Vote!

The vote is the most powerful non-violent tool we have.

John Lewis

Election Day is fast approaching in the US (it’s Tuesday, November 3rd). We encourage everyone who is eligible to participate in our democracy by exercising your right to vote. Unprecedented political division, threats of foreign interference, and a global pandemic have all conspired to make this one of the most complicated elections in our nation’s history. Below are some tips to ensure that you are able to vote safely, and that your vote is counted.

  • Make sure you’re registered: If you haven’t registered, make sure you do so by your state’s deadline. If you are registered, confirm your registration early and often. Many people have arrived at polling places only to find that they’d been incorrectly purged from voter rolls. You can confirm your registration or find out how to register in your state at vote.org.
  • Make a plan: If you’re voting in person, make sure you know where your polling place is and what kind of identification you’ll need once you get there. Make sure you have arranged transportation and time off of work, if necessary. Educate yourself about the candidates and ballot initiatives in your area ahead of time. If you don’t feel safe going to a polling place, find out whether your state allows voting by mail; many states are allowing it this year, due to the pandemic. You can find everything you need to know to vote in your state at vote.org.
  • Vote early: Many states allow early voting, and you should vote as early as you can. That way, you’ll have time to address any issues you might encounter. Find out when your state’s polls open at vote.org.
  • Make sure your mail-in ballot counts: The US Postal Service has implemented a series of changes lately that has resulted in a drastic slow-down of mail delivery in some areas. They have warned that a ballot may take up to 14 days, round trip. So if you’re voting by mail, be sure to send you ballot as soon as you can. If you can drop it off, instead of mailing it, that’s even better. Also, monitor the status of your ballot to make sure it is accepted. If it’s rejected, you can probably address the problem, if you find out early enough. So, again, vote as early as you can. More information on your state’s mail-in voting can be found at vote.org.

Once you’ve voted, sound off in the comments on this page! Let’s all do our part for democracy!