More and more these days, people say they are turned off by politics and elections. Understandable, when partisan nastiness, name-calling, and a firehose of intentional falsehoods take center stage. Voting itself has come under attack, with measures being pushed to make participation much harder for almost everyone.
But elections really do matter -- when it comes to protecting the water we drink, advancing climate solutions that create jobs while protecting our environment, stemming the rising tide of single-use plastic throw-aways, curbing toxic forever chemicals, and tackling the injustices that force too many communities of color to be on the receiving end of the nation’s worst pollution.
Corporate polluters and their allies in public office can and must be held accountable. Their reckless, short-term pursuit of profits threatens the prospects of a clean and healthy future for the rest of us. The polluters may have big money and unprecedented insider access – for now – but the 2026 midterm elections offer powerful opportunities to restore balance and fairness to a system that is clearly failing.
In Congress today, the leadership and committee chairs who set the agenda are siding nearly 100% of the time with the corporate polluters who bankroll their campaigns. Those industry-captured politicians should be preventing further loss of fundamental protections for our water and health. But instead of leading, they have given polluters free rein to rewrite the rules in their favor.
A shift of control in even a few seats in the U.S. House and Senate could bring dramatic changes for the better. This year – starting now – we have a chance to replace a bunch of environmental “zeroes” with leaders who are prepared to champion long-neglected, endangered environmental and health protections.
Here are three ways you can make a big difference in the coming months:
Be a Clean Water Voter – Commit to understand the issues and stakes, the candidates’ records and positions, and review Clean Water Action’s nonpartisan candidate endorsements. Make sure you are registered to vote and make specific plans to do so. Our water needs us now. This is our chance. Let’s make every vote count in 2026! Sign our Clean Water Voter pledge today.
Donate – When you lend your financial support to Clean Water Action’s 2026 campaigns, your donations are not going to candidates or to slick advertising. Your gifts – no gift is too small, donate what you can, and consider sustaining your support with a monthly donation – help educate and turn out voters in the places it will matter most. Our person-to-person organizing by phone, door-to-door, and online are the most effective ways to deliver the winning margin in the close races that will be on the ballot this November.
Help Spread the Word – After you sign our Clean Water Voter pledge, make sure your family and friends will join you in voting for the candidates whose records and positions on these issues reflect your own priorities. Visit our Clean Water Store to strengthen your support and let others know where you stand by purchasing and wearing or gifting our Clean Water Voter (or future Clean Water Voter, for younger folks). Together, we can restore our nation’s historic commitment to clean water that is fishable, swimmable and drinkable for all people and communities and reverse the damage that’s being done – starting with your thoughtful vote in the midterm elections this fall.
The 2026 elections can be a powerful tool for positive change. The results will build momentum and advance our agenda for clean water, climate justice, healthy communities and an economy that brings these important values to the forefront. A handful of very close races for the U.S. House and Senate in the states and communities where Clean Water Action members like you are eligible to vote can make all the difference. Together, our actions through this fall and beyond will shape our shared clean water future.
Want to learn more? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at elections2026@cleanwater.org.
