Climate Change Is on the Ballot in Washington State. Here's Why It Matters for the Rest of the Country

From a glimpse of the television ads, campaign speeches and newspaper headlines, it might be hard to guess that climate change is on the ballot in the fast-approaching midterm elections.

But climate activists and policy experts across the political spectrum say that, win or lose, a ballot initiative in Washington state that would create a first-in-the-nation carbon tax has the potential to shake up the national debate about how to address climate change.