This is a great conversation to have. My local library was out of paper voter registration forms, but when I asked they found and set out a stack. I brought some to a younger neighbor and we chatted even though they turned out to be registered already. Brought one to my trainer at the gym and have been checking to make sure he follows through. It’s also made for good conversations because he has questions and no one to discuss with. Today I asked who his dream VP candidate is and he didn’t know any of the choices, but he asked what I thought. Just an example of what this one meek retired woman is up to out here. I love that we’re in this together.
Great stories, Bev! To bolster such efforts: "And once you're registered to vote, bluevoterguide.org is a GREAT one-stop resource. Check it out!" This is also for people already registered, since one of the top reasons people don't vote, or vote for federal offices but not down-ballot, is that they don't know the candidates and the issues.
I just input my address here in Colorado, and...voila! All the candidates and referenda populated within seconds. Wow. What a great tool!
(Description: "Blue Voter Guide helps you make quick, informed, pro-democracy choices of candidates and propositions by showing what's on your ballot, with endorsements from trusted, forward-looking organizations.")
We can all help each other. I registered to vote by mail because I used to travel often for work and missed an election. Everyone can get a ballot by mail here in CA and then you can drop it off at various locations (fire stations, the polls or you can mail it in. THEN, you get a text message when it's received and when it is counted. Imagine if that's how everyone everywhere could vote.
In beautiful BLUE CA every registered voter will automatically receive a mail-in ballot, and those who aren't can register 15 days before Election Day.
If that date is missed, there is same day voter registration.
In 2019, I was going to register to vote by mail, but covid hit and Governor Newsom had the ballots automatically sent out for the 2020 election.
I was then automatically registered to vote by mail, without needing to register for it.
Schiff for Senator and he's my rep in CA30, the Senate doesn't need another dumber than a stump Tubberville with Garvey.
Life is wonderful in the 5th largest economy, Los Angeles County has the largest GDP of any county, CA30 with the bulk of the studios, and entertainment is one of the largest drivers of CA's GDP.
I'm a former Walt Disney Company employee at the studio in Burbank.
Andy we should have national automatic registration to vote. I have that in Germany. When one registers where one lives, if one is a citizen you are automatically registered for voting. Then, you get information on where to vote and how to get a mail in ballot sent to you in the mail a few months before the election. However, voting is not compulsory like it is in some countries. I think it should be. Look at the list on the chart here and you can see how that is. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-mandatory-voting
The only problem here with registering to vote at the DVM is that they ask everyone and our Licenses state that the person is a foreign national and the clerks registered a green card holder. Now he will have issues getting his citizenship, but we did get him unregistered and he never voted, but just registering is illegal and they will stop him from getting his citizenship when he says on the application he has registered to vote. He had no clue; most don't as they believe they wouldn't be asked if they weren't eligible.
In Colorado, mail ballots are delivered to every registered voter. There are many drop boxes. You can also vote in person. Convenient, secure, and opposed by Republicans.
I am grateful to Joyce Vance for using her forum to take this on. I am helping the 4 youth in my family to vote. That means making sure they do everything they need to in a timely manner. When my daughter filled out her first Vote from Abroad Ballot she shared it with me over Signal screen share and asked questions as she filled it out. How many of these do I choose? was a common question, even though she could see at the top it might give a number. That is confusing to the first time voter. I am a teacher, and I would simulate things like this with my elementary school students, so I understand that something one has done many times seems straightforward, but is not for the new voter. While local races may be compelling, my daughter is going to school in another country, and the local issues, even things like abortion access might determine her choice of candidate but do not seem so relevant. The brain's frontal cortex does not fully develop until ages 25-30 for the most part, and that is the area of the brain in which executive functioning takes place. So, guidance for all aspect of voting is key, even planning the day of voting or learning how to vote on a mail in ballot and follow through to mail it. That is the part that executive functioning takes care of. We were the lead family among all her friends as they turned 18 to get her registered and voting. Then she could share her experience with her friends, and I could share it with their parents. So, I suggest form voting circles helping each one in the group by sharing information and making everyone in the group accountable to each other that we vote. People with Tiktok skills can be making Tiktoks that teach people how to vote as well. I imagine this will be a good source of information for many young people and first time voters. Steps to voting. Maybe accompanied by 3 reasons to vote.
