Editor’s note: This story is a result of NWPB’s election survey. Respondents ranked climate change and environmental protection among their top election concerns.
When Joseph Bogaard walked into a business near his house on Vashon Island, he was greeted with a “vote” poster he recognized. Bogaard is the executive director of Save Our Wild Salmon, a group that advocates for abundant salmon and steelhead numbers.
He helped organize the group’s “Get out the Vote” campaign. But, he said, he hadn’t placed that poster.
The group partnered with Northwestern artists to design posters, T-shirts and voter information pamphlets. Volunteers passed out thousands of the materials, Bogaard said, depicting orcas, salmon and other nature scenes.
“Someone else had made the effort of going around, talking to businesses,” Bogaard said. “We're not telling people how to vote, of course. We're just reminding them and encouraging them that they need to vote.”
In a recent survey, NWPB asked listeners about their top concerns heading into Election Day. The economy, climate and democracy were the top three issues mentioned, respectively.
For his part, Bogaard said climate and democracy are closely linked. The issues are affected by policy, he said, put forth by lawmakers.
“When people understand that connection and realize their power in having an influence on who's representing them, what kinds of policies and programs and funding and budgets that they're advocating for, it makes a big difference,” he said.
A 2024 study from Washington State University looked at people’s support for environmental policies. It found Democratic voters more often support environmental legislation, while Republican voters’ support wavers if it isn’t a bipartisan proposal. Researchers attributed that mostly to a drop in support from male Republican voters.
That support is likely guided by people’s political and group identities, said Azdren Coma, a Washington State University sociology doctoral candidate, at the time the study was published.
“Especially for an issue that you think your party does not support, you might take a step back to take an extra minute to think as objectively as possible, whether or not that legislation is going to be something that would benefit you or not,” Coma said in a news release.
This is the second election cycle Save Our Wild Salmon has worked to raise voter awareness. This year, Bogaard said, more people in Washington, Oregon and Idaho participated.
The group worked with 35 other nonprofit organizations to encourage people to register to vote and go through with their voting plans, Bogaard said. It also started its “Get out the Vote” campaign earlier than in 2024.
“Environmental issues by and large have strong bipartisan or nonpartisan public support,” he said. “We all like clean water. We all want healthy foods and clean air and a healthy climate.”
Bogaard said he believes interest in climate issues has increased, as federal policies have cut back environmental regulations.
“Those issues are so important, and they've been under real attack,” he said. “Hopefully, this election can help elevate those kinds of issues and send a strong message to policymakers at the state and federal level that these need to be priorities.”
The group plans to continue and expand its “Get out the Vote” campaigns during future elections, Bogaard said.
“ The more people that are engaged in our electoral process, the healthier our democracy is going to be,” he said.
