When Voting Rights Fall, Climate Progress Follows

The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais is a decisive blow in the long dismantling of the Voting Rights Act. By weakening key protections against racial and partisan gerrymandering, the Court has made it easier for politicians to choose their voters and harder for communities to have a real voice.

It was never about maps. It’s about power: who gets a say, and who gets erased. 

Black voters having power benefits everyone: with better jobs, affordable housing, and thriving communities. Because when those most impacted shape decisions, inequitable systems get challenged and changed. Without their voices, decisions get made without communities and against them. 

Climate funders and the broader climate movement, let this be our wake up call.

For too long, much of the climate field has treated democracy as adjacent rather than foundational. Investments in narrative, organizing and policy are too often disconnected from power and decision-making. There has been underinvestment in the information and narrative infrastructure needed to ensure communities can access trusted information, shape their own stories, and fully participate in civic life.

Without real political power, there are no durable climate wins. 

What must be done now is immediate, deep investment in voter outreach and engagement in majority Black, Hispanic, AAPI, and other communities of color. That’s why we are expanding our support for deep-rooted, community organizing and civic engagement in the Deep South, including Mississippi, that will support nonpartisan voter engagement to expand participation in our democracy when other forces are trying to stifle it.