Youth Climate Group Launches Voter Mobilization Project

Just days after a Democratic National Convention that kept its climate change discussion to a low background hum, one of the more prominent youth climate activist groups is launching a voter mobilization project aimed at young voters.

“Young climate voters could decide this election,” said Sunrise Movement’s communications director Stevie O’Hanlon, in a statement. Sunrise said they aim to use a variety of methods to connect with 1.5 million young people in an effort to get out a voting bloc that historically has relatively low turnout.

The group has faced criticism from certain corners for withholding an official endorsement, first of President Biden and now of Kamala Harris; they continue to urge Harris to “put forward a bold vision that will energize young voters,” and the get-out-the-vote efforts seem firmly focused on keeping Trump — who Sunrise campaign director Kidus Girma called “Big Oil’s favorite henchman” — out of office rather than inserting Harris into it. Still, a vote is a vote, whether in support or in protest.

The DNC did feature some climate-related speeches, notably from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Florida representative Maxwell Frost, but both Harris and VP nominee Tim Walz barely mentioned the subject, possibly signaling that the campaign expects groups like Sunrise to offer their support regardless.

“The Harris-Walz ticket means millions more young voters are tuning in and considering voting,” O’Hanlon said. “We’re going all-out to reach those voters and mobilize our generation to defeat Trump this November.”