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Hi John,
Everyone must know by now — **O₂ Utah and the Rural Utah Project are merging and forming a new, do-it-all nonprofit, Stewardship Utah!**
Travis Suite here, Stewardship Utah’s elections manager, along with Nat Williams, democracy policy associate.
As we bring Stewardship Utah to life over the next few weeks, we want to make sure you, our dedicated community, know about all of the great work O₂ Utah and the Rural Utah Project have accomplished over the years, and how that will translate to bigger and better for Stewardship Utah!
**So let’s talk democracy and elections (good timing, right?).** Campaign work and elections are in O₂ Utah’s DNA. Back in 2019, we started as a campaign shop to provide election support to strong environmental and climate candidates.
In that time, we have supported well over 75 candidates in municipal and state elections with campaign strategy, canvassing, phone banking, fundraising, graphic design, and more. **We believe getting the right leaders in office is the first step in passing bold policy. **
While O₂ Utah has been supporting candidates along the Wasatch Front, **the Rural Utah Project has been organizing and mobilizing voters in Southern Utah to similarly impact elections. **
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In 2018, their team deployed a voter registration initiative that led to the first-ever majority-Navajo San Juan County Commission. They have also dipped their toes into Arizona, registering nearly 6,000 Navajo voters during the 2020 presidential election cycle (and they’re going to do it again this year!) — one piece of the larger effort to flip Arizona blue.
Well before this merger, our two organizations collaborated on joint campaign endorsements, supporting candidates prioritizing climate and public lands, and a novel commit-to-vote program to activate low-frequency environmental voters.
**As Stewardship Utah, you can expect to see all of this and more! **
**This partnership will allow us to work in elections and communities across the state to elect environmental stewards, make voting more accessible for all Utahns, and eventually, pass policy to make Utah a healthier and more just place to live.**
On the policy front, Stewardship Utah will continue to work towards the Rural Utah Project and O₂ Utah's existing goals — air quality, climate, Great Salt Lake, and public lands — and add democracy-related goals to ensure voter access for all Utahns.
The Rural Utah Project, along with the Let Utah Vote Coalition, has successfully held off attacks on vote by mail in Utah over the last several years. This past legislative session, they successfully mobilized almost 100 activists to testify against HB 214, which sought to change the date ballots needed to be in county commissioners' hands to be counted in an election.
The Rural Utah Project has earmarked ballot box access as a key policy issue as it can take some Utahns several hours to get to their nearest drop box. Now strapped with O₂ Utah's policy capacity and know-how, Stewardship Utah will launch into this space to protect voting rights.
**Democracy policy and elections go hand-in-hand. Without policy ensuring fair elections and access to ballots for all Utahns, elections will never be representative of all voters. **
**We can't wait to get started on what is sure to be an impactful journey!**
Onward,
Travis Suite & Nat Williams
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O₂ Utah is an environmental nonprofit whose mission is to clean our state's air and eliminate our contributions to climate change through elections and policy. _[Donate today]([link removed])_ to support our work and clean Utah's air. YourOu
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