Weekly Briefing: Election engagement opportunities are underway
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Aug. 5, 2026
We’re back home from a busy Lobby Day in D.C., and now, it’s August in a midterm election year. You know what that means: Campaign season is ramping up here in the United States.
At CCL, our election work happens with candidates on both sides of the aisle, allowing us to make a positive impact on the upcoming midterm elections while staying true to our nonpartisan value.
This year, CCL’s Election Engagement Action Team (EEAT) is focused on helping volunteers take meaningful, nonpartisan action in three main areas:
- Building relationships with candidates, which can lay the groundwork for future congressional relationships on both sides of the aisle.
- Supporting voter turnout through collaboration with groups like the Environmental Voter Project (EVP), which helps people who already care about climate become consistent voters.
- Additional election-related outreach, like postcarding to potential voters and hosting “Voter Research Parties” to help folks get informed before heading to the polls.
Every conversation, postcard, and phone call makes future climate progress possible. As campaign season heats up, now is the perfect time to find the election engagement opportunities that fit your interests and schedule.
RSVP to the Aug. 13 training
In other news this week:
- Summer Conference & Lobby Day 2026: Thank you to every volunteer who joined us in Washington, D.C., this year for another amazing conference! This year, over 750 attendees joined more than 400 lobby meetings on Capitol Hill. Conference highlights are saved on CCL’s Instagram account in posts and story highlights. If you haven’t already, please send your photos of the conference and Lobby Day to marketing@citizensclimate.org.
- Permitting reform in the news: In our 400+ meetings with Congress, bipartisan permitting reform legislation was a primary ask for both senators and representatives. As if to boost our efforts, permitting reform is also making headlines this week! Check out this Washington post op-ed from Lily Bermel, visiting fellow at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, and this podcast interview with Daniel Palken on Heatmap News.
- Wildfires in the U.S.: This year’s wildfire season has surpassed its 10-year average for both the number of fires and total acres burned. Right now, more than 99 large fires are burning, with significant damage in the Pacific Northwest happening right now. If you’re in an affected area, tell Congress your concerns! Use our wildfire action tool to ask your representatives to take action.
Take action this week
If you have a little time: Save the date for CCL’s Virtual Fall Conference. Now that the annual Summer Conference has wrapped up, we’re looking ahead to fall. Save the date for this year’s virtual Fall Conference on Saturday, Dec. 5. We’ll look back at this year’s accomplishments, unpack what the midterm election results mean for climate legislation, and look ahead to what’s next in 2027. Plan to join us on Zoom for a jam-packed day of keynotes, breakouts, and CCL intel you won’t want to miss.If you have more time: Attend this Saturday’s Monthly Meeting. Our August meeting, hosted by CCL Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Flannery Winchester, will debrief CCL’s 2026 Summer Conference and Lobby Day. From the impact and impression we made on Capitol Hill, to the insights and inspiration we got during conference programming — this call will catch you up on it all! Plan to join us this Saturday, August 8, starting at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
Featured: Summer Conference local media
Every year, the Summer Conference provides an excellent opportunity for a local media push. It’s always a great story when local people make such a big effort to travel to D.C. and speak up for their communities and for the climate.CCLers have already started to pitch the conference as a story to local news outlets and share their own perspective in the opinion pages. Here are just a few of the media hits we’ve begun to see:
- Citizens' Climate Lobby reshaping environmental politics - Left Hand Valley Courier (Colorado)
- Commentary: Five days without power: Why I’m taking NJ’s extreme weather story to Congress - Morristown Green (New Jersey)
- Letter: Citizens’ Climate Lobby visiting nation’s capital - State Journal (Kentucky)
- Letter to the Editor: As America marks 250 years, local volunteers head to Washington to encourage energy policy - Marshall County Tribune-Courier (Kentucky)
Read guidance about how to write your own LTE or op-ed about lobbying here. CCL also offers a press release template which can be sent out to local media along with a high-res group photo of volunteers on lobby day morning.
Great work to everyone who sent a story pitch, drafted an op-ed, or saw their work published!
Interested in publishing your first letter to the editor? Or making a story pitch to a local outlet? Join CCL’s Writer’s Circle Action Team for tips and support.
Summer Conference recordings
If you weren’t able to attend CCL’s 2026 Summer Conference and Lobby Day in person or on the livestream, make sure you’ve caught up on a few key moments highlighted in our August Action Sheet:CCL Executive Director Ricky Bradley’s opening remarks - This heartfelt speech reminds us that CCL’s nonpartisan, respectful advocacy may not feel familiar or comfortable to you at first, but you can learn and grow into someone who embodies this work. Watch the recording.
Keynote speech and Q&A with Jigar Shah - Jigar Shah, former Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office and host of the “Energy Empire” and “Open Circuit” podcasts, is one of the most influential voices in clean energy finance and deployment. He shared his perspective on permitting reform and took questions from CCLers. Watch the recording.
Building a BRIDGE to Capitol Hill - In this session, CCL’s VP of Field Operations Brett Cease brought BRIDGE to life to help attendees build skills for lobby meetings and moments of connection. He shared why facts alone rarely change minds and how listening for values helps us communicate more effectively across differences, as well as stories from CCL volunteers and simple tools to stay curious through challenging conversations. Watch the recording.
Keynote speech and Q&A with Jigar Shah - Jigar Shah, former Director of the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office and host of the “Energy Empire” and “Open Circuit” podcasts, is one of the most influential voices in clean energy finance and deployment. He shared his perspective on permitting reform and took questions from CCLers. Watch the recording.
Building a BRIDGE to Capitol Hill - In this session, CCL’s VP of Field Operations Brett Cease brought BRIDGE to life to help attendees build skills for lobby meetings and moments of connection. He shared why facts alone rarely change minds and how listening for values helps us communicate more effectively across differences, as well as stories from CCL volunteers and simple tools to stay curious through challenging conversations. Watch the recording.
To see other events and CCL trainings, visit the Live Events Calendar on CCL Community.
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