A friend got the postcard earlier this month. You ever get one?
They’re usually small and unassuming. They come from your registrar of voters or your secretary of state. They have your name and address and your voter registration info (ward, precinct, county, however your state narrows it down). There’s also a note somewhere on it that you need to confirm this information and return the card. Cards usually go out to voters who haven’t gone to the polls for an election or more, but sometimes states send them out because the governor or secretary of state or legislature thinks they should.
Should you receive a card and forget to return it (or misread it, or be out of town and not get your mail, or...), you will have a very unpleasant surprise on Election Day when you show up at your polling place. Trust me, I speak from experience.
Postcard purges are only one way Republicans are scrambling to limit the franchise this year, continuing a trend that has seen 19 million voters removed from the rolls between 2020 and 2022. New barriers to voting will appear in 21 states just this year.
Most insidious, purged voters often don’t know they’re off the rolls until it’s too late.
This year, I advise all Democratic voters to check your registration status regularly, at least every month.
It’s not hard. If you don’t know the web address of your state’s voter portal, Vote.org has a tool that can check your status, wherever you are.
Make this simple task part of your first-of-the-month routine and encourage others to do so as well.
The vote you save could be your own.
