Data shows that while some voters rank climate change among their top political priorities, it rarely factors into their decisions on Election Day. More than anything else, the health of the economy — and, perhaps more importantly, voters’ perceptions of it — typically dictates which candidates garner the most votes. But that doesn’t mean climate change is entirely absent in the ballot box.
“Disasters typically increase voter turnout. Either people are really pissed or they’re thrilled — the government actually came through for them.”— Daniel Aldrich, a professor of political science at Northeastern University
Over the next few months, we’ll be looking at how extreme weather, exacerbated by human-caused global warming, is having a transformative impact on elections — floods destroy polling places, wildfires displace voters, and long recovery delays erode trust in local and federal government. These disasters are also interrupting daily routines, school schedules, household finances, even where people work and live, all of which in turn have profound effects up and down ballots across the United States and indeed the rest of the world.
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