The first tip touches upon the fact that the government policy has an immense impact on water issues internationally, nationally, and locally. This includes not only direct issues such as water conservation, water pollution, farm policy, research on several related topics, but also indirect issues such as family planning, UNESCO policies, dealings with other nations and so on.
To anyone who has watched US politics long enough, it becomes very obvious that relatively few of them have made preventing water shortages a key priority. Even the most basic funding to the EPA is the product of long term government policy (as opposed to merely the current administration), and long term issues about allocating of government resources. And the US water crisis is influenced not only by the EPA, but also policies at the Bureau of Land Management, Department of Agriculture, NOAA, and Department of Energy, as well as US foreign policy can have a profound influence on the world's aquatic situation.
And for those of you who only vote for the President, Congressmen, and Governor, it's worth knowing that a lot of local water related decisions can be made by State Legislatures or even those annoying hard-to-read-the-fine-print initiatives can have a big influence. And not all of them are obvious.
For example one initiative in Oregon during election 2008, would have allowed landowners an to be exempt from any building codes or regulations, for any improvements on their properties worth less than $35,000 dollars. Most people would not equate something like that with water issues. However that price range could be used to construct things such as a small landfill, or a significant sized parking lot near the ocean, on top of a high water table, or near a river or lake. Also the initiative was very unpopular with firefighters. Fortunately, it didn't pass.
Other local policies could effect the ease with which a landowner or corporation can drill a new well in a certain area, and/or where they could place a toxic waste dump.
In the case of local initiatives it's also worth noticing that nearly every community has various political groups that will make a point of floating these initiatives in an odd numbered years and count on the lower political turnout and low awareness in order to win.
Finally there is no need to stop with voting. Other options include campaigning or becoming involved with local politics. By doing that you can influence how much of a priority water is going to be for your party.
Another tactic is to find communities in your area that are often targets of environmental injustice and set up voter registration drives in the area. Historically those who assume that they can get away with despoiling the environment by fobbing most of the consequences onto the more vulnerable, poorer, and more marginal members of society, have ALWAYS did so assuming that those people probably wouldn't vote in high numbers or become politically active. Prove them wrong.
So that's one idea for today!
Say Goodnight Readers!
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