In the United States of America, we are able to practice our right to democracy. In every election, we are able to vote who represents and speaks for us. U.S. citizens. Those that are 18-years-old and older, and registered to vote, have the right to choose who they wish to represent and speak for them.
When it comes to voting, there are things to keep in mind: the types of elections, state regulations, and voting days.
There are mainly three different types of elections - local, primary, and general. Local elections are for those running for city, county, and school elections (like city mayor, governor, and congressperson). Primary elections are done to eliminate the lowest popular vote for presidential candidates. The general election is the presidential election where there are two contestants remaining and whoever is chosen by the electoral college is awarded the presidential crown. Although, there are state and congressional runners on that ballot, as well.
In order to vote, there are regulations that one must keep an eye out for.
State governments have the power to change what is eligible for voter identification, voting poll locations, the number of locations, and who gets to vote on certain elections. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott limited the ballot drop box locations to one per county. This only gives the 16.2 million registered voters in Texas 254 locations in the second biggest state of the country. Every state is different and has its own rules. Every voter must read up on their state voter regulations, like what form of identification is acceptable, what is required for a mail-in ballot to be accepted, and the voting days. Every state has different early voting days and some do not allow specific types of early voting. 38 out of 50 states allow in-person voting, five only allow mail-in ballots, and seven states do not allow any kind of early voting.
Just because there are hundreds of millions of people that live in the United States does not mean your voice does not count.
Especially for those that reside in swing states, your vote is heard the loudest. With the electoral college voting for presidential elections, your vote could be the tipping point of who is crowned with the presidential title. Do not forget to vote: know where your nearest poll is, what form of ID is accepted, and keep in mind that there is a large voter turnout this election, so some locations might have at least an hour wait.
If you are not registered to vote, register here!
