Earth Day’s 50th anniversary is April 22, 2020. There are many individual changes we can make to celebrate Earth Day, but we know that in addition to individual efforts, institutional changes are necessary.
Right now, even during this time of COVID-19, we can make a strong institutional statement about the urgent need to protect the planet. In the United States we can use the untapped power of our voter registration party affiliation. It will be a strong show of solidarity with the Earth when great numbers of people register Green on or before April 22, 2020.
FAQ
Q: Does my party affiliation limit my voting choices?
A: Any voter can vote for any candidate in November elections, no matter what their voter registration is. Only in primary elections does party affiliation affect the ballot you receive. So, in most states it doesn’t matter for more than 1.5 years after the primary election, and in California (because of the Top Two primary system) 3.5 years.
Q: How do I change my voter registration?
A: Search the internet for “[your state] voter registration” to check and change party affiliation. In California the link is https://registertovote.ca.gov/. Your party affiliation is a simple way to pressure the system toward your values all year long. It is official. It counts because it is counted.
Q: How can I expand my impact?
A: Please think of everyone you know who wants a better environment, and give them this “invitation to consider” so they can use this powerful means of sending a message that we’re serious about protecting and respecting the Earth.
Q: Why register Green Party?
A: Because the Green Party just might be the “new party” so many of us know we need, a party that:
(1) is not and can not be sold out to billionaires and their corporations, and
(2) advances the interconnected values of the environment, peace, and justice.
The Green Party and Green candidates never accept corporate money. Because of this commitment, more than 1,000 Greens who have held office across the country have moved these key values forward while in office. Perhaps there will be a political party with the same commitments but a different name in the future. Election laws, however, have created innumerable hurdles in the way of creating and even maintaining a new party, so right now the Green Party is the only national party with these values.
Q: Why register Green Party and not “independent?”
A: Your voter registration as an “independent” does not help advance your environmental or other values. Green Party registration also acts as a declaration of independence from the two-party system.
Q: But only a big political party can make the changes we need, right?
A: The Democratic and Republican Parties are like the Titanic ocean liner: giant, seemingly unsinkable ships promising a wonderful cruise, all the while heading straight for the iceberg, and the captains do not turn aside. Look at the presidential candidates their party leadership steers us toward. The Green Party is like a lifeboat with the amazing quality of becoming bigger and stronger the more people who come on board.
Q: What’s the bottom line?
A: Use the power of your party affiliation! Search for “[your state] voter registration”. The link for California is here. And please share this invitation with your friends and family who value peace, justice, and the Earth.