Voting Rights Are Fundamental to Democracy and Climate Justice

The World Resources Institute (WRI) asserts that recent voter suppression laws in 17 U.S. states disproportionately harm people of color and undermine democracy. WRI links voting rights to environmental justice, noting that marginalized communities—who face higher exposure to pollution and climate risks—require political representation to influence environmental policy. The statement supports the 'John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act' and the 'For the People Act' as necessary measures to protect the franchise.

• New laws in 17 U.S. states are creating barriers to voting by reducing polling locations, implementing new ID regulations, and complicating vote-by-mail processes. These laws disproportionately affect Black people and other people of color, and the document asserts they are intended to maintain power for politicians representing a minority of eligible voters rather than preventing voter fraud.
• The legal protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act have been weakened by judicial decisions. The 2013 Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder removed the requirement for the U.S. Justice Department to review election law changes in areas with histories of voter suppression. Additionally, on July 1, the Supreme Court upheld Arizona's ban on counting ballots cast in the wrong precinct and third-party ballot collections.
• Two legislative proposals are currently in Congress to address voter suppression: the "John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act," which aims to restore the Voting Rights Act's effectiveness, and the "For the People Act," which would introduce early voting, same-day voter registration for federal elections, and make Election Day a federal holiday.
• Voting rights are linked to environmental justice because people of color, who are disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental hazards, rely on the vote to influence government decisions. Data indicates Black Americans are 75% more likely than white Americans to live near commercial facilities producing emissions, noise, odor, or traffic.
• Voters of color express higher levels of concern regarding the climate crisis than white voters. According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, Latino voters are more likely to contact officials about climate change, and more Black Americans than white Americans report being alarmed by climate changes.

APA

World Resources Institute (2021). Voting Rights Are Fundamental to Democracy and Climate Justice. https://www.wri.org/insights/voting-rights-fundamental-democracy-climate-justice

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Voting Rights Are Fundamental to Democracy and Climate Justice. 2021. https://www.wri.org/insights/voting-rights-fundamental-democracy-climate-justice.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=World Resources Institute |title=Voting Rights Are Fundamental to Democracy and Climate Justice |date=19 July 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/voting-rights-fundamental-democracy-climate-justice |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{worldresourcesinstitute2021voting, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Voting Rights Are Fundamental to Democracy and Climate Justice}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/voting-rights-fundamental-democracy-climate-justice}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }