The EU elections are fast approaching and most countries head to the polls on June 9th. We know if we want to have an EU Parliament that will respond to our calls for climate action, we need to ensure that everyone we know manages to go vote that day.

The best way to do this is make our own plan to go vote and then support others to do the same. Below are some handy tips for making your plan and some guidance for how you can talk to others about what’s at stake and why it’s important to vote.

Tips for making a plan to vote:

• Check the hours of your polling station and consider what time of day would be best for you to go. Do you need to request time off work? Or plan childcare?
• Consider how you will get there and how much time you will need for that.
• Add the day and time to your calendar using our handy tool! 
• Think about who could go with you and invite them. It’s more fun to vote together.
• Check you have all you need to bring with you to the polling station and put it somewhere you’ll find it easily on the day.

Resources:

1. Find all the information you need about how to vote in your country including where to go and what to bring.

1. Our Partner, Climate Action Network has created a scoreboard where you can check out the track record of the whole EU Parliament on climate action.

Encouraging others to go vote

If you have a lot of like-minded friends, the chances are they’re interested in voting for the same things you care about. But are all your friends and family aware of the election and planning to vote? Encourage them to make a plan together with you and if they seem reluctant here’s some suggestions for ways you can try to motivate them – and try to link these points to things you know they care about.

• I’m very worried about the predicted outcomes of the EU elections. Explain how you’re feeling and make it personal to you….
• Every year we’re seeing hotter summers and more devastating floods and droughts. It will only get worse, unless we act now and demand that international bodies like the EU take climate action.
• We need the next European parliament to prioritise the climate and the social justice issues we care about. If it doesn’t, it will have knock-on effects for all of the changes we want to see in our countries, and in Europe as a whole.
• Some people who share our values feel skeptical about voting. They wonder if voting will create change. But if lots of people feel this way, and do not vote, it could affect the election result. That’s why it’s so important we take our values to the polls.

We are running some online ads to help increase voter turnout but internet giants like Facebook and Google are making it hard to promote anything related to elections, which is affecting our reach. That’s why we need your help to spread the word. Will you help us promote the tool we created to help get out the vote?