Love this! I'm an American living overseas and always work to get overseas Americans to register. VotefromAbroad.org. It's non-partisan. A note: overseas voters should re-register every year to be sure they receive their absentee ballot in time to vote.
After years of traveling, I came back home to Chicago, found a place to live, and settled down. An older couple in my neighborhood were always chatting and friendly with me. But I suspected that “Mike” was dominating and oppressive to his wife “Ruth”. Ruth was never allowed to drive, she had friends pick her up for work, and their only adult child lived in Florida, where I believe she moved because of her father’s drunken temper. Mike died in spring of 2018. I immediately took Ruth under my wing, taking her to the bank, post office, shops, her Dr appointments, etc., because I never saw friends or family at her home. We became very close. I asked her if she was voting in November. She said that Mike never “allowed her to vote”. I brought her to my home, registered her online, and drove her to vote, but I didn’t tell her who to vote for. “Those bastards aren’t taking away my Medicare and Social Security!” I took a photo of her outside the polling place. I asked her if I could post it on
Facebook, she said yes, even though she didn’t know what it was. Ruth died the next spring. Her daughter came up to sell the house. She hugged me, thanked me, and said, “I’ve never seen my mom as happy as in the photo you took.” Ruth was 71 years old. She finally got to vote.
How do you help a first time voter? You offer to help.
Wow, Kim -- what a meaningful impact you made, and now make again by sharing this stirring and inspiring tale of friendship, compassion, neighborliness and patriotism. Brava to you!
I'm so sorry she was treated that way by her husband. No wonder the family stayed away. And to die at 71? Sheesh. Too bad she could not have enjoyed life a few more years.
I am so excited to have a 19 year old granddaughter preparing to vote in her first presidential election. She and I have talked about Trump since she was just a kid. I knew she was going to be okay when she asked me, "DeeDee, why is he orange?"
It's the tradition in our family that on their 18th Birthday they get the registration form, complete it and it's mailed. It's a right of passage right up their with their driving permit they get 2 years earlier. To me that is entering "adulting" :)
And be sure she gets educated on how to vote on down-ballot issues! bluevoterguide.org or vote411.org. We need a blue wave up and down the ballot to take back our country and the courts.
FT 6 does partisan voter registration....explains what Democrats stand for. Uses candidates’ names. 80% of our new voters are Democrats and independents. *The secret weapon: the first-of-its-kind database containing 9 million unregistered likely Democrats in swing states. The basis for all digital outreach!
*FT6 uses every outreach method there is: email, text, phone, geofencing, direct mail, targeted ads, social media storms, postcards, and live voter drives. Has 22k volunteers nationwide and a gung-ho volunteer staff of 120 activists who lead 25 specialized teams, stretching every donor dollar to the limit.
My first time to try & vote was in college. I went to vote & was told I had to change my address before the deadline & was turned away at the polls. I felt like an idiot, & Nixon was elected.
I suggest contacting your local League of Women Voters. They do outreach to the local schools, will put on programs local organizations, senior homes, etc to explain what’s on the ballot, and they help register people to vote. When I worked for them I helped register high school students and went to a new citizen swearing in ceremony to register the new voters. The League is non partisan.
So glad you suggested the League. You saved me from doing it. They all have local chapters and are ready, willing and able to answer questions and offer guidance. Also, if you are into volunteering for Democrats(or republicans, ok?)find your local Democratic Party headquarters and sign up. One other suggestion, find your local Board of Elections and ask if there is any way you can work at a polling station. It can be a long, arduous day but very satisfying AND you find out exactly how an election is run. Knowledge is key here. Information is out there to let everyone know the ins and outs of voting, the candidates, what they stand for and what you’ll need to take to the polls when you do go to vote.
