There are a lot of decisions to be made during the holidays. Stuffing or rice? Turkey or ham? Who can we re-gift this fruit cake to? Are we seriously going to let Dad keep his drivers license, after he’s taken out 5 of the 6 mailboxes on the block this year? Is it time to put mom in a home and will she be able to make banana pudding from there?
Sure these are the important things for a family to vote on and no registration needed, in fact even Tonya’s 2nd husband seems to get a vote and he isn’t really even family.
But once all that has taken place and everyone is sitting around a bit drowsy with their pants unbuttoned (or off) and they are a bit mellow and maybe slightly off guard, that’s the time to talk to them about voting.
Ask them the big question...Are you registered to vote? Don’t assume they are. You know what they say about assume — it makes an ass of u and me. So go ahead and ask. Make sure they understand the importance of voting. Do try to use some better arguments than my mom though, I never did believe that there were starving children in China who would love to have my vote. I remember flippantly saying that those poor kids could have my liver dressing vote, go ahead and mail it to them.
Speaking of mail you can get voter registration forms at the Post Office. Check through our diary stream for info on voter registration and some very compelling reasons to vote.
Make sure everyone can meet whatever new requirements are needed to vote — photo id, reciting the constitution backwards etc.
If you have 17 year olds who will be 18 by the time voting rolls around, make sure they’re registered to vote. And you know what? Get Tonya’s 2nd husband to register to, even if he is an asshat. Tonya likes him and that should be good enough for all of us.
DK Fans of 90 for 90
Voter registration and getting out the vote (GOTV) are critical to positive change in legislative bodies, from the very local level to the national level. Dr. Fergie Reid, Jr., and Brenda Hill started a movement in Virginia called 90 for 90, in honor of and inspired by Dr. Fergie Reid, Sr., who was the first black person elected to the Virginia legislature since Reconstruction, who served there for many years with distinction, and who recently turned 90 years of age. The idea is to register ninety new voters in every precinct of Virginia, over a quarter million in all. The idea has caught fire and is inspiring similar efforts in other States. This group is a place to post diaries on voter registration, GOTV, candidates, and ways to inspire greater participation in the political process everywhere.
