What if the biggest obstacle to climate action is getting people to the polls?
On October 23, in this compelling BigTentUSA conversation, Nathaniel Stinnett, founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project, made the case that the climate movement has a turnout problem, not a persuasion problem. In 2024 alone, 11.2 million registered voters who identified climate or the environment as their top priority stayed home on Election Day. Stinnett explained how his organization uses sophisticated voter data, behavioral science, and randomized control trials to identify and mobilize these voters, turning sporadic participation into lifelong voting habits. By engaging voters in more than 400 elections annually, the organization has helped transform over 2.4 million people into consistent voters. With the midterms approaching, Stinnett urged attendees to take action through phone banking, canvassing, and postcard writing.
Climate power is sitting on the sidelines. It’s time to get it to the polls.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Nathaniel Stinnett is the Founder & Executive Director of the Environmental Voter Project, a cutting-edge nonprofit using data analytics and behavioral science to mobilize environmentalists to vote. Named one of five global “climate visionaries” by The New York Times in 2018, and dubbed “The Voting Guru” by Grist magazine, Stinnett is a frequent expert speaker on experimental campaign techniques and the behavioral science behind getting people to vote. He has held a variety of senior leadership positions on US Senate, Congressional, state, and mayoral campaigns, and he sits on the Board of Advisors for MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative. He lives in Boston with his wife and two children.