The LWV also runs vote411.org, a great resource (along with bluevoterguide.org) for learning about what will be on your ballot besides president. We need a blue wave up and down the ballot to take back our country and the courts.
SPW, you are right to encourage people to work the polls. My sister worked as a volunteer for years where her husband was the machine operator. She had so much fun the county officials said she should run for Judge of Elections. She did and has been one for about 5 years. She talked our sister into working at her polling place too and my nephew goes to help out because they don't have school on Election Day. My grandniece now fills out the family team and they have so much fun. People love coming to vote there and their stats are pretty high. They take it seriously because it is, but they still have fun with the folks who show up. My sister, the Judge of Elections will chase people down in the parking lot to give them their "I Voted" sticker. You can be the one who makes the voting experience such a treat they will want to come back.
I live in an.Assisted Living home as.well. Fortunately in CA we have an excellent mail-in voting system. We also have caring.people to assist anyone who needs help in filling.out a ballot ( no.postage required). Please do vote! It is not a right but a privilege!. Make your voice.heard!🤗
I, too, saw young voters not voting in my city. We have legal access to their contact info through our Democratic clubs access to voter data. I have 17 volunteers working with registered people 18-29 who have never voted. We have another nonprofit that goes to high schools to get them registered and that is working.
We knock on their door, write them a hand written letter focusing on why vote, how to vote, and resources for them to decide who to vote for, and we text/phone them if we have it. This time we are offering free lunch and come meet some candidates: your city council, your board of supervisors, your school boards, even we get our congressional candidates to attend.
Our tone is voting buddy and they can contact us for any questions. We find some don’t remember registering (ours can do it when they get their license), some don’t know this is an election year, some are indeed thinking why vote? Nothing changes. Some don’t know how to vote. Some are Democrats in a Republican household and don’t want to connect with their parents on voting. It’s a big big challenge for us but we’re not giving up.
I had two sons. The older one is mentally handicapped and attends a day program in our community and now , at age 46, lives in a group home. The younger one had just moved back to Maryland from New York and needed to register to vote in Maryland. I was waiting for him to fill out the forms and got talking to the clerk in the elections office. She asked if my older son was registered. I explained about his disability and said he would not understand most of the issues. She said," How would that make him different from most other voters"? I asked her for the registration form, and he has been voting ever since. I decided other people at his day program might want to vote too, so I set up an information session and registered 11 other people. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it's 11 people who otherwise would not have their votes counted on the many issues that affect their lives. Like Medicaid, for example. Maryland has a form you can fill out if you assist someone in voting, so it's entirely easy to do this. My answer: do what you can where you are. Determine where there may be people or whole communities that aren't registered and reach out to them. They will thank you.
My father helped me register and took me to vote my first time. More parents should do this. It really helped me to see that voting is part of adulthood.
Where are you? That's like a poll tax. It should not be legal. But, of course, those five guys on the Supreme Court are laughing up their big wide sleeves.
Oldandintheway I, don't forget Amy Barret. She's right in there with taking away people's rights just like the five guys. That's why she was selected by the Federalist Society, a woman with kids who hates other women, thinks she is better than all of them, doesn't care about women's right to decide her own medical health actions, and will do whatever those 5 men say, with very rare exceptions. As far as the 6 are concerned, the only rights Americans have are the rights those 6 give them. That is unacceptable and those 6 justices need to be neutralized with term limits and a court expansion. I'd say a code of ethics but unless there are real penalties like a term off the court with no pay or inability to wear robes in the court (a way to shame the one who broke the ethics rules) or being moved to a lower court permanently. None will be removed from office because Republicans would never permit that because they love the restrictions unless the restrictions are on those Republicans and I bet they could buy enough of the 6 justices to get a dismissal. It's been happening already.
I don’t like the idea of moving them to a lower court as a punishment because that could cause major havoc in those courts and it would be a mockery to the honorable judges who worked very hard to get on the bench. Dismissing them from their hallowed positions on the Supreme Court along with all the perks attendant to that is the only way for real justice.
