Stand With Michigan on Prop 3, The Most Important Clean Energy Vote of the Year

This is a guest post by Whit Jones, Campaign Director for Energy Action Coalition

There’s one vote on climate and clean energy this election that’s pretty clear and simple: Michigan’s renewable energy ballot initiative, Proposition 3. And right now, it needs our help.

Prop 3 is being called “the most important clean-energy vote this year” because it would substantially boost the state’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES) and help further develop Michigan’s clean energy economy, bringing much needed jobs to the state.

Not surprisingly (but still outrageous), dirty energy utilities and fossil fuel-funded front groups are spending million of dollars to defeat Prop 3, running misleading ads, producing faulty reports and spreading disinformation about the initiative. And it’s not just from in-state utilities, Canadian pipeline company Enbridge, which dumped nearly 1 million gallons into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River in 2010 and the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (a coal industry front group) also contributed to the campaign to defeat Proposition 3.

Phone bankers are encouraged to use this photo as their profile picture on facebook and Twitter to help spread the word about the importance of Prop 3!
But thankfully Prop 3 has a strong coalition behind it, including thousands of students and young voters. The Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition, National Wildlife Federation, and students groups across Michigan have been organizing for huge turnout on November 6th, and they’ve been doing a heckuva job doing it. Multiple Michigan campuses are leading the Power Vote Challenge, a national competition to see who can mobilize the most youth power to demand climate action this election.

Battles like Prop 3 are a clear contest between Big Polluters & People Power — and in these final days we need to bring the people power to the polls. We need make sure every young person in Michigan knows what’s at stake with Prop 3.

On Thursday and Sunday nights from 6-9pm ET, Energy Action Coalition partners, the Michigan Student Sustainability Coalition, and grassroots activists across the country are hosting phone banks to call over 10,000 young voters in Michigan. 

Yes, ten thousand. And yes, that’s a lot. And with a close race in Michigan, these 10,000 young voters could be the margin of victory.

Let’s go for it. With clean energy and the elections under attack by big polluters, Michigan’s Prop 3 is our chance to win a clear victory for clean energy and climate action. It’s time to dig in. Let’s leave no stone unturned.

On Thursday or Sunday night from 6-9 pm ET, organize a phone bank, or make calls yourself, to remind young voters in Michigan to vote YES on Prop 3!

Personal calls are the best way to ensure people get out to vote. Round up a couple friends, or just pick up the phone and join us in calling over 10,000 young voters in Michigan!

To join, go to PowerVote.org/phonebank

Cross-posted from WeArePowerShift.org