“A
citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but
won't cross the street to vote in a national election.” -Bill
Vaughan
Ok so it's time to talk about the
election. Hey! Wait! Come back! I promise I'm not trying to sell you
on “my” candidate. I'm not even giving you a guilt trip to vote.
Well I'm encouraging you to vote... but no guilt trip. Honest.
I'm one of those people who feel that
it's important to vote in every single election; local and national.
Also I vote in the primaries. Because, you see this is not a one man
government. I feel, that if I'm only voting for the President, I
would be wasting my time. The President can only do so much if he is
constantly butting heads with his House and Senate. If I don't vote
for my state government then I essentially have no say in our state
laws. But, I digress. The point is I'm a big fan of voting. I wish
more people were.
I've noticed that there are more first
time voters this year. And, not just those newly of age who are
clutching their voter card to their chest. It makes me happy. It also
makes me think back to my first time voting and things that I wish I
had known. So, here I am to give you some tips. Some of this I'm sure
you already know, but bear with me. I'd like to share them just in
case.
First things first, let's talk about
what you need to vote. Know where you need to vote. You HAVE to vote
at your designated voting location. Just save yourself the hassle and
make sure you're in the right place. Some states require that you
bring a valid photo ID. In my state a student ID doesn't count. If
you need a ride to your polling center call your local Democratic and
Republican Resource Centers. They often help with driving you and
most won't care about your party affiliation. Also, at the end of
this entry, I will share some links with you where you can find your
polling place and state laws for what you need to bring.
Next thing you should know is sometimes
the lines will be long. You may have to wait. Try to be patient.
Remember that the people working at the polling locations are mostly
volunteers. Respect them. I always bring along a book to read in the
lines. I do this for a couple reasons. It keeps me patient and, it
deters people from asking me who I'm voting for and from them trying
to change my mind.
This should go without saying but know
who and what you're voting for. If you know everything that's on the
ballot before you vote you won't have to worry about making an
uneducated decision. It will help the lines move smoothly and
decrease the wait for everyone.
At the same time, don't feel rushed.
There have already been problems in early voting across the US. If
you have a problem notify someone. If you are harrassed at the polls,
speak up. Let the workers know of any issues that you are having. If
it's a machine issue make sure your vote is counted properly. Then
share your problems online so others are aware of them.
As I said before, I have some links to
share with you.
http://www.866ourvote.org/
Is a fantastic website. It is not affiliated with any party, so you
don't have to worry about biased information. Here you can find your
state voting laws, links to find your voting location, share voter
problems, and a variety of other things.
http://www.havingtroublevoting.com/
is a map where you can share your voting problems and see others.
It's very easy to use and navigate.
http://votesmart.org/
With this site you can put in your location and find information
about the candidates running
Finally for Hurricane Sandy's victims.
I hope that you all find this
information useful. I hope that you vote. The selfish part of me of
course hopes that you vote the same way I do... but so long as you
vote, I'm happy.
Until next time, see that wasn't so
bad.
Autumn
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