ID cards are free in California, the last time I got a Drivers license it was $15 don't know what the fee is now, I've had ID since 2018. Apparently there are some for-profit places to get a drivers license - disgusting.
How about a short (obviously general) tutorial on what it takes to get registered. I'm in my 70s and it's been a REAL LONG TIME since I signed up! I've got grandkids who are getting close enough that I may actually get an opportunity to serve...
PS: Love your dedication and approach. Keep it up!
Hi, Mike Stickler. In most progressive States, including California, you can register on line. In the 1960's and 1970's (even before I became a citizen) I went to people's houses to register them. Now you can get voter registration forms at the post office, EDD (Unemployment Office) some fire stations and police stations or sheriffs office. You can also call your Congress Person and they will get you registered. If you live in a maggot State, like Florida or Texas, good luck -or register Republican - ballots are secret and they'll never know you voted Democratic.
My daughter lives in a co-op in DC which is a diverse community. One of her friends is a 90 year old man for whom she and a few other neighbors ensure he has groceries, gets to his doctors appts and even make sure he has shoes! She discovered recently that he has never voted in his entire life. So she is on a mission to get him registered and will take him to the polls to cast his very first ever vote!!!!l
Dianne, do you realize if every American who votes regularly were to get one person registered what a huge impact that would have? That would be a real game-changer.
I remember going to vote with my daddy, not father but daddy. I said so who are we going to vote for - as a college student what did I know about local politics= nothing. He said we are voting for X party ( I am not sure which one it was now) and I said but we aren’t members of that party, so why are we voting for them? He then told me that where we lived only 1 party won all the elections. So we needed to encourage the other party that didn’t even have candidates for all the offices. We needed to have a 2 party system for democracy. I never forgot that lesson.
Friends of mine from South Africa did a similar thing when they moved to the US. He voted for one party and she the other and this was in Pennsylvania a swing state.
I was recently in the Atlanta airport traveling and enjoying the security of a wheelchair. A young black woman was my driver. I asked if she was registered to vote and she hesitantly said yes. Then I asked her what issue concerned her the most. She stopped at the elevator and walked to my side. No one has ever asked me that, she said. She shared that she could not talk to anyone, her family, her friends. I told her I was 84 years old and had worked hard to insure that women who needed an abortion could get one. She seemed so relieved to have someone to talk with. I shared with her that the most important thing for her to do was to vote in November. She promised that she would. Now that Kamala has rejuvinated us, maybe the young woman will gain more courage to talk with others.
And be sure they get educated on how to vote on down-ballot issues! bluevoterguide.org or vote411.org. We need a blue wave up and down the ballot to take back our country and the courts.
just a short story of why it's so important to model voting-my 5 yo granddaughter who after watching her aunts, uncle and grandparents write postcards to swing states, set up her own "postcard station" her message :"To Voter, please vote" and wanted real stamps to send them !
This is a great conversation to have. My local library was out of paper voter registration forms, but when I asked they found and set out a stack. I brought some to a younger neighbor and we chatted even though they turned out to be registered already. Brought one to my trainer at the gym and have been checking to make sure he follows through. It’s also made for good conversations because he has questions and no one to discuss with. Today I asked who his dream VP candidate is and he didn’t know any of the choices, but he asked what I thought. Just an example of what this one meek retired woman is up to out here. I love that we’re in this together.
You rock!!
Great stories, Bev! To bolster such efforts: "And once you're registered to vote, bluevoterguide.org is a GREAT one-stop resource. Check it out!" This is also for people already registered, since one of the top reasons people don't vote, or vote for federal offices but not down-ballot, is that they don't know the candidates and the issues.
I just input my address here in Colorado, and...voila! All the candidates and referenda populated within seconds. Wow. What a great tool!
(Description: "Blue Voter Guide helps you make quick, informed, pro-democracy choices of candidates and propositions by showing what's on your ballot, with endorsements from trusted, forward-looking organizations.")
