Yesterday, I was talking about what you could do to get out the vote. Today is National Voter Registration Day, so it’s a good time to confirm that you yourself are all set to vote on November 6.
If you’ve got four piercings, I’ve got the earring set for you!
Vote411.org is a great all-around voting website created by the League of Women Voters. You can use it to register to vote, of course, but it also provides:
- Polling place information.
- Resources for military and overseas voters.
- An online voters’ guide that lets you see the races on your ballot, compare candidates’ positions side-by-side, and print out a “ballot” indicating your preferences to take along to the poll on Election Day.
Vote.org is another good site where you can:
- Register.
- Verify your existing registration.
- Get an absentee ballot.
- Sign up for election reminders, so Election Day doesn’t slip your mind. Don’t scoff at that service! We all get busy and distracted, and when I did some on-the-street Get Out the Vote work during a June primary day, several people said, “Oh my God! I forgot!” This is especially crucial in New York, where — due to a lack of voting reform — we only have one day to vote, unlike the majority of other states.
Speaking of New York, if you are in my state, you can go directly to the state registration page.
- Register here.
- Verify your New York registration here.
- Look up your New York City polling place here.
Activists in New York City have been encouraging voters here who also have a residence elsewhere in New York State to change their voter registration. It’s legal for you to vote anywhere you rent or own a home, and if that home is in a location that’s not as passionately blue as NYC, the Democrats could really use your vote. You basically have to make the change now though because deadlines are looming. Don’t delay!
One of my favorite activism tools, Resistbot, has a fabulous new feature. Resistbot started out as an easy way to send messages to your elected officials, and I used it today to scold Senator Chuck Schumer as usual. However, now you can text the word VOTE to Resistbot at 50409 to check on your registration AND sign up for updates should anything change about your registration without your say-so. During New York’s recent Primary Day, I saw a lot of complaints from people who said they were longtime active voters, but whose names had disappeared from the rolls when they went to their polling site. Don’t let that happen to you! Keep tabs on your registration because the bad guys ARE trying to purge voters.
Once you’re sure that your registration is good to go, ask your friends/family/neighbors/etc. if they are registered. People who are reliable voters might have moved, or their names might have been purged, or they could be registered in a party they don’t want to be registered with. Ask them to check now so that they’re not surprised on Election Day. They can use the links I shared in this post.
Let’s rock the vote like Madonna in 1990!
Remember, Madonna says that if you don’t vote, you’re going to get a spanky, and none of us want that to happen.
Also, check the local Bar Association sites. They determine whether a judge should be retained or is qualified to be elected. There are way too many unqualified judges who retain their seats for decades because people ignore that section on the ballot.
This is an excellent point. I am going to quote you in another post!
Up until I became friends with a brilliant lawyer, I ignored that section of the ballot or voted to not retain for all judges. It was her that told me to check for BA recommendations. I’ve been going off those lists for over a decade now.
I always voted blindly! This is such great advice. Why has no one else told me?! Sigh.