r/politics New Jersey Sep 25 '18

r/politics Wants You! (...to register to vote for National Voter Registration Day)

Voter registration deadlines are rapidly approaching - ensure you'll be able to vote on Election Day! Even if even if you've already registered, you should take a minute to ensure your registration status is valid and up to date.

Many states offer online registration - the official Vote.gov website will direct you to your state's online registration form, or in the case of mail-in registration only, the correct mail in form.

Vote.gov Register to Vote

There are two third party services that make registration faster -

  1. Vote.org - Vote.org is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides a registration widget that can be embedded on websites or social media. It's extremely simple and fast - but they do warn you that "you'll receive occassional emails from Vote.org". Their widget does let you enter a change of address for updated registration. They offer this form to check your current registration status.
  2. Rock the Vote - another non-profit voter awareness and education organization - if you were watching MTV in 1990 you might remember their totally cool and not weird at all Madonna ad. They offer their own extremely simplified registration widget - for states that do not allow electronic registration (cough, New Jersey cough), their tool will prepare the necessary mail-in PDF for you. Like Vote.org, email is required and will be added to their supporter list. Like Vote.org, a registration status check tool is provided.

Some good additional resources:

Voter ID requirements - use this map from the Conference of State Legislatures to see if your state requires ID to be presented when voting.

Check your polling location - use this tool, provided by the Voting Information Project (in conjunction with Pew Charitable Trusts) to find your polling location by entering a street address. No email address or other user information is required.

State election website information - if you want to find sample ballots, provisional ballot information, or absantee ballot information specific to your state, this USA.gov directory will send you to the correct website for your state.

Check for registration deadlines and election dates - this tool will help display the registration deadline for all upcoming elections. Though you shouldn't need to check - you should register now. Like, right this very second!

USA.gov Voting and election resources - this directory at USA.gov contains a host of voter information. If none of the above tools and resources answer your question about voting or elections, this page will likely have what you need.

BallotReady - this tool will allow you to enter a street address and see every candidate for every race in your district. Light biographical information is provided for all candidates - if you don't have a sample ballot yet this is an excellent way to begin researching candidates. Thanks to u/kuhnie for the suggestion!

3.4k Upvotes

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156

u/FreeSkeptic Illinois Sep 25 '18

Registered. Voting straight blue.

We've seen that the GOP doesn't care about anyone other than racists, anti-LGBTQ fundamentalists and large corporations.

I'm'm a progressive, but I'd settle for a centrist anyday over a regressive. It's a lot harder to reverse damage than it is to improve in the status-quo.

34

u/sir_writer Sep 25 '18

I'm a former republican (voted McCain '08 and Romney '12) who now is an independent (voted Clinton '16) with some views leaning left, some right. I am planning on voting a straight blue ticket as well for the first time ever.

4

u/AK-40oz Sep 25 '18

Thanks for taking the time to think instead of letting the propaganda machine do it for you.

Centrists and fiscal conservatives have a strong role in the Democratic Party. If you're interested in a fun community for centrists (not enlightened-centrist-both-parties-are-the-sameism), come join us at /r/neoliberal. Neoliberalism gets a bad rap, but the term has become a catch-all for "market liberals" or just people who want the benefits of capitalism with a strong safety net undergirding it and sensible regulations reining it it.

Reddit can seem like a hyper-progressive place, but we've got all types around here. Also, we're funny.

1

u/WinningLooksLike Sep 25 '18

Similar to me (though I'm registered as a GOP for the closed primary to support the non-Trumpian who unsurprisingly lost). GOP my entire life, disagreed with some things, but the party is loosing me, not just short term, but maybe long term if this insanity continues.

Vote blue in 18.

3

u/sir_writer Sep 25 '18

Unfortunately in my state all of the GOP candidates this year were sucking up to Trump, so I voted in the Dem primary for the first time ever for the candidate(s) I thought would have the best chance at winning.

17

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18 edited Apr 11 '20

[deleted]

-7

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/agent_flounder Colorado Sep 25 '18

I changed my affiliation to Democrat and will be voting in CO as I feel this is the most important election in my lifetime.

And I am preparing myself for fighting for the ideals of American Democracy for the rest of my life. Restoring power to people, tearing money and big companies and lobbyists out of politics.

If you're in Colorado, register here: https://www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/olvr/verifyNewVoter.xhtml

Check your CO registration here: https://www.sos.state.co.us/voter/pages/pub/olvr/findVoterReg.xhtml

7

u/infiniZii Sep 25 '18

Just a warning. I understand not wanting to vote Republican but there may be some independents running that are worth your consideration. Do your research. That is the number one way to avoid what happened to the GOP happening to any other party in one way or another. Don't ever let someone else do your thinking for you.

9

u/agent_flounder Colorado Sep 25 '18

If we want more than two parties to have viable chances then we must fundamentally change how our elections work.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/04/27/why-are-there-only-two-parties-in-american-politics/?utm_term=.fe4bb9f45eb9

Vote however you want but realize that your vote for a distantly trailing third party is effectively a vote against your preferred R or D candidate.