We can all help each other. I registered to vote by mail because I used to travel often for work and missed an election. Everyone can get a ballot by mail here in CA and then you can drop it off at various locations (fire stations, the polls or you can mail it in. THEN, you get a text message when it's received and when it is counted. Imagine if that's how everyone everywhere could vote.
In beautiful BLUE CA every registered voter will automatically receive a mail-in ballot, and those who aren't can register 15 days before Election Day.
If that date is missed, there is same day voter registration.
In 2019, I was going to register to vote by mail, but covid hit and Governor Newsom had the ballots automatically sent out for the 2020 election.
I was then automatically registered to vote by mail, without needing to register for it.
Schiff for Senator and he's my rep in CA30, the Senate doesn't need another dumber than a stump Tubberville with Garvey.
Life is wonderful in the 5th largest economy, Los Angeles County has the largest GDP of any county, CA30 with the bulk of the studios, and entertainment is one of the largest drivers of CA's GDP.
I'm a former Walt Disney Company employee at the studio in Burbank.
Andy we should have national automatic registration to vote. I have that in Germany. When one registers where one lives, if one is a citizen you are automatically registered for voting. Then, you get information on where to vote and how to get a mail in ballot sent to you in the mail a few months before the election. However, voting is not compulsory like it is in some countries. I think it should be. Look at the list on the chart here and you can see how that is. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-with-mandatory-voting
The only problem here with registering to vote at the DVM is that they ask everyone and our Licenses state that the person is a foreign national and the clerks registered a green card holder. Now he will have issues getting his citizenship, but we did get him unregistered and he never voted, but just registering is illegal and they will stop him from getting his citizenship when he says on the application he has registered to vote. He had no clue; most don't as they believe they wouldn't be asked if they weren't eligible.
Love your comments Andy. Your comment about Garvey made me chuckle out loud - true statement.
In Colorado, mail ballots are delivered to every registered voter. There are many drop boxes. You can also vote in person. Convenient, secure, and opposed by Republicans.
Republicans lose when people vote, and they know it.
I hope Boebert gets rejected.
Joyce should interview Jason Berlin, founder of Field Team 6.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVUsBHUBvS8
Young voters would be a golden gift for Democrats. Kamala helps; she has such a youthful spirit. The race is close now but we can do this!
I am grateful to Joyce Vance for using her forum to take this on. I am helping the 4 youth in my family to vote. That means making sure they do everything they need to in a timely manner. When my daughter filled out her first Vote from Abroad Ballot she shared it with me over Signal screen share and asked questions as she filled it out. How many of these do I choose? was a common question, even though she could see at the top it might give a number. That is confusing to the first time voter. I am a teacher, and I would simulate things like this with my elementary school students, so I understand that something one has done many times seems straightforward, but is not for the new voter. While local races may be compelling, my daughter is going to school in another country, and the local issues, even things like abortion access might determine her choice of candidate but do not seem so relevant. The brain's frontal cortex does not fully develop until ages 25-30 for the most part, and that is the area of the brain in which executive functioning takes place. So, guidance for all aspect of voting is key, even planning the day of voting or learning how to vote on a mail in ballot and follow through to mail it. That is the part that executive functioning takes care of. We were the lead family among all her friends as they turned 18 to get her registered and voting. Then she could share her experience with her friends, and I could share it with their parents. So, I suggest form voting circles helping each one in the group by sharing information and making everyone in the group accountable to each other that we vote. People with Tiktok skills can be making Tiktoks that teach people how to vote as well. I imagine this will be a good source of information for many young people and first time voters. Steps to voting. Maybe accompanied by 3 reasons to vote.
Love this! I'm an American living overseas and always work to get overseas Americans to register. VotefromAbroad.org. It's non-partisan. A note: overseas voters should re-register every year to be sure they receive their absentee ballot in time to vote.
Someone who cares and someone who needs help. Sounds like a winning combination to me.
Thank you
Bev, what an excellent response!
Great job, Bev!
Love this! Mobilize and vote, they cannot stop us NOW!
