With the election just over a month away, the clock is ticking for unregistered voters to make sure they are eligible to vote on November 6. In Connecticut, mail-in voter registration is due on October 23 while in-person registration must be done by October 30.
Anyone who is over 18, or will turn 18 on or by November 6, may register to vote in this year’s election. And really, there is no good reason to not register or not vote in the election if you are able to do so.
If you are not a fan of either party, or simply don’t want to associate yourself with a particular party, just register as unaffiliated. This has no impact on your ability to vote in any elections aside from the primaries. You can also change party affiliation at any time if you should change your mind in the future.
And if you aren’t a fan of either party’s Presidential candidate, have no fear! You have no obligation to cast a vote in every race, nor are you obligated to only choose between the candidates for the major parties. You can also cast a vote for third party candidates on the ballots, or write in a candidate of your own choosing.
On top of that, President is not the only position up for election this year.
Here in Connecticut, as with the rest of the country, all of our House seats are up for reelection. We are also voting for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Joe Lieberman.
Still not sold on the whole voting thing? Keep in mind that there is a very good chance that there will be retirements in the Supreme Court. While we the people do not directly vote to approve Supreme Court justices, the politicians we send to Congress do. And the candidate we elect to President is the one who nominates them.
Voting is important, and it does make a difference, no matter how cynical about it you might be. If you really want to see a change in this country, regardless of whether you stand with the left or the right, make sure your voice is able to be heard in the coming election.
The only way to do that is make sure you are registered, and then make sure you vote.
