Research shows that young people are more concerned about climate change than older generations.

And Leah Qusba of the Alliance for Climate Education says that on this election day, young people can help elect candidates promising climate action – but only if they vote.

“So many young people have something called voter apathy,” she says. “They don’t see voting as a means to create change in systems that are broken. … Turnout right now is pretty abysmal.”

Qusba says there are lots of reasons young people feel alienated by or excluded from the electoral system: “Everything from voter ID laws to poverty, homelessness, lack of education around voting, misinformation, and miseducation around the voting process,” she says.

Qusba says it’s critical to remove these obstacles and engage youth – especially Black, Indigenous, and other young people of color, who are more likely to face barriers to voting.

Her group coordinates outreach to young voters and helps them recruit their friends and families to get registered and cast their ballots.

She says through the power of their vote, young people can push elected officials to act on climate change.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media.