Paulasword

Voting

10/15/2010

Many of you know that the electoral process is one of my pet projects.  I want to ensure that all eligible Americans are properly registered and would love to see more than 54% turnout to vote. 

So why do citizens not vote?  According to this survey, 23% of unregistered and 28% of infrequent voters are just too busy.  (http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepoliticalsystem/a/whynotvote.htm).  I cannot imagine any excuse for not being part of this process.  To have my say in what the policies and direction my county, my state and my country go is more important than any previous engagement. 

Voting has become so easy and convenient with early voting and absentee ballots, there should be no excuse.  GOTV or Get Out The Vote, is a job that all of us can do to get more people to the polls.  To get out the vote, join up with a group, or encourage your group to make a plan.  This is everything from phoning or door knocking to remind people when voting starts when it ends.  Finding out if they need a ride to the polls and providing rides to people who need it, or providing information on bus schedules or even Taxi numbers.  It is all about providing solutions to get everyone to the polls. 

In order to be really successful YOU must be informed, if you are calling voters to encourage them to get out and vote, you must be prepared to answer any questions or provide resources for the answer.  In addition to providing rides, a voter may need to know where to vote.  They may be intimidated by the process and scared they won’t know how to vote.  You can let them know, the process is clearly posted, and there are people that will walk them through the process.  They may need to know if they are eligible, you should be able to provide information on phone numbers of the Election Commission, or inform the voter of the provisional ballot process.  You must know the Voting Schedule, which can be acquired from your local Election Commission.  Our Putnam County information can be found at http://www.putnamcountytn.gov/index.php?p=departments&s=electioncomm#Early Voting.

GOTV is a great way to introduce your County Party, Tea Party or other groups to potential members, when you call on voters, identify your group and let them know you are providing this service as part of your group’s commitment to the process.  If there is someone that is interested in finding out more about your group, it is a great opportunity to give out information. 

Vote!  Every American should use their God given freedoms and take part in this process.  This is your voice in what happens in our Communities and our Country.  If you don’t vote, don’t complain!  If you don’t raise your voice before the issue, you can’t say anything about what happens, by not voting you have given your voice to someone who does vote!

Get involved in the process, learn to hold voter registration drives, GOTV and sign up to be a poll worker or watcher with the local County Election Commission.

I have been holding Voter Registration drives across Tennessee and have given seminars on Voter Registration and Voter Fraud, I now am going to be certified as a trainer and will be doing more training through Smart Girl Politics and partner organizations.  I use my registration tables to educate voters on important issues and give them resources to become educated voters.  Only 54 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots; “America ranks 35th in voter turnout out of the world's prominent democracies” according to http://life.familyeducation.com/elections/politics-us/36258.html  We can and we must do better.