Vote

We live in a moment when it feels like it is difficult to make a difference in the world. Fortunately, living in a democracy means that each of us can make a difference by voting. Americans vote more in national elections, but voter turnout is still smaller than in most democracies. Voting, whether in national elections or local ones, makes a difference. If you're looking for how you can make a difference, show up and VOTE.

It is really a rather simple two-step process.

Step 1: See if you are registered to vote.

Go to VOTE AMERICA. The website has an array of nonpartisan tools and resources for voters in all 50 states and DC - everything you need to register to vote, cast your ballot, and make sure it's counted.

Step 2: When you have checked your own status, take some time to encourage those around you to do the same.

Sometimes we forget that voting is a privilege and that the right to vote was not originally extended to all. Remember, a woman’s right to vote was finally ratified a little over a hundred years ago in 1920 with the 19th Amendment. And although African American men were first given the right to vote in 1870, they were rapidly disenfranchised in the years following Reconstruction. Those rights were finally restored in 1965 with the Voting Rights Act, but continue to be assailed today. 

It is easy to forget the importance of each and every vote.
I urge you to do your part and go to the polls for early voting or on Election Day.