{"id":162282,"date":"2015-09-08T17:51:04","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T00:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=162282"},"modified":"2020-12-04T11:13:35","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T19:13:35","slug":"voting-guides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/voting-guides","title":{"rendered":"Here are\u00a0Voting Guides to Help You Prep for the November Election\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article will be updated in the coming weeks as additional voting guides become available.<\/em><\/p>\n

We know there\u2019s a lot of information to sift through as you gear up for the November election<\/span>s<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>To<\/span>\u00a0make it a little\u00a0<\/span>less complicated<\/span>, we<\/span>\u2019ve<\/span>\u00a0rounded up a few\u00a0<\/span>easy-to-use\u00a0<\/span>voting guides<\/span>\u00a0that break<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>down candidates\u2019 stances on key issues<\/span>\u00a0involving the outdoors and beyond<\/span>, such as climate change,<\/span> conservation and the outdoor recreation economy,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>among<\/span>\u00a0many others<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At REI, we\u2019re decidedly nonpartisan and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>don\u2019t endorse candidates. But we do\u00a0<\/span>support outfitting voters with information t<\/span>hat\u00a0<\/span>help<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0them<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>make educated decisions<\/span>. Elections are<\/span>n\u2019t\u00a0<\/span>just about picking a candidate<\/span>\u2014they’re<\/span>\u00a0about supporting the policies that a candidate will work to advance<\/span>. After all, the\u00a0<\/span>impacts\u00a0<\/span>of these<\/span>\u00a0policies\u00a0<\/span>echo<\/span>\u00a0well beyond any\u00a0<\/span>particular candidate\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0term.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Browse<\/span>\u00a0these guides in the coming weeks<\/span>\u00a0so<\/span>\u00a0you\u00a0<\/span>can\u00a0<\/span>head<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to the\u00a0<\/span>polls<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>or<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>fill out\u00a0<\/span>your\u00a0<\/span>mail-in<\/span> ballot,\u00a0<\/span>equipped\u00a0<\/span>with information on the issues important to you<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>These are just some of the voter guides\u00a0<\/span>available<\/span>. You can find more online.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vote411<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, Vote411 is a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>nonpartisan\u00a0<\/span>tool for learning more about candidates running in federal, state and local races. You can even select two candidates to compare their experience and\u00a0<\/span>positions on\u00a0<\/span>key<\/span>\u00a0issues pertinent\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>the elected office.\u00a0<\/span>Note: some\u00a0<\/span>state guides<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>are not yet available and\u00a0<\/span>will be published\u00a0<\/span>closer to\u00a0<\/span>Election\u00a0<\/span>Day<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Campus Election Engagement Project<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Created to make voting easier for student leaders and college faculty, this nonpartisan guide provides a simple breakdown of where candidates stand on issues such as education, climate change,\u00a0<\/span>individual<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>rights<\/span>, COVID-19 and the environment, among other things. Simply click on the state and select a candidate guide. Many of the guides are offered in both English and Spanish.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

League of Conservation Voters<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Taking care of the environment is an important part of protecting the outdoors and our ability to recreate outside<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>This scorecard rates\u00a0<\/span>current\u00a0<\/span>members of Congress based on their<\/span>\u00a0environmental<\/span>\u00a0voting records.\u00a0<\/span>League of Conservation Voters\u00a0<\/span>(LCV)\u00a0<\/span>considers\u00a0<\/span>a number of<\/span>\u00a0categories, including\u00a0<\/span>clean energy, air pollution, drilling\u00a0<\/span>on public lands\u00a0<\/span>and endangered species<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Scores are calculated by dividing the number of pro-environment votes cast by the total number of votes\u00a0<\/span>tallied<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>according to the website. You can click on individual candidates to\u00a0<\/span>view<\/span>\u00a0their voting history.<\/span>\u00a0Consider using this tool when evaluating incumbent candidates.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other organizations have developed voter guides, and some include endorsements. REI does not make endorsements, but if you\u2019re interested in what others are saying you can check out guides by Outdoor Industry Association<\/a> and Protect Our Winters Action Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Ahead of the November election, we\u2019re outfitting our co-op community\u2014employees and members alike\u2014with the tools they need to participate. Check out more Gear Up to Vote coverage<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article will be updated in the coming weeks as additional voting guides become available. We know there\u2019s a lot of information to sift through as you gear up for the November elections.\u00a0To\u00a0make it a little\u00a0less complicated, we\u2019ve\u00a0rounded up a few\u00a0easy-to-use\u00a0voting guides\u00a0that break\u00a0down candidates\u2019 stances on key issues\u00a0involving the outdoors and beyond, such as climate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14208,"featured_media":162476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[2029,2031],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-162282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-election-2020","tag-vote"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/news\/voting-guides","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Here are\u00a0Voting Guides to Help You Prep for the November Election\u00a0","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/voting-guides","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/voting-guides"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/09\/Voting_Guides.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/09\/Voting_Guides.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Grothjan"}],"creator":["Sarah Grothjan"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["election 2020","vote"],"dateCreated":"2015-09-09T00:51:04Z","datePublished":"2015-09-09T00:51:04Z","dateModified":"2020-12-04T19:13:35Z"},"rendered":"