Tired of seeing political ads every time you blink? Yeah, it's election season!
In 2020, about ⅔ of Americans voted, leaving millions on the sidelines. That's why you’re bombarded with ads—they want those non-voters! But if you’re a newbie to this whole voting thing, chill. While rules vary by state, here’s a quick guide to help.
Here are Five Fast Facts on prepping for the upcoming election:
- 📝 It Starts With Registration - You can’t just show up willy-nilly and vote. You have to be registered first. If you aren’t registered (or don’t know), your first step is to check your status. If you’re not registered, do it! You will eventually get a card in the mail confirming your registration, but you don’t have to wait for that to be able to vote. The sooner you get this done, the better!
- 🗺️ Location, Location, Location - Once you’re registered, you need to make sure you know where you should vote. There are designated locations in every town, city, and region, usually schools, community centers, or churches, and there’s one near you where you’re supposed to go. You can vote in other locations, but those get recorded as provisional ballots, which only get counted after the election is over, and only if poll workers decide the ballot is valid. You may need to show your ID, so be sure to bring that along, too.
- 👀 Do Your Homework - Ballots are packed with candidates and confusing local measures. Find a sample ballot online and do a little research so you don’t accidentally vote for something shady. Ballotpedia is a great tool for figuring out who's funding what—follow the money!
- 📮 Door Number Two - Obviously, you can show up and vote on election day, but you can also request an absentee ballot ahead of time if you’re not going to be able to vote on election day. Many states also use mail-in ballots, and some will even send out ballots ahead of time (this practice is particularly controversial since the ballot may or may not get to or be used by the right person). Early voting is also common now, so you can vote a couple weeks ahead of election day if you want to avoid the lines.
- 💪 Like A Boss - It’s not uncommon to hear different things about candidates and issues from different sources. Talk about these things with trusted family, friends, or mentors, and get other opinions. Seek out reputable sources on both sides of the candidate or issue. Yes, both sides - our democracy depends on robust debate and the ability to have different opinions, so use that to inform yourself until you can make your own decision! And, of course, learn how to fact check like a boss!
🔥Bottom line: The right to vote is one of the most important responsibilities we have as American citizens. Many countries don’t have the ability to influence the way they are governed, so we should take it seriously. Plus, if you’re unhappy with the way things are going, it’s the only way we can throw da’ bums out! So, get informed and get ready - it’s almost time!
Are you ready to vote?
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