The sentiment “It’s your civic duty to vote,” is a phrase we often hear around election season. It’s tossed around so casually that we become desensitized to the words and their meaning. But why is it so important to vote?
Voting is one of the most hard-earned rights that our predecessors aimed to achieve. It might feel like your vote doesn’t count or your opinion doesn’t matter, but there have been numerous elections that were extremely close calls. Additionally, lower voter turnout means that your vote actually might count even more. But simply not voting is a threat to democracy and a direct contradiction of what so many people have worked so hard to accomplish.
In a time where media misinformation is seemingly rampant, it can be difficult to discern the truth. Listed below are three non-partisan resources that can help you get to know our candidates better.
Vote 411 was created by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and provides resources on state and local candidates in their voter guides.
FactCheck is a great place to look for information on candidates in the upcoming election. This site also fact checks recent news stories, as well as presidential debates. It is a non-partisan website created by a project from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Council on Foreign Relations is a non-partisan think tank that serves to provide accurate information on foreign policy issues around the world. It aims to educate US citizens on different issues such as politics, government, and the environment.
Know the facts, determine what is most important to you, and make your voice be heard. Below are dates for early voting in each state. Find your state’s voter information site and learn about voter registration, absentee ballots, and mail-in voting.
Alabama – No early voting | Learn more.
Alaska – Oct. 19- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Arizona – Oct. 7- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Arkansas – Oct. 19- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
California – Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Colorado – All mail-in voting | Learn more.
Connecticut – Does not have early voting | Learn more.
Delaware – Does not have early voting | Learn more.
District of Columbia – Contact your local election board | Learn more.
Florida – Oct. 19- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Georgia – Oct. 12- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Hawaii – All mail-in voting | Learn more.
Idaho – Oct. 19- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Illinois – Sept. 24- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Indiana – Oct. 6- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Iowa – Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Kansas – Oct. 14- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Kentucky – Oct. 13- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Louisiana – Oct. 16- Oct. 27, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Maine – Oct. 5- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Maryland – Oct. 26- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Massachusetts – Oct. 17- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Michigan – Sept. 24- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Minnesota – Sept. 18- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Mississippi – Does not have early voting | Learn more.
Missouri – Does not have early voting | Learn more.
Montana – Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Nebraska – Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Nevada – Oct. 17- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
New Hampshire – Does not have early voting | Learn more.
New Jersey – Sept. 19- Nov. 2, all active voters will be mailed a ballot | Learn more.
New Mexico – Oct. 6- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
New York – Oct. 24- Nov. 1, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
North Carolina – Oct. 15- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
North Dakota – Oct. 19- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Ohio – Oct. 6- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Oklahoma – Oct. 29- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Oregon – All mail-in voting | Learn more.
Pennsylvania – Sept. 14- Oct. 27, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Rhode Island – Oct. 14- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
South Carolina – Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
South Dakota – Sept. 18- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Tennessee – Oct. 14- Oct. 29, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Texas – Oct. 13- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Utah – Oct. 20- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Vermont – Sept. 21- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Virginia – Sept. 18- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Washington – Oct. 16- Nov. 3, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
West Virginia – Oct. 21- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Wisconsin – Oct. 20- Nov. 1, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.
Wyoming – Sept. 18- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more.