By Gram Brownlee

This spring, CCL volunteers from across Wisconsin joined forces to engage voters on climate change at a statewide “work party.”

In March, over 70 CCL volunteers traveled from their homes across Wisconsin to Stevens Point to help launch the Wisconsin Climate Voter CampaignThe event took place in Frame Memorial Presbyterian Churchthe church of one of the state leaders of CCL Wisconsin.

Volunteers spent the day listening to speakers and participating in breakout sessions to learn how to mobilize climate-conscious citizens to go to the polls in this year’s primary and general elections. The Work Party had eight break-in sessionsheld in church spaces from the choir room to the children’s playroom.

The multi-pronged approach to voter outreach included a statewide effort by all CCL chapters in Wisconsin to write more than 20,000 postcards to environmental advocates, a telephone switchboard to call potential voters, and training for members to learn how to speak in their community about candidates and policies in Wisconsin that most support CCL’s mission.

Topics also included the use of social media and print media to communicate with the public and address student voters.

Jill Mitchler, CCL coordinator for the state of Wisconsin, said the Giant Work Party is a great way to motivate people. She planned the event with fellow coordinator Dan Dieterich, Madeleine Para and a small group of volunteers.

“Wisconsin used to have annual conferences, but due to Covid, our volunteers had not met in person like this for over three years.” said Jill.

A breakout session at Wisconsin’s Giant Work Party

A CCL member, Liz Fentress of the Chequamegon, WI chapter, was inspired by the event and wrote a letter to the editor: published in the Central Wisconsin Star News. “If we don’t act now to reduce our carbon footprint, the climate will continue to change. It’s not like the climate will warm to a temperature that is comfortable in northern Wisconsin and then stay there,” she warns. “It will continue to warm!”

Messages like these encourage all candidates for public office to take climate seriously and strengthen their position on climate action to win the votes of voters like Liz and the other Labor Party participants.

Labor Party influences primaries

Ahead of the Wisconsin primary earlier this month, the Climate Voter Campaign alarmed people on two climate-related state constitutional amendments that would make it harder for states to receive federal funding to combat the effects of climate change.

In a year dominated by the presidential election, Jill believes the Giant Work Party’s strategies helped bring voters to the polls in Wisconsin’s August primary who might have otherwise overlooked them.

Giant Work Party volunteers work on voter mobilization

“The Giant Work Party has been very helpful in preparing for this work,” she said. “It has helped gather volunteers interested in helping elect climate-friendly candidates and has generated a lot of energy and interest.”

Not only did it generate energy and interest, but it also achieved the desired result. “We passed the two constitutional amendments in this primary – a huge success!” says Jill, while acknowledging the work of many government organizations and non-partisan groups that also worked to achieve this result.

Host your own company party

Would you like to organize such a working group in your own state? Hosting such an event is an opportunity to share strategies and align the goals of each chapter across the region.

Wisconsin chapters have been focused on their own primary and general election goals, but for any other region interested in running their own version of the Giant Work Party, Jill recommends working with state coordinators to form a volunteer team to organize an in-person event.

Built-in downtime is also important. It is a job partyafter all. The Wisconsin event included a 45-minute lunch break where people could bring their own beverages—a great opportunity to meet other activists, make new contacts, and network.

Jill said it was important that this event was held in person to get people excited about working in the upcoming election, and by not offering hybrid options, the Labor Party was able to increase voter turnout.

As the event approached, they created options for members who could not attend in person by ensuring that recordings of the breakout sessions uploaded to YouTube and information about the voter campaign project was posted on CCL Wisconsin’s website.

Great job, CCL Wisconsin!