a corrupting effect on politics and policy.
When chemical companies let wastewater contaminated with PFAS — toxic “forever chemicals” — flow into our drinking supply, we depend on a functioning justice system to make polluters pay and repair the harm they’ve caused.
When the Trump administration declares war on offshore wind development, we depend on a functioning system of checks and balances to fight back.
When fossil fuel companies try to force new gas pipelines through our communities, we depend on a functioning regulatory system to push back and build the clean energy future we need.
The upcoming elections are an opportunity for voters to let the people in power know what matters to them. We need to ensure that elected officials are accountable to us — to the public. So we vote. And we encourage you to vote.
Next month we’re voting in federal elections, and those matter, a lot. But state and local elections matter too. And these days, when Washington is gridlocked and not functioning, our state elections become even more consequential.
Democracy is a big idea, and it can feel overwhelming to watch the dysfunction in Washington and the attacks on our democratic institutions. So here are two issues that you can take action on that can shore up our democracy.
Accountability matters. That’s why we support all-party primaries.
As Washington continues to attack environmental progress, we all have the power to inspire change in our own communities. States have a responsibility to take the lead on climate progress. Washington isn’t the only place where democracy in action makes change happen — change happens in our communities every day.
The highly divisive nature of our politics now means that it’s harder for voices in the middle to be heard. We know that access to clean air and water and a healthy environment are overwhelmingly popular nonpartisan issues. But because the country has become so fractured and driven by extremes, we’re not able to have a public discourse that reflects where people actually are. We need reforms to reduce the toxic divisions in our politics right now. Massachusetts Ballot Question 3 is one such reform.
This ballot question advocates for switching to an all-party primary system. In an all-party primary, all candidates are on a single ballot, and primary voters can vote for the candidates who will work on the issues they care about, regardless of party affiliation.
Wrapped up with these reforms is a need for us in our communities to start talking to each other again across political differences. Open primaries encourage that kind of dialogue. Candidates need to speak to the broad interests of their constituents. Open primaries do that, instead of keeping people in their echo chambers and their siloed political spheres.
Question 3 also reduces the power of the parties. Politics has become so expensive that politicians spend most of their time raising money instead of working on the issues that matter. To the extent that you reduce the importance of parties in that process, you can free up politicians to be more responsive to the people who elected them.
All-party primaries will have the effect of producing candidates who have a wider perspective on what really matters to their constituents. That’s why CLF supports voting Yes on Question 3.
CLF supports same day voter registration
One of the great accomplishments of the civil rights movement was ensuring that everyone has the right to vote, and protecting voting rights is one of the touchstones of our democracy. Or at least it was until recently.
Recent attacks on the right to vote include loud disinformation about the integrity of our elections and voter fraud. The truth: Our election systems are incredibly rigorous, and voter fraud is vanishingly rare. But that doesn’t stop President Trump from attempting to cast doubt on electoral integrity and restrict voting rights by any means he can.
Take the SAVE Act, a blatant attempt to strip the most fundamental right in a democracy from millions of people. This is a solution to a nonexistent problem. We don’t have voter fraud. We don’t need monitoring at the polls. And we certainly don’t need to add obstacles to voter registration.
On the contrary — we need to make it easier to register to vote, so every eligible voter can participate in this fundamental activity of our democracy. That’s why CLF is in favor of same day voter registration.
Research has shown that same-day registration increases voter participation, especially for young voters and in communities of color. Maine led New England as the first state to enact same-day voter registration, in 1973, and Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut have since followed. These states have some of the highest voter turnout rates in the country. Rhode Island allows same-day voter registration for presidential elections only, but Massachusetts doesn’t allow it at all. Massachusetts Ballot Question 4 would change that, and we encourage you to vote Yes to catch the Commonwealth up to its neighbors.
Same day voter registration protects the right to vote. And protecting the right to vote is critically important today, as efforts to limit access to voting persist.
Voting for the environment means voting for our present and our future
The environment, our health, and the places we call home are on the ballot, even when you can’t see them listed by name.
For years, polling has shown that the majority of voters care deeply about the issues CLF works on. People across the political spectrum want access to clean air and water and a healthy environment. These are nonpartisan issues.
We at CLF care about voting, money in politics, and keeping our democracy healthy, because we can’t do our work if we don’t have a functioning democracy. We can’t protect public health if we don’t have officials in power accountable to the public. We can’t manage the effects of a changing climate if we don’t have elected officials who govern on the issues that matter to people.
Healthy communities need a healthy democracy. We need a functioning democracy if we want a future powered by affordable clean energy from wind and solar, habitats that are protected so all species can thrive, and clean air and water for everyone.
