Science Votes the Future

Elections happen every year in the U.S., but this year is especially important.

Across the country in 2026, you will be voting to elect 435 Members of the House of Representatives, 35 Senators, 44 state legislatures, 36 governors, 30 attorney general seats and many more. From water quality to climate mitigation to disaster preparedness, these legislators will have tremendous impacts on science issues.

AGU's Science Votes the Future is here to make sure you have all the information you need to feel confident at the ballot box.

ScienceVotesTheFuture.org is custom to you based on where you vote! Enter your information to check your voter registration status, find out when your primary elections are taking place, information on your candidates, and more.

Know Your Rights

The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) protects the scientific endeavor by putting its legal expertise to work for scientists who are threatened or silenced due to their findings or fields of study.

Join our webinar Wednesday, June 17 at 12pm to learn more: Safely Exercising Your Free Speech and First Amendment Rights During Election Season with Climate Science Legal Defense Fund.

Explore several resources from CSLDF on how to engage effectively and safely:

Activism & Advocacy Toolkit

CSLDF explains the legal boundaries of advocacy for scientists.

Engaging with Legislators on Behalf of Science

Learn how to safely work with Congress regarding science funding, oversight and policy.

Participating in Political Campaigns and Elections

CSLDF provides guidance on political engagement around elections.

Pocket Guide to Safeguarding Online Communications

CSLDF’s guide helps scientists navigate digital communications under U.S. law.

Trusting Your Elections

American elections are facing unprecedented pressures, from efforts to sow doubt about the trustworthiness of election systems to tactics that could disrupt their operation and outcomes. As we approach November, staying informed is one of the most powerful things any of us can do.

Join our webinar on Wednesday, September 9 at 12pm to learn more: Trusting Your Elections with Protect Democracy.

Engage with Candidates

ADDSTEAM's Science In Democracy offers opportunities for scientists to engage with candidates.

Join our webinar on Tuesday, July 14 at 12pm with Science in Democracy to learn more: Science in Democracy: How to Engage Candidates with Science and Evidence with ADDSTEAM.

Science Questions for Candidates

You'll have the opportunity to develop clear, thoughtful, nonpartisan science questions for candidates running for office. These questions are designed to elevate the role of science and evidence in elections by encouraging candidates to address how they would approach major public issues such as health, climate, energy, and emerging technologies. Participants help identify the questions voters should be asking and make science more visible in public leadership conversations.

Science Informed Policy Statements

You'll have the opportunity to develop concise, nonpartisan policy materials grounded in science and evidence. These policy one-pagers are designed to help candidates communicate informed positions on major public issues and can be used in speeches, debates, interviews, and policy development.

Visit the Science In Democracy webpage to sign up for more information.

Election efforts on your campus

Scholars Strategy Network is working to help scholars engage with students and the campus community in election efforts.

Join our webinar Wednesday, August 26 at 12pm to learn more: Engaging on Your Campus with Scholars Strategy Network.

Ways to engage throughout the election cycle

Safely Exercising Your Free Speech and First Amendment Rights During Election Season with Climate Science Legal Defense Fund
- Wednesday, 17 June 12pm-1pm
- CSLDF will provide a primer on how to utilize your First Amendment rights safely in anticipation of midterm elections. We will discuss how federal employees and those working with federal funds can responsibly engage in advocacy and activism, how federal employees can engage in advocacy efforts, and how to responsibly engage in advocacy and activism in a current political climate where many bedrock rights are being threatened.
Science in Democracy: How to Engage Candidates with Science and Evidence with ADDSTEAM
- Tuesday, July 14 12pm-1pm
- How can science play a stronger role in elections and legislative decision-making? Join us for an introduction to Science in Democracy, a national effort to make science and evidence central to the policymaking that shapes our lives. Learn how you can help craft science questions for candidates or develop science-informed policy statements (fact sheets) that strengthen public officials' understanding, improve communication, and support better democratic discourse on health, climate, energy, and emerging technologies.
Engaging on Your Campus with Scholars Strategy Network
- Wednesday, 26 August 11am-12pm
- Join AGU and the Scholars Strategy Network to learn how to engage in election efforts on your campus.
Trusting Your Elections with Protect Democracy
- Wednesday, 9 September 12pm-1pm
- American elections are facing unprecedented pressures, from efforts to sow doubt about the trustworthiness of election systems to tactics that could disrupt their operation and outcomes. As we approach November, staying informed is one of the most powerful things any of us can do. Protect Democracy is a cross-ideological nonprofit group dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, defending dissent, protecting our elections, and building a thriving, multiparty democracy. Join us for a webinar examining the challenges facing our elections today, the work already underway across the country to strengthen and safeguard the electoral process, and the concrete steps you can take to be part of that effort.

Our partners:

ADDSTEAM, Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, Protect Democracy, Scholars Strategy Network