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 here.
Alaska
Oct. 19- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Arizona
Oct. 7- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Arkansas
Oct. 19- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
California
Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Colorado
All mail-in voting | Learn more here.
Connecticut
Does not have early voting | Learn more here.
Delaware
Does not have early voting | Learn more here.
District of Columbia
Contact your local election board | Learn more here.
Florida
Oct. 19- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Georgia
Oct. 12- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Hawaii
All mail-in voting | Learn more here.
Idaho
Oct. 19- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Illinois
Sept. 24- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Indiana
Oct. 6- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Iowa
Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Kansas
Oct. 14- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Kentucky
Oct. 13- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Louisiana
Oct. 16- Oct. 27, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Maine
Oct. 5- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Maryland
Oct. 26- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Massachusetts
Oct. 17- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Michigan
Sept. 24- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Minnesota
Sept. 18- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Mississippi
Does not have early voting | Learn more here.
Missouri
Does not have early voting | Learn more here.
Montana
Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Nebraska
Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Nevada
Oct. 17- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
New Hampshire
Does not have early voting | Learn more here.
New Jersey
Sept. 19- Nov. 2, all active voters will be mailed a ballot | Learn more here.
New Mexico
Oct. 6- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
New York
Oct. 24- Nov. 1, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
North Carolina
Oct. 15- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
North Dakota
Oct. 19- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Ohio
Oct. 6- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Oklahoma
Oct. 29- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Oregon
All mail-in voting | Learn more here.
Pennsylvania
Sept. 14- Oct. 27, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Rhode Island
Oct. 14- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
South Carolina
Oct. 5- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
South Dakota
Sept. 18- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Tennessee
Oct. 14- Oct. 29, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Texas
Oct. 13- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Utah
Oct. 20- Oct. 30, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Vermont
Sept. 21- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Virginia
Sept. 18- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Washington
Oct. 16- Nov. 3, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
West Virginia
Oct. 21- Oct. 31, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Wisconsin
Oct. 20- Nov. 1, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Wyoming
Sept. 18- Nov. 2, dates and times vary by county | Learn more here.
Photo by cottonbro
