There is A LOT going on right now that has many of us angry, depressed and dare I say despairing over what to do. If you are crying out – MAKE IT STOP – this post is just for you! I write today to say, don’t despair, PREPARE! There are 302 days to get our stuff together and get the government that we deserve.

Days Until Mid-Term Elections

We need a government that works better for us, our families, our communities and our nation. The ONLY way to make sure we get a government that works for us is to have people in office who represent our views and are concerned about our needs. If you are despairing and angry because the government is not working for you and your family and community, then read on and follow WE CAN on Twitter and Like Us on Facebook to stay in the loop and position yourself to take action!

We must come to grips with the fact that millions of Americans just don’t think voting is important. We have lived through the first year of a new administration and every day we see new evidence that elections matter. Federal tax policy that threatens to decrease our take-home pay, school board elections that affect things like access to heat and air conditioning in local schools (Baltimore is struggling with this right now), state decision-making regarding how to deal with mass incarceration, are just some of the reasons we need to vote. The stakes are too high for voting not to be a priority for all of us.

The first step seems easy enough, but for many reasons, millions haven’t done it. What is this easy step one? Register to vote.

 

Let’s look at the facts:

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 70% of adults 18 and over, or 157,596,000 persons, are registered to vote in the United States. This sounds impressive until you hear that another 32,622,000 adults are eligible, but not registered to vote. That means nearly 15% of the adult population in the U.S. simply pass on exercising one of the most fundamental rights of our democracy-voting.

Another 33,841,000 couldn’t even be bothered to complete this question on the Census form, so we don’t really know why they aren’t registered. But when you add this 15% who didn’t answer the question to the 15% that aren’t registered, that totals a whopping 1/3^rd of adults in the United States of America who are NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE.

Recent Pew Charitable Trusts research reveals that most common reasons folks don’t vote are because they don’t want to vote, haven’t gotten around to it or none of the candidates inspire them enough to register.

 

Look at how many people who are never asked to register.

 

Sisters, I know women of color, especially Black women, register to vote and turn out to vote in elections more than any other racial/ethnic group—even more than white males, but we must use our influence to get everyone in our circles prepared to vote on November 6^th!

On this Mobilize Monday here are the three things WE CAN wants you to do.

1. Check your voter registration status. If you have moved, changed your name or made any change since you voted last, you must record that change with the Secretary of State in your state. Complete the form below to check your status TODAY and fix any errors in your registration.

 

2. Make sure every adult in your household is registered to vote. Have a high school senior turning 18 in time to vote this year? Congratulations! Before you send them off to prom, make sure they are registered to vote using the form below! If your boo has been dragging his or her feet and is not registered to vote, that’s right, use the form below and get him or her registered.

 

3. Put important election dates on your calendar. I know you are busy, so why leave anything to chance? If you can’t remember anything until you get an outlook calendar alert, put the important dates in Outlook with a reminder! Living the planner life? Put the important dates in your Happy or Passion Planner, bullet journal or Filofax using one of the cute election day stickers, so you don’t forget! Don’t be a day late and miss the opportunity to vote early or on election day.

 

Stay tuned for more on how to prepare when next week WE CAN will talk about which offices are up for election and how they affect your daily life.

Yours in the struggle,

Stephanie

WE CAN Founder and President