A Healthy Planet Requires a Healthy Democracy

A truly representative democracy — one where all voices are heard and where decisions are made through a fair and transparent process — is essential for ensuring a livable planet. Yet, like access to a healthy environment, the ability to participate fully in our democracy is not evenly distributed.

For far too long, communities of color, Indigenous communities, and young people have faced unnecessary obstacles and systemically racist barriers that result in low voter turnout and disenfranchisement of eligible voters. For example, on average, Black and Latine voters spend around 45% longer waiting in lines to vote than White voters.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision in the Voting Rights Act when it decided Shelby County v. Holder in 2013, states — many with a documented history of racial voting discrimination — have enacted nearly 100 laws that restrict voting rights. A recent study shows that these laws have contributed to an increase in the racial voting gap. The Supreme Court’s extremist majority has continued weakening voting rights in subsequent cases.

As a result, our nation’s electorate does not match our nation’s demographics, with wide disparities by age, race, and education among voters versus nonvoters, and broad consequences for underrepresented communities. Studies show that people of color bear a disproportionate burden of environmental harms, and young people will suffer the worsening impacts of climate change for decades longer than older generations.

LCV Education Fund (LCVEF) works to build a robust, inclusive democracy and to combat systemically racist barriers to the ballot box by executing one of the largest and most dynamic nonpartisan civic engagement efforts in the nation — and the largest, most impactful program in the environmental movement. We invest in and execute our programs year-round to continually build and sustain civic participation within communities that have historically low voting rates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does an environmental organization work on democracy issues?

The fundamental promise of our democracy is that constituents have the power to shape the future for ourselves, our communities, and our country by freely and fairly expressing our will at the ballot box.

Over the last two decades, the Conservation Voters Movement (CVM) — collectively, LCVEF, LCV, and our 30+ state affiliates — has established itself as the leading environmental network in nonpartisan civic engagement and state-based democracy advocacy efforts.

LCVEF executes one of the largest and most dynamic nonpartisan civic engagement efforts in the nation and the largest, most impactful program within the environmental movement. These programs significantly increase participation in our democracy by bringing new voters — especially from groups historically underrepresented in the electorate, including people of color and young people — into the electoral process.

Since 2012, LCVEF has:

We also:

• Organize community-driven campaigns that educate and move people to take collective action to protect the freedom to vote and secure stronger voting rights laws and policies.
• Train the next generation of environmental activists and leaders in communities across the country.
• Educate the public and policymakers on the impact of anti-environment and anti-democracy rulings from the Supreme Court and lower courts, as well as judicial ethics concerns related to the fossil fuel industry.

Why is LCV Education Fund elevating democracy now?

LCVEF and our state partners in the Conservation Voters Movement have been involved in civic engagement work for more than two decades. In 2021, LCVEF released a four-year strategic plan that further elevated and expanded our nonpartisan civic engagement work.

This work is more important than ever. Although the turnout rates in recent elections have increased considerably, the U.S. still significantly lags behind other nations for total turnout among the voting-age population.

Some of the biggest hurdles to achieving higher voter registration and voter turnout in the U.S. include lack of access to basic information on the mechanics of voting, important deadlines, and available voting options, such as early in-person, by mail, or at dispersed voting centers. Multiple reminders are key to increasing awareness among a busy and distracted electorate.

Underrepresented voters also often face systemic burdens, such as a lack of polling places, or polling places that are not open outside of normal business hours, making it more difficult for people who need to vote before or after work. Moreover, many underrepresented voters report that they don’t see themselves reflected in the candidates or issues on the ballot, leading to a lack of enthusiasm for the electoral process overall.

Overcoming these hurdles is essential to making sure our nation has a healthy democracy where everyone’s voice is heard and everyone has a say in their environmental health, safety, and future.

Why do your civic engagement programs center voters of color?

Like threats to the environment, threats to access to the ballot box are not evenly distributed. Voters and potential voters in communities of color, Indigenous communities, and immigrant communities often face obstacles and systemically racist barriers that result in low voter turnout, partisan and racial gerrymandering, failure to serve voters in their languages, delays in receiving accurate information, and disenfranchisement of eligible voters.

Underrepresented voters also often face burdens placed by the state, such as a lack of polling places or polling places open during hours outside of normal business hours, making it more difficult to vote before or after work. For example, on average, Black and Latino voters spend around 45 minutes more waiting in lines to vote than White voters.

Additionally, since Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013, states — many with a history of racial voting discrimination — have enacted nearly 100 laws that restrict voting rights. One example is in Georgia, where it is illegal to hand out water or food to voters who must often wait in long lines — sometimes for hours — to vote.

At the same time, studies show that people of color bear a disproportionate burden of environmental harms. But for far too long, voter suppression, partisan and racial gerrymandering, and polluter and fossil fuel money have drowned out the voices of the people directly experiencing the health impacts of pollution and the dangers of extreme weather in their communities.

LCVEF and the Conservation Voters Movement (CVM) aim to dismantle barriers to voting, to close the racial participation gap between White voters and voters of color, and to realize an equitable, representative democracy that ensures all communities’ voices are represented within our government and in policy outcomes.

To that end, we make a special commitment to work in collaboration with the communities most impacted by civic engagement inequities: Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and other communities of color, young people, and immigrant communities. As a result, more than 75% of voters registered through our nonpartisan Democracy for All programs are people of color.

Why does LCV Education Fund have a judiciary program?

The courts play a central role in enforcing, interpreting, upholding, and striking down the laws and regulations that protect our environment, climate, and democracy. A single Supreme Court case, such as Shelby County v. Holder (mentioned above), can have an outsized impact on people’s ability to exercise their freedom to vote. These decisions also impact our ability to protect our environmental health, such as in West Virginia v. EPA, which curtailed the authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate climate pollution under the Clean Air Act.

LCVEF works to educate and engage the public, the media, and policymakers about the importance of the judiciary, including the process of appointing qualified, diverse judicial nominees with strong public-interest legal backgrounds to the courts.

And because over 99% of cases never make it to the Supreme Court, LCVEF also works on ensuring that lower courts reflect the diversity, qualifications, ethics, and commitment to public service we need to ensure that our nation’s democratic institutions work for people — not just for polluters.

What can I do to help LCV Education Fund increase civic participation?

The polluting corporations and other special interests that benefit from the destruction of our environment are the same ones that benefit from dismantling democracy and taking away power from people. Increasing civic participation is critical to ensuring all communities have equitable input on the policies that impact all of us.

So what can you do personally to help strengthen democracy and encourage more equitable representation?

Make a gift to LCV Education Fund to support our civic engagement programs. Our ability to execute our programs relies on the generosity of supporters like you. Donate today to help us succeed in our efforts to build a healthier, safer, more just climate future for all, protected by a strong democracy.