Today is the day.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Election Day.
Today it is imperative that everyone get out and vote.
Not because there will be impending doom if you do not. Rather because every
election matters. Because we need to remind everyone where the power belongs in
this country - with the people. The people have been silent for far too long
and we have seen far too much power taken away from us. Our vote is our
reminder to the politicians that they work for us and are supposed to be
promoting the best interests of all of us.
There are no excuses not to get out to vote today.
If you do not know where to go vote, check vote.org for
your local polling place.
If you are unsure who best represents your beliefs and
interests, check votesmart.org or ontheissues.org for a breakdown.
I won’t make any recommendations on who to vote for,
other than to say do not utilize the straight party option. Vote for the
candidates who best represent you regardless of party. Remember you are
electing them to be your voice, so they should well reflect your beliefs. Even if you end up marking all of the same party, go through the process of bubbling in every one, so you associate the candidate with the position.
If you are working in Texas, your employer must give you
time off to vote, up to two hours.
Be sure to bring a photo id with you to vote. The sevenforms of primary identification are listed on votetexas.gov and include a passport,
a driver’s license, a certificate of citizenship, a handgun license, a military
ID card, personal identification card, and a voter’s ID certification.
If you do not have one of these forms of identification,
you can still vote with one of the secondary forms of identification available
like a current utility bill and by filling out a Reasonable Impediment
Declaration regarding why you cannot have one of the primary identifications.
Even if you cannot make a reasonable declaration, you can still vote on a
provisional ballot.
If you run into any problems at the polls, at least ask
to vote on a provisional ballot. This will at least allow you to mark your vote and will give you six days to resolve the identification issue.
If you cannot walk into the polling location, have
someone go in and ask for a curbside ballot for you. It should be available to anyone who has
difficulty walking and standing in line for long periods of time. If you need any other assistance in voting, make sure you know your rights in that regard.
Vote.
Vote.
I cannot say it enough.
Vote.
Your voice matters. Make sure it is heard.
I think we need to go what Oregon has done, all mail in ballot. All signatures are checked.
ReplyDeleteThat would not be a bad system. All paper so it keeps the reliability of the vote and would encourage greater participation. Get to have the ballot for a while to be able to research the candidates and issues more. Beyond trading Columbus Day to make Election Day a National Holiday to give people the day off to vote, it's probably the best way to boost the participation level.
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