Maud Helfgott - polaRYSE / 11th Hour Racing
November 3, 2026 is Election Day for the midterms in the United States. As many of you know, I live in Park City, Utah, but when one of the biggest elections of the year takes place, I’ll be two days into racing onboard my 60-foot IMOCA sailing boat across the Atlantic from Saint-Malo, France to Guadeloupe in the Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe.
But just because I’ll be at sea, that doesn’t mean I’m not showing up for the country I now call home.
The ocean has given me so much: my career, my purpose, my sense of who I am, and what I can become. Out there, nothing is separate. The water, the wind, the marine mammals below the boat, the people living on the coast. They are all connected. So are the choices we make on land to protect the ocean we all depend on.
This year, the climate is on the ballot in America. Midterms don’t always get the attention they deserve, and that’s the point. Fewer people turn out, so every voice carries more weight. Whether you’re an American living in Utah or across the Atlantic, your vote counts. As a member of the Protect Our Winters Water Alliance, the team has worked hard to
Expand POW’s reach to new audiences deeply connected to water.
Push for policy wins at the intersection of climate and water.
Support and amplify ongoing water advocacy across the country.
All of these initiatives come together to create a more aware world and a more politically active society. Voting is one of the most powerful ways to push for climate action. It’s how we speak up for the reefs, the fish, and the communities already living with rising seas and stronger storms. Climate justice recognizes that low-income communities and communities of color are hit hardest by climate change and voting is a way for everyone to help change that.
Every seat in the House is on the ballot, along with dozens of Senate seats and thousands of state and local offices. Those are the people who decide how we protect our coasts, our air, and our water.
I’ll be racing in the Route du Rhum on Election Day, so I’ve already voted early. You can plan ahead too!
Check your registration
Look up your state’s early voting and mail-in options
Make a plan, and bring a friend
Climate action doesn’t happen by itself. It happens when people decide it matters, and then show up.
So let’s show up all together. Visit vote.org to learn how.
