Vote in 2018!
2018 is here. Barring horrific catastrophe (I feel compelled to say that these days), the United States will be voting for House and Senate seats in November. Every House seat will be up for a vote, along with 34 Senate seats.
Conventional wisdom states that the Republicans are in for a “shellacking.” They are linked both to an unpopular president and to unpopular legislative efforts to deny people health care and to give tax breaks to the ultra-rich. They certainly deserve to be routed, but we cannot be certain that this will actually happen. November is a long way off. The wealthy and powerful have time to scheme to protect the status quo.
To put it plainly, if we want to see change in this country, we must vote. Do not wait, however, for November. Each state holds primary elections. Usually, only “hard core” voters vote in the primary. “Average” voters wait until November.
This pattern must stop. If you are eligible to vote, you need to vote in your state’s primary. Step One: are you registered? Take care of that now, before it's too late. You can register to vote at your local election office or at your state’s department of motor vehicles. Look for both Republicans and Democrats making “get out the vote” drives as the elections draw nearer, but the sooner you engage in the process, the better.
Next step: Get excited about voting! Research your House and Senate candidates and find someone to back. (My personal crusade here in California is for US Senate candidate Kevin DeLeon, making a progressive challenge to incumbent Democrat Dianne Feinstein.) Get on your candidate’s email list, like their Facebook page, etc. Find out when the Primary is and make plans to show up.
Then: pass it on. Make sure your friends and family members are registered to vote, and get them excited about your candidate. Make sure everyone has a plan to vote on the day of the primary.
If you aren’t yet old enough to vote, you can still do many of these things. You can research candidates on the internet, and hold your own voter registration drive within your extended family. Make sure your older siblings and cousins, and your parents too, are all registered. Get them excited about the candidate you’ve discovered.
You can register to vote if you are not yet eighteen, so long as you will be eighteen by Election Day. Check your state’s regulations for more details.
Do you think you’re too young to understand the issues? I think you’re old enough. So much of politics is scapegoats and red herrings. Keep it simple. What would make your life, and your family’s life, better? What would make you feel safer? If a politician isn’t talking about things that would make a difference to your life, move on to someone else.
When you find the right person, you’ll know it.
All of our futures depend on us finding those right people and sending them to Washington. Time to get started.
Conventional wisdom states that the Republicans are in for a “shellacking.” They are linked both to an unpopular president and to unpopular legislative efforts to deny people health care and to give tax breaks to the ultra-rich. They certainly deserve to be routed, but we cannot be certain that this will actually happen. November is a long way off. The wealthy and powerful have time to scheme to protect the status quo.
To put it plainly, if we want to see change in this country, we must vote. Do not wait, however, for November. Each state holds primary elections. Usually, only “hard core” voters vote in the primary. “Average” voters wait until November.
This pattern must stop. If you are eligible to vote, you need to vote in your state’s primary. Step One: are you registered? Take care of that now, before it's too late. You can register to vote at your local election office or at your state’s department of motor vehicles. Look for both Republicans and Democrats making “get out the vote” drives as the elections draw nearer, but the sooner you engage in the process, the better.
Next step: Get excited about voting! Research your House and Senate candidates and find someone to back. (My personal crusade here in California is for US Senate candidate Kevin DeLeon, making a progressive challenge to incumbent Democrat Dianne Feinstein.) Get on your candidate’s email list, like their Facebook page, etc. Find out when the Primary is and make plans to show up.
Then: pass it on. Make sure your friends and family members are registered to vote, and get them excited about your candidate. Make sure everyone has a plan to vote on the day of the primary.
If you aren’t yet old enough to vote, you can still do many of these things. You can research candidates on the internet, and hold your own voter registration drive within your extended family. Make sure your older siblings and cousins, and your parents too, are all registered. Get them excited about the candidate you’ve discovered.
You can register to vote if you are not yet eighteen, so long as you will be eighteen by Election Day. Check your state’s regulations for more details.
Do you think you’re too young to understand the issues? I think you’re old enough. So much of politics is scapegoats and red herrings. Keep it simple. What would make your life, and your family’s life, better? What would make you feel safer? If a politician isn’t talking about things that would make a difference to your life, move on to someone else.
When you find the right person, you’ll know it.
All of our futures depend on us finding those right people and sending them to Washington. Time to get started.
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