Every Monday Matters Week 11: Help Someone Register to Vote

Thank you The Graphics Fairy for the Vintage Image

Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Happy Monday - time to make it matter!  I'm so glad you stopped by to visit.  The topic for week 11 is to register to vote.  I hope you are already registered and if you are, it is time to help someone else get registered.  

According to the US Census Bureau, around 30% of eligible-to-vote Americans are not registered to vote.  Three out of every ten adults have not taken the step to exercise this important part of our democracy.  

We have a system that systematically transfers power peacefully and that has been a hard-won gift from our the individuals who came before us with a vision for democratic government.  Regardless of your politics, the PROCESS of voting is an important responsibility to our future and the future of our children.  

The eligibility requirements to vote in the U.S. are: 

• Be a U.S. Citizen
• Most states require an age of at least 18 but some states (check you state regulations) allow 17 year olds to vote in certain circumstances (for example:  a primary election to choose candidates when the individual will be 18 for the general election)
• Some states have residency requirements 
• Some states have identification requirements 
• For information on your state, check here

How you can register or help someone register: 

In many states, you can register by mail using the National Mail Voter Registration Form (can't use this in North Dakota, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands - in New Hampshire you can only use it as a request for an absentee mail-in voting form).  You can use that form to update your address too if you have moved.  

Other places to register to vote are: 

• State or Local Voter Registration Offices
• The Department of Motor Vehicles
• Public Assistance Agencies
• Armed Services Recruitment Centers 

In twenty states you can register online.  Is your state one of them?  Check here.

I voted my first time when I was 17 in the primary before the presidential election between Carter and Reagan.  It was a great honor and I haven't missed an election since.  I hope you take advantage of this opportunity to participate in our government structure.  

Please register if you haven't and convince someone else to do so too.  It is a Make Monday Matter exercise that will have benefits long into the future of this country!  

Tomorrow, I'll tell you about my journey in learning to can foods - both water bath and pressure canning.  It was a long time coming but I am happy to call myself a Certified Master Food Preserver.  I hope to see you then. 

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp

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