1: “The election is on November 3rd.”
Although Election Day is indeed on November 3rd, the 2020 election is already in full swing. With early voting, thousands of Americans have already gone to the polls to cast their votes or sent in their mail-in ballots. If your state offers early voting: DO IT!! The earlier you can get your vote in, the better! Amidst a global pandemic, threats of foreign interference, and a tremendous amount of false information and fake news, voting early is a way to ensure that your vote will be counted in the upcoming election.
2: “My vote doesn’t matter because my state is a solid blue/red state.”
Your vote ALWAYS matters! If we learned anything in the 2016 election, it is that predictions about the way states will swing are certainly not always right! We also saw that many states had extremely competitive races in the 2016 election–four states were decided by less than 1%. It is easy to belittle your vote as an excuse to not vote in the election; don’t use this as a cop out to not make a difference!
3: “I can only vote in the state in which I permanently reside in.”
If you are a college student, you CAN change your voter registration to the state in which you attend college in! Using Turbovote, you can re-register to vote in another state (as long as you have an address in that state). College dorm addresses do count as residencies!
4: “I’m too young to have an influence on politics.”
It is never too early to get involved in politics. In fact, Gen Z is projected to be a majorly influential voting block in the upcoming election. Many young people have turned to social media as an outlet to express their opinions, and this has proven to be successful! Sharing correct information about voting has shown to be an encouraging way to get others involved as well! As a registered voter, your vote counts just as much as someone twice your age.
The 2020 election is here, and we must come together to influence the future of our country. The most important thing you can do is make a voting plan! Does your state allow early voting? What poll is going to be your voting station? If you are a college student, does your university have a voting poll on campus? If you are unsure about how to vote, speak to friends or family members to get more information. Use the resources available to you to make sure that you are able to vote safely in this election and that your vote is counted–it WILL make a difference!