Making your vote a priority is harder than ever. We’re balancing the usual act of caring for young kids with the additional stresses of life during a global pandemic. Each day we navigate new school and learning situations, working from home, and uncharted safety requirements, regulations and constraints. These added challenges are why it's critical that parents and caregivers of young children make a plan today to make sure their vote counts on November 3rd.
Civic engagement and a stronger democracy benefits everyone, including non-profit organizations like Hike it Baby. Our government officials and voters directly affect policies that impact Hike it Baby financially and organizationally. There are a number of current issues that align Hike it Baby’s mission of connecting all families with young children to the outdoors by working to remove the barriers of access to nature that specific populations face. As an organization we stand for protecting and preserving our natural resources, wildlife, and public lands, creating public lands and green spaces in urban areas, and making our public lands and outdoor spaces accessible, safe, and equitable for all. Mobilizing our over 200,000 community members and encouraging you to vote is a strong voice for the shared values that we support. Issues like conservation and protecting natural spaces and resources are typically non-partisan issues that are decided at the local level. Your city/municipal, township, county, and state elected officials directly impact access to nature -- everything from state parks to sidewalks and cycling infrastructure, to the location of playgrounds and where urban trees are planted, to air quality ordinances like low-emission buses. Additionally:
Lastly, we believe that every eligible voter should voice their opinion. By voting locally you can support us in our mission of getting more families outside in your community.
Here are four steps you can take to get a plan in place to make sure you get outside and vote on November 3rd, 2020.
There are a number of tools and resources that can aid you in making informed decisions about the candidates and issues in our upcoming national election.
Find Your State or Local Election office to register to vote, find your polling place, learn about local candidates, and more.
Vote.org — Register to vote, check your voter registration status, find your polling place, get election reminders, and more.
Early Voting by State — Find out when you can vote early or by absentee ballot in your state.
Six Ways to Check out a Candidate
National Environmental Scorecard
Protect Our Winters Election Center
American Hiking Society Vote Public Lands
Even with the best intentions, many people don’t show up at the polls. We recognize how hard it is for parents of young children to find the time and space to get out and vote, especially right now. We can help each other get out to vote by finding ways to connect and support in our individual Branches. We are over 200,000 community members strong, and that has a lot of impact. Let’s use it!
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