Read on Twitter
With a ton more attention rightfully on attacks on the right to vote, I wanted to share a few of the things I think regular people can do to help ensure a fair election this fall:
1) Now is the time to register to vote and check your voter registration and make sure it’s up to date. https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote/voter-registration-status
Don’t put it off until September/October. And don’t assume you can just register online and it will be easy. Registering in some places, unfortunately, can still be bureaucratic and harder than you think. Once you’ve done this, help friends/family too.
If you have a felony conviction, do not assume can’t vote. The rules around voting for people with felonies vary widely from state to state and are extremely, extremely confusing. Start here to learn more: https://campaignlegal.org/restoreyourvote
If you plan on voting by mail, which is safe and reliable, request your ballot now. Yes, you can request your ballot now for November. Doing it early will prevent election officials from being crushed by a wave of requests later.
Make sure you understand the instructions for filling out a mail in ballot. States can reject them if they’re missing a signature or if the envelope(s) aren’t properly sealed. Make sure people around you - especially those who haven’t voted by mail before - understand too.
Here is some basic deadlines for requesting a ballot via @grace_panetta https://www.businessinsider.com/deadlines-for-absentee-and-mail-ballot-in-every-state-2020-7
If you are able and willing, sign up to be a poll worker. The people who work the polls tend to be older and election officials are scrambling to find workers because people aren’t signing up this year. Having enough poll workers is key to having enough polling stations.
Contact your local board of elections or clerk to ask how you can sign up. If you’re not sure how to find them, there’s some useful info here: http://workelections.com
If you plan to vote in person, take the time now to know what’s required at the polls. Do you have the right kind of ID if it’s required? Is there someone you know who probably doesn’t? Help them get it. This can be bureaucratic too and take a while so do it now
Lastly, fill out the fucking census: http://2020census.gov . 37% of us households still haven’t responded and the administration is rushing the Bureau to finish by the end of 2020, even though operations were suspended for a while because of Covid.
The data in the census is used to draw electoral districts for the next 10 years. Businesses use it to make decisions about where to focus resources. Governments use it to decide where to build roads, schools. This will shape America long after Trump or Biden are out of office
