This election is like none we've ever seen before. It must generate as much voter action as possible. The race has been so divisive that the winner will need a strong mandate to govern effectively; an ambiguous result will make that more difficult. It is our right and responsibility to make a choice and act. And, being who we are as TTNers, we must set an example and help others to do the same.
After attending a People and Passions session earlier this month, a few of us decided to form a pop-up Political Study & Action Special Interest Group (SIG), that may not endure long after November. But for now we felt we needed a place to share our frustrations and concerns, discuss the issues, learn, support and vent and to take some action as we did back in the 60's and 70's on our college campuses and at peace and equal rights rallies. Voter registration is one of those activities.
Here's a simple voter registration checklist for TTNers to get behind right away:
- Are you registered to vote? If you moved recently -- even within the same town or New York City Borough -- you may need to re-register. Deadline for registration in New York is Friday October 14; Tuesday, October 18 in New Jersey; and November 1 in Connecticut! Online registration is available to residents of New York and Connecticut, not New Jersey.
- Remind everyone you know (send blanket emails to all of your contacts) that registration is necessary.
- Will you have difficulty getting to the polls on Tuesday, November 8? If there is a chance you will be out of town or in the hospital, etc., request an absentee ballot and mail it in on time. (Google absentee ballots for deadlines in your state or your state's elections board.)
- Remind everyone you know about deadlines for absentee ballot requests and mailings.
- Do you know where your polling place will be? Google the elections board for that location (New York City provides an "online poll site address locator".)
- Remind your neighbors about the polling site for their [your] address.
- Join TTNers for a mid-campaign assessment - time, date, and place TBA.
Most of the people you contact will be grateful that you helped them remember how to voice their opinion. Voter participation - regardless of whom your candidate is - is critical. If you don't vote, politicians will not give any thought to what you want or need. Their planning for future political moves will be based exclusively on what they can do to please people who are likely to vote. (AARP has compared the two major candidates' stands on issues particularly relevant to our demographic. Click here to visit AARP's candidate comparison to inform yourself.) The nonvoting population is not important to many political activists; boycotts (withholding one's vote) achieve nothing.
If you're interested in joining the newly formed pop-up Political Study & Action SIG, please contact:
Co-Coordinators, Political Study & Action SIG
The Transition Network, New York City Chapter
