CLOSER LOOK: It's Not Too Late! Register To Vote In Election 2020

Monday, September 21 2020 by Marya Morgan

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Close up of an "I Voted" sticker
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(Air1 Closer Look) – On Tuesday November 3rd citizens of the United States will exercise their Constitutional right to choose their own leaders. “Voting is really how you have your voice,” says Andrea Hailey, CEO of VOTE.org

Am I registered to vote?

I want to vote – how do I register?

“Without many people exercising their voice we just won’t have a healthy democracy.”

Though candidates for president and vice president typically get the most attention, ballots will also be cast for leaders closer to home. “Your vote matters in local elections too,” reminds Hailey, as “the person who sits in your mayor’s office, who your city council members are, all those things are highly likely to affect your daily life.” 

Headshot of Andrea Hailey CEO Vote.org
[Photo Credit: VOTE.org - Andrea Hailey] 

VOTE.org is a non-partisan, non-government entity that calls itself a ‘one-stop shop’ for political engagement. “We can help people register to vote or to request their absentee ballot or verify they are on the voter rolls,” explains Hailey. Registration deadlines are unique to each state so the site links info relevant to each individual state. The organization hopes to register 5-million new voters before November by targeting what they call the ‘low-propensity’ voter. That person is typically young and has never voted or may live in a place where polling places are few or where polls are hard to reach by public transportation. Vote.org sometimes finds citizens would like to vote but their employers do not allow the time off. But the most common reason cited for not voting is lack of information about candidates, issues and the process. “Older voters are traditionally in the ‘more likely to vote’ category,” Hailey explains, as “campaigns are going to reach out to them, they’re going to receive a lot of communication between now and election day around voting.” The reality is that people of any age who have never voted before are often left out of the loop.

“We don’t have a great on-ramp in our country for civic engagement,” she notes, a crucial oversight when you consider Millennials are the largest potential voting bloc in the nation. Hailey believes having a healthy democracy depends on incentivizing this group of Americans.

“We know that once somebody comes out to vote twice, voting becomes a habit, so then you’ll have a lifelong voter – we’re really investing in the future by investing in how we can build lifelong voter.”  

That’s why Hailey and her colleagues are working diligently to reach the 100-million Americans who did not participate in the 2016 election. 

“Our Founding Fathers believed in setting up a system of democracy and the conversation we’re having now is how healthy is that democracy going to be,” and while she concedes the modern tech used to get citizens engaged would likely confound them, she “hopes they would see we’re really excited at VOTE.org to do our patriotic duty in making sure that our democracy stands.”

 

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