After years of traveling, I came back home to Chicago, found a place to live, and settled down. An older couple in my neighborhood were always chatting and friendly with me. But I suspected that “Mike” was dominating and oppressive to his wife “Ruth”. Ruth was never allowed to drive, she had friends pick her up for work, and their only adult child lived in Florida, where I believe she moved because of her father’s drunken temper. Mike died in spring of 2018. I immediately took Ruth under my wing, taking her to the bank, post office, shops, her Dr appointments, etc., because I never saw friends or family at her home. We became very close. I asked her if she was voting in November. She said that Mike never “allowed her to vote”. I brought her to my home, registered her online, and drove her to vote, but I didn’t tell her who to vote for. “Those bastards aren’t taking away my Medicare and Social Security!” I took a photo of her outside the polling place. I asked her if I could post it on
Facebook, she said yes, even though she didn’t know what it was. Ruth died the next spring. Her daughter came up to sell the house. She hugged me, thanked me, and said, “I’ve never seen my mom as happy as in the photo you took.” Ruth was 71 years old. She finally got to vote.
How do you help a first time voter? You offer to help.
Wow, Kim -- what a meaningful impact you made, and now make again by sharing this stirring and inspiring tale of friendship, compassion, neighborliness and patriotism. Brava to you!
The daughter and I keep in touch. Per the daughter’s request, I take flowers to Ruth’s grave on Mother’s Days. I miss Ruth.
I'm so sorry she was treated that way by her husband. No wonder the family stayed away. And to die at 71? Sheesh. Too bad she could not have enjoyed life a few more years.
That is a wonderful story, Kim. You sound as if you are a musician.
Not a musician, but I do love blasting my music.
Blast away, sister, lol.
I am so excited to have a 19 year old granddaughter preparing to vote in her first presidential election. She and I have talked about Trump since she was just a kid. I knew she was going to be okay when she asked me, "DeeDee, why is he orange?"
Orange means caution, right? The color we see right before we see red.
Yes!
It's the tradition in our family that on their 18th Birthday they get the registration form, complete it and it's mailed. It's a right of passage right up their with their driving permit they get 2 years earlier. To me that is entering "adulting" :)
And be sure she gets educated on how to vote on down-ballot issues! bluevoterguide.org or vote411.org. We need a blue wave up and down the ballot to take back our country and the courts.
Also https://voterizer.org/
FT 6 does partisan voter registration....explains what Democrats stand for. Uses candidates’ names. 80% of our new voters are Democrats and independents. *The secret weapon: the first-of-its-kind database containing 9 million unregistered likely Democrats in swing states. The basis for all digital outreach!
*FT6 uses every outreach method there is: email, text, phone, geofencing, direct mail, targeted ads, social media storms, postcards, and live voter drives. Has 22k volunteers nationwide and a gung-ho volunteer staff of 120 activists who lead 25 specialized teams, stretching every donor dollar to the limit.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
My first time to try & vote was in college. I went to vote & was told I had to change my address before the deadline & was turned away at the polls. I felt like an idiot, & Nixon was elected.
My first time to vote, I voted for Nixon. After Watergate, I became a Democrat and never voted Republican since.
I suggest contacting your local League of Women Voters. They do outreach to the local schools, will put on programs local organizations, senior homes, etc to explain what’s on the ballot, and they help register people to vote. When I worked for them I helped register high school students and went to a new citizen swearing in ceremony to register the new voters. The League is non partisan.
So glad you suggested the League. You saved me from doing it. They all have local chapters and are ready, willing and able to answer questions and offer guidance. Also, if you are into volunteering for Democrats(or republicans, ok?)find your local Democratic Party headquarters and sign up. One other suggestion, find your local Board of Elections and ask if there is any way you can work at a polling station. It can be a long, arduous day but very satisfying AND you find out exactly how an election is run. Knowledge is key here. Information is out there to let everyone know the ins and outs of voting, the candidates, what they stand for and what you’ll need to take to the polls when you do go to vote.
