Help get environmental leaders elected in Oregon.

    "People often ask: I want to get greener, what should I do?... [T]he greenest thing you can do is this: Choose the right leaders. It is so much more important to change your leaders than change your light bulbs."

- Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times, 10/12/07

    How will Oregon deal with the challenges ahead of us? Sprawl, pollution, global warming - all these threats loom large. Will we deal with them responsibly and creatively, using out hearts and minds to find new ways to solve old problems? Or will we make things worse, and let the next generation deal with it?

    To a great extent, the answers to these questions depend on which leaders we choose to represent us.

    The Oregon League of Conservation Voters has an excellent track record of helping get pro-environment leaders for Oregon elected.  How do we do this?

     First, we endorse candidates. The Oregon League of Conservation Voters researches and interviews candidates running for office at the city. county, legislative, and statewide levels. Our rigorous process relies on the participation of scores of local volunteers, who inform us about the most pressing environmental issues in their communities.

    So far in the 2008 elections, we have interviewed more than 105 candidates and issued 73 endorsements. We publicize these endorsements far and wide to help conservation-minded Oregonians cast the right vote.

Our Results

    During election years, OLCV uses grassroots power to get candidates elected who will help protect our air, water, and land.  Throughout the state, from the Governor's office and legislative races, to county commission and city council elections, we reach out to voters to let them know which candidates deserve their vote - and which do not.

    OLCV has a solid track record of winning close races. The saying "every vote counts" is especially true in state and local races, which are regularly decided by just a handful of votes. Our sophisticated, targeted, get-out-the-vote advocacy employs hundreds of volunteers who speak to tens of thousands of voters.

    In the 2006 elections, OLCV staff and over 1,000 volunteers spoke to 114,000 voters at the door and on the phone. This one-on-one contact makes a real difference: we won 16 of our 22 targeted races electing legislators, city councilors, and county commissioners who are committed to protecting Oregon's natural legacy. As a result, the 2007 legislative session was the best in over 30 years for Oregon's environment!