Category Archives: Registration

Pollsters will tell you your vote for the President’s office won’t have any effect, unless you live in some obscure county in swing states like Florida or Ohio. Sometimes they even identify the exact neighborhood and tell you these 12 or 13 families on this block in rural Virginia are going to determine who will be the next POTUS! These pollsters give you daily up and down projections based on just 1200 to 1500 people they survey, out of our national population of 328 million. They make you think your vote will be totally ineffective, and lull you into not voting.

But the pollsters are often wrong! There are so many examples of incorrect predictions by pollsters, in major national elections as well as your local community elections. Most notably, in the 2016 presidential election (which was supposed to be “in the bag” for Hillary Clinton) the pollsters were so very confident and totally wrong! So many people did not bother to vote because of the polls, and Hillary lost, and here we are. Ignore the pollsters and go vote!

This year in particular, we as citizens need to shout out our preferences! It’s no longer enough to have a majority, we must win by a huge landslide. This November, each of us must vote and send a clear and unequivocal message to the leaders we elect, whether for President or Senators or local city council, on how we want our country and community to be run.

If you go cast your vote, you can overcome even the most dire projections of the pollsters. Even when your candidate or issue is likely to lose, it is important to make your voice heard. It is important to vote, win or lose. Go vote this November!

A short list to help you vote and get involved.

(I will update this list periodically, as I find new and helpful tools.)

Vote.org

A website to check your voter registration, and help you register to vote in all 50 states

This is a great not-for-profit website that can help you check whether your voter registration is current, no matter which state or territory you live in. This site can also help you register to vote where you live, and send you reminders.

VoteWithMe

An App to help you learn who voted and who is registered

A delightful free app for your smartphone to help you learn the voting history and registration of each person on your phone contact list. VoteWithMe wont tell you who they voted for, as that’s private information, but it can tell you all public information about your contacts, such as their state and district of registration, their voting history in past elections, and their party affiliation if they declared it.

VoteWithMe will help you send individual texts to each contact to remind them to vote, and even ask them to get the word out. Texts are individualized for different types of contacts.

Remember, there is a great deal of research that the most effective way to get a person to vote is through his/her friends or family. A personal text from you to a friend is twenty times (yes, folks, 20X) more likely to influence, rather than a TV advertisement or social media post.

Sample Email

Folks, this sample email is from the League of Women Voters, a very important non-partisan organization that is 100 years old this year. They believe in getting out the vote. Visit their website www.LWV.org for more info.

From: You

To: Everyone on your email contact list

Subject: Important Information before you Vote

(best if sent personally and/or in a mail merge with at least the first name of the recipient customized). 

Hi [NAME],

Election Day is almost here! Are you ready to vote?

I am reaching out to share some important tips for Election Day.

This election is important, and it is your chance to take control for your community and weigh in on the issues that matter most to you and your family. As voters, we all have an equal say in determining our future. That’s why it is so important to go cast a vote!

Here are a few important tips:

• Please visit www.VOTE411.org and enter your address to find helpful information about voting in our community, including candidate information
• On Election Day, polling places are open in from XX am to XX pm.
• [IF required in your state ]At the polls, you’ll be required to show [an ID/utility bill/etc. ].

The leaders we elect will make decisions that affect your everyday life — your job, health care, energy costs, the economy and more. So don’t sit this one out — join your friends and neighbors and make it count on [Election Date]!

If I can help answer any questions you have about the election process, please feel free to email or call me at [123-456-7890]

Thank you for voting!

YOUR NAME

Sample Texts

Folks, these texts are very similar to the ones on VoteWithMe, a wonderful free app for your smartphone that can tell you the voting history of everyone on your contact list. I suggest you download the app, and they can guide you better on which text to use and the best time to send, etc.

Friends and Family

Hi Tom or Francesca, Just reminding people about the elections coming up. Are you planning to vote?

Strong Voter

Hola Jose or Linda, I know you are going to vote, but what about your friends and family? We need to get them to the polls too. Be sure to remind them.

Professional contact

Hello Dick or Sarah, I have taken on the challenge of reminding my network to vote.

Havent talked in a while

Hey Abdul or Kate, Its been a while! I’ve been reminding folks about the election coming up and thought I’d reach out. You gonna vote?

League of Women Voters

This venerable organization is 100 years old and has its roots in the women’s suffrage movement. LWV is a nonpartisan, activist, grassroots organization that believes voters should play a critical role in democracy. They believe in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy.

Remember the 19th amendment, ratified only 100 years ago on August 18, 1920: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” The result of sacrifice and hard work by many women from all walks of life.

I came to USA as a student in 1970 and became a naturalized citizen in 1986. One of my clearest memories of the process of becoming a US citizen is during the citizenship interview, the immigration officer asking me “Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?” I had memorized names of Senators and Presidents and even Representatives, but never thought of the equally important third branch of our government. I answered “uh … Warren..?” and hesitated…. Should I say Earl (for Earl Warren) or Burger (for Warren Burger)? Fortunately, I picked the right one! 

I did not know much about American politics for many years, and very little about American history. Arriving here in the 70’s during the height of the Vietnam war, and seeing student riots on my campus, and then going through Watergate in my first few years in this country, you would think I should have known better, but I was not very political. I did not even bother to vote for many of my early years as a citizen. Like many first-generation immigrants, I was focused on the economic betterment of my family, to the neglect of civic duty, politics and many other aspects of life. I did well economically in this land of opportunity, but I now realize besides building a family and wealth, it’s important to speak up for what I believe in… it’s important to vote. 

Over time, I have learned the importance of making my voice heard, even if it is in the minority, and this blog is one small way to make up for lost time. There is no single seminal moment that caused this change in me, but a series of big and small events and experiences have made me realize the importance of voting. Perhaps the biggest realization came with the election of Mr. George W. Bush, who won the Presidency by the slimmest of margins. Local politics were revealed when I helped canvass votes for a neighbor running for city council, and did a fundraiser for my local congressman. And another big wakeup call was when my 8-year-old daughter wrote to President Clinton to stop the bombing in Iraq in February 1998.

Most of us are immigrants, whether 1^st or 2^nd or nth generation, and we all came to USA to find a better life. Some of us came for economic betterment, others for freedom of expression, still others to escape political repression. As citizens of USA, whether we were born here or naturalized, it’s up to us to help make the best of our great country. The most effective way we can do that is by choosing the best people to lead our country, whether that be for President, or the leaders in our local city council, and the way to choose is to vote!