The LWV also runs vote411.org, a great resource (along with bluevoterguide.org) for learning about what will be on your ballot besides president. We need a blue wave up and down the ballot to take back our country and the courts.
SPW, you are right to encourage people to work the polls. My sister worked as a volunteer for years where her husband was the machine operator. She had so much fun the county officials said she should run for Judge of Elections. She did and has been one for about 5 years. She talked our sister into working at her polling place too and my nephew goes to help out because they don't have school on Election Day. My grandniece now fills out the family team and they have so much fun. People love coming to vote there and their stats are pretty high. They take it seriously because it is, but they still have fun with the folks who show up. My sister, the Judge of Elections will chase people down in the parking lot to give them their "I Voted" sticker. You can be the one who makes the voting experience such a treat they will want to come back.
Hilarious and entirely wonderful !
Excellent suggestions. Why reinvent the wheel when there are so many existing resources?
My younger sister is in a nursing home so ive pushed to have our local town clerk come to the home to help the residents register to vote.
I live in an.Assisted Living home as.well. Fortunately in CA we have an excellent mail-in voting system. We also have caring.people to assist anyone who needs help in filling.out a ballot ( no.postage required). Please do vote! It is not a right but a privilege!. Make your voice.heard!🤗
I, too, saw young voters not voting in my city. We have legal access to their contact info through our Democratic clubs access to voter data. I have 17 volunteers working with registered people 18-29 who have never voted. We have another nonprofit that goes to high schools to get them registered and that is working.
We knock on their door, write them a hand written letter focusing on why vote, how to vote, and resources for them to decide who to vote for, and we text/phone them if we have it. This time we are offering free lunch and come meet some candidates: your city council, your board of supervisors, your school boards, even we get our congressional candidates to attend.
Our tone is voting buddy and they can contact us for any questions. We find some don’t remember registering (ours can do it when they get their license), some don’t know this is an election year, some are indeed thinking why vote? Nothing changes. Some don’t know how to vote. Some are Democrats in a Republican household and don’t want to connect with their parents on voting. It’s a big big challenge for us but we’re not giving up.
I had two sons. The older one is mentally handicapped and attends a day program in our community and now , at age 46, lives in a group home. The younger one had just moved back to Maryland from New York and needed to register to vote in Maryland. I was waiting for him to fill out the forms and got talking to the clerk in the elections office. She asked if my older son was registered. I explained about his disability and said he would not understand most of the issues. She said," How would that make him different from most other voters"? I asked her for the registration form, and he has been voting ever since. I decided other people at his day program might want to vote too, so I set up an information session and registered 11 other people. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it's 11 people who otherwise would not have their votes counted on the many issues that affect their lives. Like Medicaid, for example. Maryland has a form you can fill out if you assist someone in voting, so it's entirely easy to do this. My answer: do what you can where you are. Determine where there may be people or whole communities that aren't registered and reach out to them. They will thank you.
Bless you. You included 11 other people allowing their differences to not matter enough to keep their voices silent. Good job.
My father helped me register and took me to vote my first time. More parents should do this. It really helped me to see that voting is part of adulthood.
I am working on my grandsons. They are 26/24/22. One of my proudest moments was when my youngest daughter and I voted together for the first time.
Every state should offer voter ID cards free of charge. As of now they run anywhere from $50.00. These are only ID cards for voting not driving.
Where are you? That's like a poll tax. It should not be legal. But, of course, those five guys on the Supreme Court are laughing up their big wide sleeves.
Oldandintheway I, don't forget Amy Barret. She's right in there with taking away people's rights just like the five guys. That's why she was selected by the Federalist Society, a woman with kids who hates other women, thinks she is better than all of them, doesn't care about women's right to decide her own medical health actions, and will do whatever those 5 men say, with very rare exceptions. As far as the 6 are concerned, the only rights Americans have are the rights those 6 give them. That is unacceptable and those 6 justices need to be neutralized with term limits and a court expansion. I'd say a code of ethics but unless there are real penalties like a term off the court with no pay or inability to wear robes in the court (a way to shame the one who broke the ethics rules) or being moved to a lower court permanently. None will be removed from office because Republicans would never permit that because they love the restrictions unless the restrictions are on those Republicans and I bet they could buy enough of the 6 justices to get a dismissal. It's been happening already.