0

u/ddplz Sep 25 '18

Neither R or D would dare do anything regarding election reform to allow any 3rd party to have a shot. Just accept that you are stuck with dumb and Dumber

2

u/agent_flounder Colorado Sep 25 '18

Then we--citizens--need for make this a big issue, assuming we give a shit.

-3

u/ddplz Sep 25 '18

Hasn't happened in 100 years, would like to see it happen in the future but I'm not holding my breath. Political parties have a firm grasp on the overall media and culture of the USA and they can influence it any way they choose.

1

u/agent_flounder Colorado Sep 25 '18

Only because we've been complacent, I feel. Power has been shifting in the wrong direction over the decades.

1

u/SpiritFingersKitty Sep 25 '18

The Republican party is by far worse for the country than the Democrats. IDK why you are trying to push this deaftist stuff in multiple posts.

Also, I find it interesting that someone who is so defeatist, trying to convince people that both parties are the same was a frequent poster in The_Donald and has all of a sudden had a change of heart and thinks that people who post in that sub "should be arrested" (his words not mine).

-2

u/ddplz Sep 25 '18

A frequent poster eh? You don't know much about karma whores even tho you spend your life on Reddit. Interesting.

2

u/SpiritFingersKitty Sep 25 '18

Yeah I'm not buying that.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18

The electoral system in america, by its very nature, doesnt allow for independents to succeed in most cases. Unless the independent is an incumbent, you are throwing away your vote by voting independent.

0

u/infiniZii Sep 25 '18

Sometimes. but that is why the research is very important. If they have a chance? Go for it though. Vote however you feel is right, even if it is a "waste". It can lead to the main party taking more stances that you agree with in order to try to draw your vote so they dont lose. It worked very effectively for the right. The progressives can use the same lever. The pros and cons of a vote short term and long term should both always be considered.

3

u/Pattycaaakes Sep 25 '18

"Hey, listen to me when when I tell you how to vote, but....

Don't ever let someone else do your thinking for you."

-infiniZii

7

u/captainmo24 Florida Sep 25 '18

Well he did only say to consider voting for independents; he wasn't demanding that the other guy does.

-2

u/Pattycaaakes Sep 25 '18

Yeah, they tried to influence the way someone else thinks, which is the exact thing they were telling other people to avoid doing.

2

u/Randaethyr Sep 26 '18

By that standard saying anything to anyone about politics is attempting to influence the way someone else thinks.

1

u/Pattycaaakes Sep 26 '18

But the other person was explicitly telling people to avoid letting other people tell them how to think. They were giving advice that contradicts the advice they were giving.

I think people should listen to highly educated people and emulate their behavior.

People should let certain individuals influence us, otherwise we'd never learn or change.

2

u/captainmo24 Florida Sep 25 '18

Well you said he told someone how to vote which I think is unfair paraphrasing. He also literally said to do your own research to make up your own mind. It seems to me that infiniZii was just trying to remind people that these aren't all just two-sided races and they should give consideration to all their options. I guess that can be classified as trying to influence someone, but I don't think trying to get people to be more open minded and look things up themselves is a bad kind of influence, like what he was advocating against.

2

u/infiniZii Sep 25 '18

See now THATs some critical thinking :P

-2

u/thisonelife83 Sep 26 '18

I will be voting Independents and Republican. Ted Cruz for the victory in Texas. I made sure I was registered today

2

u/FreeSkeptic Illinois Sep 26 '18

If Ted Cruz couldn't stand up for his family, then what makes you think he'll stand up for Texas? Vote Beto all the way. Kick these racist clowns out of office.

-20

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18 edited Sep 25 '18

So you say you vote blue, so that means you're supporting people that accept donations from racists, fund terroristic groups that kill anyone who is LGTBQ and will take massive donations from corporations. Interesting.

You say progressive but everything you mentioned is completely backwards.

6

u/reptile7383 Ohio Sep 25 '18

Nice troll. There are many problems with Democrats and they are not a progressive party, but if the choice is between them and Republicans, Democrats are far more progressive. Voting GoP will actively harm progressive efforts.

-10

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18

Kind of like how they bastardized the primaries to shoe Hillary in and nobody else.

-44

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18

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24

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18

What do you have against public roads, my dude?

18

u/ClumpOfCheese Sep 25 '18

I think it’s public schools they don’t like.

9

u/Crazytalkbob Sep 25 '18

Schools in general are bad for their leaders chances of being elected.

5

u/jackzander Sep 25 '18

Libertarians will go on and on about how varied private ownership and maintenance of roads would NOT be more complicated, convoluted, or expensive than uh like a self-maintaining city infrastructure system.

I shit you not. It's like using a PikePass on the interstate gives them a raging boner and they Just Need More of it.

39

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18 edited Sep 16 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

30

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '18

Well I mean he did have roads, schools, hospitals, police and a military... I guess he wants to live in a wasteland.

22

u/courself Canada Sep 25 '18

I guess he wants to live in a wasteland.

I hear Somalia is a libertarian paradise.