Fierce Planet

Listen to Stacey Abrams:

As I write this, there are barely 50 days until Nov. 3. Now is the time to figure out how to vote in your state, and what your best and easiest voting options are. It’s time to make your plan to vote.

First, register if you haven’t yet! And even if you believe you’re registered, check to see that you still are. Many states have been purging voters through questionable means and that could be you.

Then check your state regulations to see if you can vote by mail or otherwise vote early. You may need to request a ballot and that can take time to reach you. Voting early means your vote is safely received before election day and can be counted promptly. If you want to be sure your early vote gets counted, check for drop boxes or state offices where you can deposit your ballot directly.

And if you’re going to vote on election day, make sure you know where you can legally vote. Again, many states have closed or changed polling locations this year and you don’t want to waste time running around on the day itself!

If you aren’t sure about the laws in your state or where to find information, here are some sites that can help:

From the DNC, I Will Vote can help you register or check your registration.

From NBC News, Plan Your Vote helps you find the best ways to vote in your state.

The news site Slate offers a 2020 Voting Guide.

The Washington Post has a 2020 Voting Guide too.

You can do it all at once via the Voter Participation Center or through their partner, the Center for Voter Information.

Want to do more? If you have some time and energy, you can do extra volunteer work. Here are some resources to get you started.

You can compile “Get Out the Vote” letters to targeted districts with Vote Forward.

Write or call voters, get tips and training at The Last Weekends.

Good handwriting skills will help you send Postcards to Voters, again to targeted districts.

For activities focused on Senate races, check in with How We Flip the Senate.

Like to text? Volunteer with the Texting Troops at Open Progress. Texting provides direct voter to voter contact.

Available on election day? Sign up to make sure every voter gets a chance to vote and every vote is counted, with Protect the Vote.

Help with the election and get paid for your work! This year in particular, because of the pandemic, many states are having a hard time finding poll workers. Find out more at Power the Polls.

Extra credit for those of us who are complete election junkies: follow along with Daniel Nichanian’s site (he’s Taniel on DailyKos), What’s on the ballot?, as he tracks hundreds of down-ballot state and local elections and referendums. The DailyKos Elections Team also publishes election information regularly.

The time is now. We have to get it done this year. This is the election of our lifetime. Please do your share.