Storms, Votes, and Reforms: How Climate Change Affects Elections

In this episode of Peer-to-Peer, we speak with Alice Hill and Erik Asplund to explore how extreme weather, intensified by climate change, impacts elections and disenfranchises voters. Alice and Erik share their insights on the challenges disasters pose to voting, the role of climate change in increasing the frequency and/or intensity of extreme weather events, and how natural hazards are already affecting elections around the world. They also discuss the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton on southeastern states ahead of the U.S. Presidential Election on November 5, 2024, and emphasize the need for reforms to safeguard elections from future emergencies and crises. 

Guests: 

Alice Hill works as the David M. Rubinstein senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her work focuses on the risks, consequences and responses associated with climate change. During the Obama administration, she was Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Resilience Policy at the National Security Council. She has co-authored the book Building a Resilient Tomorrow and the recent Climate Central report Disenfranchised by Climate Change. 

Erik Asplund is a Senior Programme Officer in the Electoral Processes Programme, International IDEA. His research covers elections during emergencies and crises, risk management in elections, and training and professional development in electoral administration. He is the project lead for the natural hazard and elections projects. Recent books include Elections during Emergencies and Crises: Lessons for Electoral Integrity from the Covid-19 Pandemic (International IDEA 2023) 

Host: Dr. Annika Silva-Leander is Head of North America at International IDEA where she oversees International IDEA’s outreach in the region, including relations with US government agencies, democracy assistance organizations and academic institutions, its engagement with the United Nations, and coordination of the Global Democracy Coalition. Annika is also International IDEA’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, representing International IDEA at the UN General Assembly. 

Background reading: 

• The Impact of Natural Hazards on Elections 
• What Hurricane Helene might mean for voting in the 2024 presidential elections in the states most affected 
• Weathering the Storm: Hurricane Sandy and the 2012 US Federal Election 
• Disenfranchised by Climate Change (Climate Central)

For more information about the episode or the work done by International IDEA on electoral processes, please contact us via elections@idea.int.