I don’t like the idea of moving them to a lower court as a punishment because that could cause major havoc in those courts and it would be a mockery to the honorable judges who worked very hard to get on the bench. Dismissing them from their hallowed positions on the Supreme Court along with all the perks attendant to that is the only way for real justice.
That’s terrible!:
Mary, that "Voter I.D. card for $50.00 sounds a lot like a poll tax to me and that is against our Constitution! Is anyone in your state fighting it?
At the DMV, but in AL, sorry Joyce, many locations have been closed and people have to drive MANY miles to get to one.
CA requires an ID to register, but not to vote.
ID cards are free in California, the last time I got a Drivers license it was $15 don't know what the fee is now, I've had ID since 2018. Apparently there are some for-profit places to get a drivers license - disgusting.
How about a short (obviously general) tutorial on what it takes to get registered. I'm in my 70s and it's been a REAL LONG TIME since I signed up! I've got grandkids who are getting close enough that I may actually get an opportunity to serve...
PS: Love your dedication and approach. Keep it up!
Hi, Mike Stickler. In most progressive States, including California, you can register on line. In the 1960's and 1970's (even before I became a citizen) I went to people's houses to register them. Now you can get voter registration forms at the post office, EDD (Unemployment Office) some fire stations and police stations or sheriffs office. You can also call your Congress Person and they will get you registered. If you live in a maggot State, like Florida or Texas, good luck -or register Republican - ballots are secret and they'll never know you voted Democratic.
Be aware that it varies a lot from state to state. You could search a little on a state website, or look for info from the League of Women Voters.
Ballotpedia is a great resource for information on how each state does things. They have an app also.
My daughter lives in a co-op in DC which is a diverse community. One of her friends is a 90 year old man for whom she and a few other neighbors ensure he has groceries, gets to his doctors appts and even make sure he has shoes! She discovered recently that he has never voted in his entire life. So she is on a mission to get him registered and will take him to the polls to cast his very first ever vote!!!!l
Dianne, do you realize if every American who votes regularly were to get one person registered what a huge impact that would have? That would be a real game-changer.
I remember going to vote with my daddy, not father but daddy. I said so who are we going to vote for - as a college student what did I know about local politics= nothing. He said we are voting for X party ( I am not sure which one it was now) and I said but we aren’t members of that party, so why are we voting for them? He then told me that where we lived only 1 party won all the elections. So we needed to encourage the other party that didn’t even have candidates for all the offices. We needed to have a 2 party system for democracy. I never forgot that lesson.
Friends of mine from South Africa did a similar thing when they moved to the US. He voted for one party and she the other and this was in Pennsylvania a swing state.
Betty Dickson
I was recently in the Atlanta airport traveling and enjoying the security of a wheelchair. A young black woman was my driver. I asked if she was registered to vote and she hesitantly said yes. Then I asked her what issue concerned her the most. She stopped at the elevator and walked to my side. No one has ever asked me that, she said. She shared that she could not talk to anyone, her family, her friends. I told her I was 84 years old and had worked hard to insure that women who needed an abortion could get one. She seemed so relieved to have someone to talk with. I shared with her that the most important thing for her to do was to vote in November. She promised that she would. Now that Kamala has rejuvinated us, maybe the young woman will gain more courage to talk with others.
I love the idea of connecting first time voters with neighbors who can help them navigate a process that can sometimes be confusing.
And be sure they get educated on how to vote on down-ballot issues! bluevoterguide.org or vote411.org. We need a blue wave up and down the ballot to take back our country and the courts.
just a short story of why it's so important to model voting-my 5 yo granddaughter who after watching her aunts, uncle and grandparents write postcards to swing states, set up her own "postcard station" her message :"To Voter, please vote" and wanted real stamps to send them !