As many of you may, or may not, know the November 6th elections for Congress are right around the bend. It’s more important than ever that no matter who you’re voting for, we as young people get out there and vote. Young voters have historically terrible turnout rate. One article by the Pew Research Center says that Millenials and Gen Xers are the clear majority of eligible voters, but cast 21 million fewer votes than older generations in the 2014 election. Another article by the Washington Post, titled “Women and young voters will decide the 2018 elections. If they actually vote”, says that women and young students such as ourselves have the power to turn the tables and take control of our own government, if we use this opportunity in November. This election will decide the balance of power between parties in Congress and the importance and impact of this in our lives cannot be understated. Vote.
Here are some things to think about before November 6th:
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Register! Registering is easier than ever with the new wave of technology. But what many students don’t know is that each state has its own registration deadline; check your state’s deadline in this New York Times article “How to Register to Vote: Deadlines for Each State.” Registering to vote is easy, especially if you have a state drivers license or ID, check out this handy guide on registering to vote by USA.gov. If you’re past the deadline to register in your own state, look into registering in your colleges’ state.
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Absentee ballots are also very easy to apply for. An absentee ballot will be sent to you from your home state if you’re unable to go home and get to the polls. I personally registered for an absentee ballot, but again each state has a different deadline for when you can apply to have one sent to you. This article by Vote.org lists the deadlines for absentee ballots by state. Applying is easy if you do a quick search for absentee ballots in your home state!
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If you’ve missed the deadline, you’re too young, or for any other reason are unable to vote this November you can still be involved. Take some time to research who’s on the ballot in your home state, look at their policies, their history, decide for yourself who you would want to see in government. Then go out there and share your opinion, encourage others to vote, and stay active!
Your vote matters!