Reform the Narrative

Lots of us think of “politics” as just people in suits running attack ads on TV and debating tax codes, and if you think of it that way, not many of us are “political”. But at the end of the day, everything is politics. If the snow plow never comes down your street on time for you to get to work, that’s the responsibility of your town’s elected officials. If you can’t afford to refill your next prescription, that’s connected to the healthcare coverage you are guaranteed or not guaranteed by the Congress of the United States. If your school has unfair policies, that could be resolved by your town’s school board. If it’s hard for you to register to vote, that’s the fault of your state legislature. No matter how much you hate (or don’t care about) politics, there are things you care about, and those things are political

We’ve heard politicians say “every vote counts” so many times that the phrase has lost all meaning--so instead of repeating it, let me tell you the story of Senator Maggie Hassan. In 2016, Maggie Hassan was elected to the United States Senate from the state of New Hampshire by a margin of 1,017 votes. There have been a number of 51-49 votes since then, but the one I’ll highlight is the vote on the American Care Act. Maggie Hassan was one of 51 senators who voted not to repeal the ACA, so without her vote, the ACA would have been repealed. Independent agencies estimate that, if that had happened, 30 million people would have lost their health insurance. That means every single one of those 1,017 votes from New Hampshire saved the health insurance of 30,000 Americans. It takes 5 minutes to fill out a ballot, and you never know whose life you could change when you do.

1. Register! If you are over the age of 18 and a US citizen, find out how to register in your state below! In some states you can register online, while other states will require you to go to your local town hall. Many states have registration deadlines that are coming up soon, so don’t wait--register right now!

If you’ve registered or even voted in the past, you should still double-check your registration. Many legally-registered voters have been secretly removed from voter rolls in an effort to suppress the vote, and double-checking your registration is a completely digital process you can do in less than 5 minutes!

2. Make a plan to vote! Once you’re registered, you have two options to cast your ballot; take time right now to review the options and decide which one works best for your schedule.

a. Absentee voting: You can have a ballot mailed directly to your home, where you can fill it out and mail it back to your town hall or bring it back to town hall by hand. Find your state’s deadlines to request a ballot here. If you chose to mail your ballot back, the USPS recommends putting it in the mail at least ONE WEEK before election day to allow it time to arrive. Request a mail-in ballot below:

b. Election Day: You can also go to your polling place on election day to cast your ballot (and get a sticker!). Find your polling place here, check the voting hours in your state, and make your voting plan. Will you go before or after work? Can you get there on your own, or will you need to figure out a ride? Does your state require you to bring photo identification to vote? Find out here.

3. Decide who to vote for! We all know that Donald Trump and Joe Biden are running for president--but what about everything else? On your ballot (depending on where you live) you may have US Senators or Representatives, State Senators or Representatives, City Council Members, School Board Members, Sheriffs, Judges, Referendums (laws passed by people instead of politicians), and more! You DO NOT have to know everything about these titles or the people running for them--all you need to know is what you believe in. Take a few minutes to do some research on what you’ll be voting for in November. A good way to start is googling “(town, state) sample ballot 2020” to see exactly what your options are--your local town or state websites are also good resources. Ballotpedia, the League of Women’s Voters, and other nonprofit organizations are also easy ways to look up any names you’re curious about to see where they stand on the issues that affect you. It’s always a good idea to do some research ahead of time, but you are FULLY ALLOWED to take out your phone and look something up while in the voting booth on election day.

4. Turn in your ballot! You did it!

If you are too young to vote or don’t have US citizenship, there are still ways for you to be involved in the election! Every campaign (and plenty of advocacy organizations) has ways for you to get involved as a volunteer. No matter your age or level of experience, there is a way for you to advocate! Reach out to your favorite candidate’s campaign to find out what you can do!