Hi, there!
I'm Erin, the Weekly Digest - and if you choose to volunteer - Volunteer Coordinator here at RESCQU.NET!
In lieu of a regular blog post this week, I feel like it’s important we discuss something that is happening at the beginning of next month: voting.
These days, everyone is talking about voting as "why you should vote." The language of “motivation” going around seems to assume that people don’t vote because they're lazy or they don’t care.
What about those of us who find voting extremely difficult for other reasons?
I'm Erin, the Weekly Digest - and if you choose to volunteer - Volunteer Coordinator here at RESCQU.NET!
In lieu of a regular blog post this week, I feel like it’s important we discuss something that is happening at the beginning of next month: voting.
These days, everyone is talking about voting as "why you should vote." The language of “motivation” going around seems to assume that people don’t vote because they're lazy or they don’t care.
What about those of us who find voting extremely difficult for other reasons?
I have anxiety. Really bad anxiety. Especially in highly charged crowds.
So, the polls seem VERY scary to me.
It’s so much more than just getting off of the couch and waiting in line to me. The idea alone nauseates me and makes my muscles twitch.
There are millions of other reasons one may not be willing or able to vote from anxiety to active voter suppression. If you’re closeted or have any reason whatsoever that you are afraid or hesitant to vote, we want you to know that that feeling is valid, but workarounds have to be found.
But I am lucky enough to live in a state that allows me to mail in my ballot every year. Not everyone has that resource, and if they do, they're often not aware it exists.
This blog provides you the resources needed to work around your hurdles & cast that vote!
So, the polls seem VERY scary to me.
It’s so much more than just getting off of the couch and waiting in line to me. The idea alone nauseates me and makes my muscles twitch.
There are millions of other reasons one may not be willing or able to vote from anxiety to active voter suppression. If you’re closeted or have any reason whatsoever that you are afraid or hesitant to vote, we want you to know that that feeling is valid, but workarounds have to be found.
But I am lucky enough to live in a state that allows me to mail in my ballot every year. Not everyone has that resource, and if they do, they're often not aware it exists.
This blog provides you the resources needed to work around your hurdles & cast that vote!
How to vote in Every State, and Whether You Can Mail it in!
This below state voting database includes 3 pieces of information for each state:
- The link to the state's voting page to receive information for and register to vote!
- Can you vote by mail?
- Can you vote online?
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I sincerely hope that the chart above offers you some voting assistance, but if you need more, we've also embedded a very helpful channel from the VlogBrothers and DFTBA about how to vote in each state. You'll need to go to the youtube channel to find your state.
If you're in a state that does not allow for mail-in or online voting, you will have to report to your designated location. While that is a significant hurdle though, we have a few more options for you as well. |
Go to this channel and find your state!
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Do you Work on Voting Day?
Though I'd mentioned anxiety as a hurdle of mine, it's certainly not the only or most prominent hurdle.
Many people work on election day and cannot take time off due to financial restraints.
If this applies to you, you can visit Vote411.org and enter your address to see if your employer is legally required to give you paid time off to vote on election day. Every area varies a little in their terms, so make sure that you're looking at the correct precinct that you’ll be voting in!
Many people work on election day and cannot take time off due to financial restraints.
If this applies to you, you can visit Vote411.org and enter your address to see if your employer is legally required to give you paid time off to vote on election day. Every area varies a little in their terms, so make sure that you're looking at the correct precinct that you’ll be voting in!
How to Fight Voter Suppression
Last, and the certainly scariest of the hurdles, is the blatant voter suppression tactics that are running amok all over the country.
I'm not going to expand on all of them, simply because it is a hot topic right now and there are a lot of people who are saying it better than I can right now. For more information head over to this New York Times article that discusses themost recent tactics in the "age of Trump".
Knowing about these tactics is vital to getting your vote cast, but if you find yourself oppressed, you find people telling you your vote doesn't matter, or you are physically barred from voting, here's the number 1 thing you can get that will fight this:
I'm not going to expand on all of them, simply because it is a hot topic right now and there are a lot of people who are saying it better than I can right now. For more information head over to this New York Times article that discusses themost recent tactics in the "age of Trump".
Knowing about these tactics is vital to getting your vote cast, but if you find yourself oppressed, you find people telling you your vote doesn't matter, or you are physically barred from voting, here's the number 1 thing you can get that will fight this:
Know How Your State Provides Voting Information
Every state is required to inform the federal government how they plan to educate their citizens on the issues most prominently displayed during the voting process.
Some of them are easy, like Colorado which provides a "bluebook" or voter information ballot mailed to every home and provided online.
Other states put it in harder to reach spots, but they can ALL be found on the federal registry.
Some of them are easy, like Colorado which provides a "bluebook" or voter information ballot mailed to every home and provided online.
Other states put it in harder to reach spots, but they can ALL be found on the federal registry.
- Go to to this link at the state legislator's site.
- Scroll down to your state and check the section it's in.
- and it tells you where the state must have the information.
- then search google for "[state] [voter information source]"
- and it will be within the first 5 links!
Know What's on Your Ballot, Well Before You Vote
We're also going to leave one last tool for your toolbox to make sure you can get around any hurdle you have to voting. The internet.
More spectifically, the internet has deemed your vote important, so they've created a wikipedia specifically for your local, state, and federal elections over at Ballotpedia.org.
This site has literally everything you need ot know about the candidates, policies and more. all you have to do is navigate to the local page you're interested in, hit search, and read!
https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page
More spectifically, the internet has deemed your vote important, so they've created a wikipedia specifically for your local, state, and federal elections over at Ballotpedia.org.
This site has literally everything you need ot know about the candidates, policies and more. all you have to do is navigate to the local page you're interested in, hit search, and read!
https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page
About Erin Tschudi
Erin is the volunteer with the largest tenure here at RESCQU.NET because it allows her to keep connected with the LGBT+ community. As a bi woman who is soon to be getting married to her future husband she feels deeply for the community and wants to keep that connection. So she works to train our volunteers, welcome our new community members, and keep the wheels turning.
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