I won’t hit you with that line that says this is the most important election in our lifetime. What am I talking about? Yes, I will. This is literally the most important election we’ve seen since… 2020. There is so much on the line.
Can women make decisions about their bodies, or will a room of old white men have the legal right to tell women what they can and can’t do regarding their own healthcare? Will this nation finally move towards gun reform and environmental justice, or will we allow mass shootings and Cancer Alleys to grow and expand until we’re all dead? And will we even be able to vote moving forward? One candidate has a plan (Project 2025) that makes the Republican president a king with the power to do what he wants, hurt and imprison whoever he wants, and hold elections or choose not to.
That said, the best way to ensure you’re able to vote this election season is to plan it out right now. Here are seven things needed for a successful voting plan
GET REGISTERED
Each state has its own registration deadline. If you’re not currently registered, find out that date immediately and go get registered. In Texas, Oct. 7 is the deadline to get registered so you can vote in the Nov. 5 election.
CHECK VOTER REGISTRATION
Republicans learned years ago that their positions on issues are not popular… at all. In fact, the vast majority of U.S. voters, whether they are Democrat or Republican, prefer the position of Democrats on issues like common sense gun reform, women’s healthcare access, approaches to economic viability and recovery, criminal justice reform, etc. Knowing this, Republicans have made it their prime objective to institute and initiate every voter suppression tactic imaginable. Just mere hours after SCOTUS kneecapped voter protection in 2013, states from sea to shining sea initiated voter suppression tactics that disqualified millions of registered voters. Yet, they continued to find new ways to subvert democracy. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has proudly thrown off millions of registered voters from the rolls, the vast majority of which should still be eligible. But the point is to make voting as difficult as possible for Black and Brown folk. So, if you’re in Texas (or any other state where a Republican governor is up to this foolishness), check your voter registration weekly.
RESEARCH CANDIDATES & ISSUES
States make the entire ballot available before the actual election. Download it. Print it out. Review it. But don’t stop there. Bump what TV politicos say are the biggest issues. Make a list of the 3-5 issues most important to you. For example, if you turn on cable news, they swear immigration is the biggest issue. But zero people interviewed by the Defender listed immigration as one of their top 3 issues. So again, list those issues most important to you, be they voting rights, student loan forgiveness, gun reform, women’s healthcare access, saving democracy, the genocide in Gaza, HBCU funding, environmental justice, etc… and then find out where the candidates stand on those issues. If student loan forgiveness, saving democracy and women’s healthcare access are your top three issues, find out which presidential candidate’s policy positions and past actions (not just yaikkity dock words) show that they are on your side. Do this same process for every other race, be it the race for governor, US or state senator, mayor, city council, etc. By doing this, by finding out who not only talks about looking out for your best interests but has a track record of actually showing it by doing it, then you have your answer re: who to vote for.
FIND OUT VOTER POLL LOCATIONS
Every city makes its polling locations available online. Hence, Republicans, who recognize the only way they can win elections is if fewer people vote, have been involved in closing polling locations in Black and Brown neighborhoods by the thousands nationally. They have also engaged in closing down or switching a person’s polling location at the last minute to cause confusion, which they hope leads to frustration and more people choosing not to vote. If you’ve been reading this article, or keeping up with politics for the past few years, you’ve noticed a theme here. Republicans don’t want you to vote because their stances on policies the vast majority of Black and Brown and Asian and white and Democrat and Republican and independent voters care about are overwhelmingly unpopular.
So much so, they switch up your assigned voting place to hopefully block you from voting. It’s stuff like this that makes me wonder how anybody can be “undecided” re: who to vote for. Anyway. Find out where you can vote. Some cities allow you to vote anywhere during early voting, but limit your voting option to your specific polling place on election day (Nov. 5). Other cities allow their citizens to vote anywhere whether during early voting or election day voting.
On Election Day, if your county participates in the Countywide Polling Place Program (CWPP) – commonly referred to as ‘Vote Centers’ – you can vote at any location in your county of residence. FYI, Harris County participates in this program. If your county does not participate in the CWPP, you can only vote at the voting precinct assigned to you. You can find your voting precinct location here (My Voter Portal), which will be populated with voting sites two days prior to Election Day. Many newspapers publish Election Day polling locations as well. Election Day voting hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at all polling places statewide. For questions regarding polling places, always consult your County Elections Office.
EARLY VOTE
To avoid election day shenanigans, make plans to vote early. Voting early allows you to vote on a day and at a time most convenient for you. Plus, it eliminates any election day drama that could possibly stop you from voting (i.e. car trouble, medical emergency, etc.). With early voting, you can also avoid long lines and long wait times.
WORK OUT TRANSPORTATION
One of the most important elements to getting to the polls is literally getting to the polls. Map out your transportation plan ahead of time, just like you’d do if you were planning an important trip. For those important trips, you book your transportation in advance, research the route, and check and recheck everything you need to make sure your transportation seat is reserved. Let’s put that same energy into locking down our election transportation plans.
CHECK ON YOUR PEOPLE
Make sure your friends and family have a voting plan. Talk about it with your voting-age children, parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, etc. By doing so, you can find out who needs help where. Maybe your friends need help researching candidates. Maybe you are having transportation issues and can work out a ride with a sibling or co-worker if the plan is to go vote during the workday. One of the most impactful election days Blackfolk had (2008) happened because we took a community/village approach to the election. We need that approach (and more) for Election 2024.
