Every time I see this mural, I feel empowered. Empowered because I live in a country that allows my voice to be heard. My one little voice. I used to believe that one vote didn’t matter. I never quite understood what it meant to have the ability to vote and why it really mattered.
Growing up, I was told to vote one way because that’s what my parents believed and valued. I thought voting the way they did was what I was supposed to do because no one ever told me any different. No one sat me down and told me to do my homework and ask the hard questions. To choose a candidate that aligned with my morals, values, and beliefs. To be honest, I think I needed to discover all of those things on my own first. I needed to grow up a little and figure out who I was. When you’re 18 and finally have the ability to vote, do you vote because you believe and stand behind the person you’re choosing, or is it because someone told you that’s who you should vote for?
As I get older, I understand the importance of voting much better. I want to teach my children that. I want them to grow up and vote for the person they believe is the best fit. If they vote differently than I do, I won’t love them any less. The sheer act of voting will make me proud.
So, as I sit here knowing the deadline to vote is here, I hope you look at this post and feel empowered to get out and vote today. Because your one vote matters. It truly matters.
Registering to Vote
You can register at any time up to 8 p.m. on Election Day in person at your city or township clerk’s office. Not sure you are registered to vote? Checking is easy! Just head here. All you will need to do is put in your name, birth month and year, and zip code. The system will populate if you are registered or not. It literally takes 30 seconds.
What You’ll Need for Registration:
- A Valid Driver’s License (It cannot have been changed in the last 10 days.)
- Drivers License or State ID Number
- Social Security Number
- Address
Already registered?
Click here so you can get important information such as your polling location, view a sample ballot, and get information about your clerk’s office and drop box locations.
What to do with Your Absentee Ballot
- If you already requested and received your absentee ballot, but you have not mailed it yet, you must now deliver in person to your local clerk’s drop box.
- Your completed absentee ballot must be received by your city or township clerk by 8 p.m. on November 3rd.
- Did you know that you can track the status of your absentee ballot? Simply visit this site to double check that your ballot was received.
- Due to the increase in absentee ballots nationwide, it’s likely that we won’t know the final election results for days (if not weeks) after the election.
Voting In-Person
You can head to the polls TODAY. The polls will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. EST. Not sure where your polling place is? It’s easy, just click here to find out.
Curious what you need to bring with you to the polls? You will be asked to show ID when you check in to vote. However, if you don’t have one, you will still be able to vote. If this happens, expect a poll worker to ask you to sign a form before you vote that explains you didn’t have an ID. Your ballot will be included with all others and counted on Election Day.
