“Your vote counts.”
That is the most important message to get across to American citizens as the midterm elections loom over this autumn season. Right now, the Republican Party holds both the House Of Representatives and the Senate, but many seats are on the ballot this year. And it’s not just Congress. There are many state and local leadership positions that will be decided in November which will directly affect citizens and their livelihoods. If you want to see meaningful change in your communities, voting in the midterm elections will fuel that.
Today is the last day to register to vote for many states (Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas). Click on the links to these states for guidelines on how to register before it’s too late. If you need to register under states not listed above, you can do it here at Vote.Org, RockTheVote.Org, or your state elections office website (if it’s allowed). You can check your registration status at this link.
If you need to vote as an absentee or by mail, you will need to check with your state elections office website. Every state has their own guidelines about these alternative methods of voting, so it’s best to check these rules as soon as possible to make sure you perform your civic duty. Absentee voting and mail-in ballots apply to those of you who are ill/incapable of going to the polling place, studying outside your home state, or going on a business trip or vacation on November 6th. Here’s a quick chart of all the absentee voting deadlines for each state.
Finally, if you are able to vote in-person on Election Day, make sure you know which polling station you’re going to. You are typically assigned a polling place based on your residence address. This polling place can change between elections. Make sure you check the polling place hours too. Here’s a link to get you started in finding your polling place.
It is important for all citizens to plan for these midterm elections. Start planning today!