Weekly Briefing: CCL gets out the climate vote

Sept. 16, 2026

Election season is in full swing, and CCL volunteers across the country are finding ways to engage voters, candidates, and their communities on climate and clean energy. At our September Monthly Meeting, we spoke with volunteers about some of the election engagement activities happening across CCL. 

Election Engagement Action Team (EEAT) leader Mike Holler detailed how his team builds relationships with candidates ahead of the election results. “We’re trying to make sure they're aware of CCL and how important the climate issue is in the constituency as they potentially head into office,” he explained.

Mike and his Chicago chapter have held several meetings with candidates to encourage them to connect climate to issues they’re already focusing on in their campaign, like energy affordability. 

Dave Carta, of the New Jersey Raritan Valley CCL chapter, gets involved every election season as a volunteer phone banker. In partnership with the Environmental Voter Project, CCLers can hop on the phone to call potential climate voters and encourage them to vote in this election.

“Phone banking is great because no matter where you are, you can get involved,” said Dave. “Every phone bank starts with training, so people shouldn't worry if they haven't done it before. They'll get trained right up front.”

Phone banking sessions occur every week through the election, every Wednesday from 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. Sessions last 90 minutes.

Finally, Arkansas state co-coordinator Jan Schaper shared her experiences with postcarding, where CCL chapter members get together and hand write encouraging postcards to lapsed voters.

“An important goal is building up the number of people who are climate voters who are actually participating in elections,” said Jan. “It’s really important to have a robust electorate with many people taking part.”

So far, CCLers in nearly 40 states have prepared over 20,000 postcards to potential climate voters. Jan confirmed a postcarding party is one of her favorite ways to bond with local chapter members. CCL’s September Action Sheet explains how to host a postcarding party of your own.

It’s not too late to get involved this election season! If any of the activities mentioned above sound interesting to you, but you aren’t sure where to start, drop a message in the EEAT Community forums. A team member will connect you to the right resources. 

Of course, election engagement was just one part of our September meeting. We also shared national updates, reported on highlights from across CCL, and took action together. If you missed it, the full recording is available now.

Watch Sept.'s Monthly Meeting

Take action this week 

If you have a little time: Write your senators about FOFA. As of the end of June 2026, over 3 million acres had already burned in U.S. wildfires. That’s more than 50% above the average of the past decade. The Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) can help by supporting smart wildfire management practices in the U.S., but it still hasn’t come up for a vote in the full Senate. Help reinforce the need for FOFA by sending an email to your senators today.

If you have more time: Attend this weekend’s virtual Inclusion Conference. The Inclusion Conference presented by CCL’s People of the Global Majority Action Team will take place this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18-19. This free event begins with a reception on Friday evening where attendees can share and connect. On Saturday, expect a day of storytelling, poetry, education and programming designed to bridge divides across perspectives and forge connections rooted in solidarity. Check out the full schedule for event times and register to attend.

Upcoming trainings

9/24: The Art of Climate Storytelling (BRIDGE Training #9) - Join us for our final, deep-dive BRIDGE training. Discover how to craft and confidently share personal, values-based stories that make climate solutions feel real, human, and worth acting on. Learn the four kinds of climate stories CCL volunteers rely on most and how to make the “climate pivot” that connects your story to a specific ask. Join us!

10/1: Carbon Pricing Education Series Session 2: Affordability and distributional impacts - Join us for the second installment of our Carbon Pricing Education Series in partnership with Resources for the Future (RFF)! A central consideration for policymakers today is affordability. This webinar will cover some recent research from RFF on the carbon pricing/affordability nexus, including research that shows how carbon price revenues can actually improve affordability. Join us!

To see other events and CCL trainings, visit the Live Events Calendar on CCL Community.