During the 2012 election season I was the Campus Canvas Coordinator for Montana Wilderness Association’s student voter turnout campaign. I managed a team of over a dozen paid canvassers who collected pledges to vote from students at the University of Montana-Missoula and Montana State University-Bozeman. We gathered more than 5,000 pledge cards from students and others who made a commitment to vote with wild places in mind. Every person who signed a pledge card received reminders to vote via post cards, email, and/or a personal phone call.
The 2012 election was a good one for Montana’s environment, seeing several pro-conservation candidates elected or re-elected to statewide and local positions. It’s safe to say the voices of 5,000 students and student allies made a crucial difference.
Nick Engelfried 