On November 5th, the future of Virginia is at stake. Will we elect a governor who is committed to tackling the most urgent crisis of our time — climate change — or a governor who attacks the basic scientific facts that climate change is real and human-caused? The outcome will depend on whether Virginians who care about our future get out to the polls and make their vote count.
Rising seas and harsher storms from climate change are already flooding our coastal communities — Hampton Roads could be devastated by the next Sandy-scale disaster. Record heat waves are triggering more asthma attacks in our kids. Weather extremes are putting our farms and local businesses at risk. Scientists say we have a short window of time left to shift to clean energy and energy efficiency solutions and protect a livable future.
We need leaders who will make decisions based on science — and then we must hold them accountable to action!
Get informed. Make your plan to vote. Tell your friends.
Get out to VOTE for climate action on November 5th.
Key voter links and information:
- Check your registration status: The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming election was October 15th. You can click here to check your Virginia voter registration status.
- Need to vote by absentee ballot? Click here to confirm if you qualify and find the full guidelines for voting by absentee ballot. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot by mail was October 29th. If you are voting by mail, your ballot must be returned to the Election Board by 7:00pm (when polls close) on Election Day. You can vote by absentee ballot in-person at your local registrar’s through Saturday, November 2nd. Check with your local registrar for office location and hours to vote in-person by absentee ballot.
- Find your polling place: Click here to find out where to cast your ballot in-person on Tuesday, November 5th. Polls will be open on Election Day from 6:00am to 7:00pm.
- Click here for a more detailed voter FAQ page to get ready for November 5th.
Climate Change and the Governor’s Race:
Where do the candidates stand …
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[bs_citem title=”…on Climate Science?” id=”citem_77″ parent=”collapse_51″]
Terry McAuliffe accepts the science of climate change.
“It is a scientific reality that man-made climate change is causing sea levels to rise. It is a daily fact of life for Virginians living up and down the coast and it will have major impacts on billions of dollars’ worth of public and private infrastructure. We must act now to prevent decades of increasingly severe floods and natural disasters.”
Terry McAuliffe’s Environment platform
Ken Cuccinelli mocks the science of climate change, denying the consensus of 97% of the world’s climate scientists.
“Carbon dioxide, or CO2 – this ‘dangerous’ threat to America and to the world – is the gas we all exhale from our bodies every second of every day. It’s also the gas that we readily and willingly consume when we have carbonated drinks.”
The Last Line of Defense, Page 174, by Ken Cuccinelli, 2013
“Now, let’s make them all happy just for a moment and everybody just hold your breath. … There you go, just a short period of time with no CO2. Now the trees are going to protest, but at least the EPA will be happy.”
Ken Cuccinelli at Powhatan Taxpayers Alliance Tea Party rally, April 10, 2010
“The planet has actually been cooling down over the past ten years.”
Ken Cuccinelli, speech at William and Mary College, Sept. 20, 2009
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[bs_citem title=”… on Priorities for Our Future?” id=”citem_80″ parent=”collapse_51″]
Terry McAuliffe supports science, research and efforts to protect Virginians from rising seas.
“Terry McAuliffe will convene a Climate Change Adaptation Commission, bringing together a bipartisan commission of scientists, policymakers, conservationists and industry representatives to proactively develop a comprehensive plan to protect Virginia communities from rising sea levels. He will encourage Virginia’s renowned network of universities and colleges to conduct research into the causes of climate change and mitigation strategies.”
Terry McAuliffe’s Environment platform
“Terry McAuliffe will improve disaster response. Investments in transportation will greatly improve regional disaster response, but more should be done to coordinate with medical facilities, first responders, Virginia National Guard, and local authorities to improve readiness for natural disasters.”
Terry McAuliffe’s bipartisan business agenda for Hampton Roads
“Mitigating the effects of climate change cannot be a one-size-fits-all effort. As Governor, Terry will work with localities to give them the appropriate legal authority and find funding opportunities to enact local mitigation strategies.”
Terry McAuliffe Environment platform
Ken Cuccinelli “spent his time launching a baseless witch hunt against a University of Virginia scientist.”
Terry McAuliffe, George Mason University, Aug. 9, 2013
Ken Cuccinelli wastes taxpayer money fighting science.
As attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli sued the Environmental Protection Agency over its ruling that global warming is a threat to health, calling the science “unreliable, unverifiable and doctored.” The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the EPA was “unambiguously correct” in using existing federal law to address global warming. “This is how science works,” the opinion said. In March 2013, Ken Cuccinelli appealed this case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ken Cuccinelli spent two years trying to force the University of Virginia to hand over emails of Michael Mann and other climate scientists. The university prevailed, but only after spending nearly $600,000 to fight this attack on science and academic freedom.
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[bs_citem title=”… on Clean Energy?” id=”citem_41″ parent=”collapse_51″]
Terry McAuliffe supports energy efficiency and clean energy laws to reduce climate change and create jobs for Virginians.
“Clean energy jobs are a small but growing portion of Virginia’s economy. By setting standards that encourage new industry and are competitive with our neighbor states we can create thousands of jobs and do the critical work of cleaning up our air and water – and combat climate change.”
Terry McAuliffe’s Jobs & Economy platform
“We are going to have [a mandatory renewable energy standard] here in Virginia … because it’s about job creation. We ought to build the blades and the rotors and the poles. We ought to build them all here in Virginia.”
Terry McAuliffe, Feb. 10, 2013, announcing his campaign
“Offshore wind has tremendous potential. Massachusetts will probably be first in the water, but we ought to be right behind them. I would love to see Virginia be second in the water.”
Terry McAuliffe, candidate forum, Aug. 29, 2013, Newsleader.com
“There’s so much work we can do on energy efficiency. We need to provide incentives for homeowners, and move ahead on offshore wind energy development. We could light up 10,000 homes, but we also could create thousands of jobs.”
Terry McAuliffe, candidate forum, Aug. 29, 2013, The Daily Caller
Ken Cuccinelli attacks clean energy solutions.
Ken Cuccinelli has pledged to “reform or eliminate failed clean energy programs, such as the Renewable Portfolio Standard bonuses ….”
Ken Cuccinelli’s Energy plan
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[bs_citem title=”… on Gas Drilling?” id=”citem_68″ parent=”collapse_51″]
Terry McAuliffe supports protecting our forests and water resources.
“Virginia is committed to protecting and managing the George Washington National Forest. Allowing fracking and horizontal drilling in this protected area is inconsistent with this commitment.”
Terry McAuliffe’s Environment platform
Ken Cuccinelli won’t protect Virginians or our natural resources from fracking.
Ken Cuccinelli favors allowing hydro-fracking for natural gas in the George Washington National Forest.
Roanoke Times, May 6, 2013
Ken Cuccinelli secretly helped energy firms fight landowners.
Ken Cuccinelli’s office assisted two energy companies, and not the Southwest Virginia landowners who sued them, in a legal dispute over natural gas royalties. Ken Cuccinelli also opposed the property owners’ efforts to obtain emails between his office and the companies. One of the firms, CNX, is a subsidiary of out-of-state CONSOL Energy, which gave more than $100,000 to Cuccinelli’s campaign.
Bristol Herald Courier
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Additional Voter Resources
Read how Terry McAuliffe responded to CCAN Action Fund’s detailed questionnaire on where the candidates stand on climate and clean energy policies.