In the final days before the presidential election, nearly 2,000 volunteers from around the country are spending hours calling voters in 19 states. Their purpose? Get people who care about climate change to the polls, especially those who did not participate in the last presidential election.

You might expect this volunteer force, assembled by the nonprofit Environmental Voter Project, to talk about a particular candidate. Ultimately, Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, cast the deciding vote. Largest climate bill in congressional history, sharp contrasts With former President Donald Trump, a Republican who rolled back dozens of environmental protections and pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement. It’s true, though, that most voters who prioritize climate change have made their choice. Democratic ticketsThe Environmental Voter Project’s phone bankers keep their messages non-partisan. In fact, climate change is not even mentioned in their scenario.

In the election that is expected to be won by a very narrow margin, the predicted 8 million Registered voters who care about the environment but don’t vote in 2020 could impact all states, especially those where the race is expected to be tight. The organization found 245,000 registered voters in Pennsylvania who care about climate change but rarely show up to the polls.

“Climate voters and first-time climate voters can absolutely make a difference this fall,” said Nathaniel Stinnett, founder and executive director of the Environmental Voter Project.

Research shows that emerging climate voters in 2020 had a meaningful impact on the election. Climate change was the key factor pushing voters under the age of 45, who had previously voted third party or not at all, to vote for President Joe Biden in 2020. Navigator Research survey. Another analysis University of Colorado, Boulderfound that hypothetically Biden would lose 3 percent If climate change had not played a role in voters’ choices, the popular vote would have increased, enough to change the course of the election.

Stinnett believes climate votes could be critical to this year’s presidential election in Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, three swing states that have the largest majorities of voters who care about climate but are unlikely to vote, according to Environmental Voter’s modeling of the project. The group reports that since 2017 it has helped convert more than 350,000 previously inactive voters in Pennsylvania into highly engaged voters — in a state that Biden won by just 80,555 votes in 2020. In contrast, it is not reaching voters in Michigan. and Wisconsin, because there aren’t many environmentalists who don’t vote in those swing states.

Stinnett said almost 350,000 of the 4.8 million “potential first-time climate voters” that volunteers targeted in 19 states cast their ballots early, which he sees as a hopeful sign. This includes 45,000 first-time climate change voters in Georgia and more than 33,000 in North Carolina.

Anyone who lists climate change as their top priority is considered a climate voter. But some segments of Americans are more likely than others to be in this group: Democrats, women, young people, black people, and those with heritage from Asia and the Pacific Islands. “If you are more likely to directly feel the effects of toxic air, toxic water, and extreme weather, you will likely pay more attention to the climate crisis and environmental issues,” Stinnett said.

Of course, climate voters have other concerns. That’s why volunteers with the League of Conservation Voters knocked on 2.5 million doors across the country, asking potential voters what was important to them and then explaining how that issue was linked to climate change. “You know, we’re trying to tell them what’s important, which may be important, but it’s often much less effective than asking someone what they care about,” said Pete Maysmith, the environmental advocacy group’s senior vice president of campaigns. About 75 percent of voters interviewed by the group say they plan to vote for Harris, who is owned by the League of Conservation Voters. approved.

The group is also making efforts to reach voters online, working with TikTok personalities to reach young voters and creating digital ads that run on platforms like Hulu and YouTube. A TikTok video features the “WaterTok Queen” They cook pasta decorated with Kamala Harris’ face while talking about the vice president’s efforts to combat pollution. A new one with a completely different approach digital advertising This film, shown to voters in Georgia and North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, conveys the results of the presidential election by showing how storms amplified by climate change could threaten babies born today. Often when living in fire, flood or hot weather conditions only a small impact on how people voteIt’s possible for a disaster to make the difference in a close race.

The Environmental Voter Project has a different way of pushing climate voters to the polls. The group has yet to endorse a candidate and doesn’t talk to voters about climate change at all. Instead, the group uses tactics based on behavioral science to get people to vote, leveraging the power of peer pressure, such as mailing people their voting history and reminding them it’s public record. They also ask voters how they plan to vote (early, by mail, or by Election Day) and word the question in a way that eliminates the option of not voting.

“All we’re trying to do is change someone’s behavior rather than their mind,” Stinnett said.