Climate Action Groups Join Coalition To “Protect the Results” Should Trump Refuse To Accept Election Outcome

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Partners Include Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and Sunrise Movement

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Indivisible and Stand Up America are announcing that six of the country’s largest climate action and environmental groups have joined Protect the Results, a coalition focused on building the infrastructure needed to mobilize millions of Americans should Donald Trump contest the election results, refuse to concede after losing, or claim victory before all the votes are counted. The new groups include 350 Action, Friends of the Earth Action, Greenpeace Inc., NextGen America, Sierra Club, and Sunrise Movement.

The new partners will join Indivisible and Stand Up America in preparing to mobilize their members, educate the public about the threat Trump poses to the peaceful transition of power, and build a network of millions of Americans ready to take action. The coalition also includes several of the largest grassroots networks in the country, progressive and conservative advocacy organizations, good government groups, and labor unions.

“Our democracy, economy, and climate cannot withstand four more years of this president, whose flagrant disregard for the law and the needs of this country has resulted in far too many lives endangered and lost. This means we must ensure that every single vote counts and call attention to voter suppression. If the current occupant of the White House dares undermine the results of the November election, our movement is ready to mobilize,” said 350 Action Campaign Manager Jenny Marienau Zimmer.

“For months Trump has ignored democratic norms and threatened to reject the results of the 2020 election. It is no surprise that a man who embraces brutal authoritarian dictators would question the legitimacy of our elections. Trump has used his position to benefit himself and his corporate cronies at the expense of our communities, and he’s desperate to hold onto that power.  His words are not bluster, and we must be prepared in November for this potential attack on our democracy,” said Liz Butler, Vice President of Organizing and Strategic Alliances at Friends of the Earth Action.

“It’s hard to say which Donald Trump has polluted more—the environment or our system of government. Just as he lies about climate threats, Trump lies about mail-in voting, fuels baseless fears about voter-fraud, and sends obvious signals that he intends to hijack the election. We take these threats seriously and believe that resisting Trump’s attempts to sabotage the vote is just as important as combating the climate crisis and fighting for civil rights and equality for all. We are proud to be a part of this coalition because the election process is at the core of our democracy. If we let Trump sabotage it, we risk losing every bit of progress we have made and forestalling future generations’ right to live on a green and peaceful planet,” said Folabi Olagbaju, Greenpeace USA Democracy Campaign Director.

“Donald Trump is not running a re-election campaign. He’s running a power grab,” said NextGen America Executive Director Ben Wessel. “We must be prepared to protect the integrity of this election and ensure that the voices of the people determine the outcome.” 

“Donald Trump has proven himself to be a threat to our clean air and water, our public health, and our democracy, which is why we cannot leave his response to this election to chance,” said Ariel Hayes, Sierra Club Political Director. “Should Trump try to undermine the will of the people, we stand ready to mobilize Sierra Club’s more than 3.8 million members and supporters to defend our democracy.”

Last month, Trump refused to say whether he would accept the results of the 2020 election during an interview on FOX News. Just last week, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany doubled down, saying that “the president has always said he’ll see what happens and make a determination in the aftermath.” These comments follow a deeply troubling pattern of Trump undermining the election, from making false claims that mail-in voting leads to rampant voter fraud to disturbing comments about staying in office past 2024.

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PRESS CONTACTS:
Emily Phelps, Indivisible
press@indivisible.org
(909) 472-1655

Ryan Thomas, Stand Up America
ryan@standupamerica.com
(763) 954-0470