It’s 13 days until the U.S. election. There’s a lot at stake, and the results could be close. Voter turnout may make a difference—so it’s none to early to plan out your Election Day and make sure you get to the polls (or vote early if your state allows it). Here are a few tips.
- Look up your polling place, its hours, and what you need to bring. Right now. I’ll wait. Sign up for an e-mail reminder if you would find it helpful.
- Decide what time you will vote on Election Day, preferably well before the polls close. Put it on your calendar or task list. Set a reminder if you use an electronic calendar or list.
- If there’s a chance you won’t be able to go at your preferred time (e.g., if there could be a crisis at work or you might get stuck in traffic), pick a backup time so you won’t have to restrategize at the last minute.
- Ask friends when they plan to vote. Offer to share a ride or walk together if it’s convenient. The motivation of going with someone else may help you both get there.
If you are not yet registered to vote, go do so right here. It’s online and it’s easy. Only a few states are still accepting registrations for this election, however, so check here first.
If you’re planning any special activities while watching the results come in, leave a comment and tell us your plans! I intend to settle in my living room with Rachel Maddow (well, MSNBC, but who are we kidding?), Twitter, and a beer (or scotch, depending on how the early results look).
My workplace and my 5-year-old’s school have the day off (thanks, unions!) so I’ll take him with me to vote in the morning. I usually find that the final results come in too late for me on the East Coast, so I’ll probably force myself to go to bed and wait for the news in the morning. I hope no Scotch will be required then!
This will be the first presidential election in my son’s life that I haven’t brought him to the polls with me. But he’s 15 now, so his perspective has changed from “I want to help Mom do this big important thing” to “I can’t wait until the next election, when I’ll finally be able to cast my own vote.”
I was amused to hear him announce that he didn’t plan to stay up too late on election night watching returns come in, because he has to babysit after-school the next day for our neighbors. Evidently he’d be OK with going to school somewhat sleep-deprived, but doesn’t want to baby-sit on anything less than a full night’s sleep!