If there’s one thing the 2020 election has in spades, it’s choices – and not just the choices between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, and choices up and down the ballot. In a year when our jobs, our families, and every aspect of our lives have felt the impact of a pandemic, there are lots of ways to make your voice heard at the polls.
Some folks will go traditional and visit the polls on Election Day. Others will vote at early voting centers in the weeks leading up to the election. Others will vote by mail or drop their ballots in secure drop boxes. With so many options, if you take a moment to plan how you’ll vote, you can make your voice heard at your convenience.
The most important decision this year is to vote, no matter how you go about it. As AFSCME retiree Esther Lumm puts it, “Don’t you dare not vote, because that is your American responsibility.” The Arizonan calls it a “real shame” not to exercise your right to vote given all the sacrifices people have made to acquire it.
This year, Lumm plans to vote by dropping her ballot off at the county elections office, then using the election board’s website to track her vote.
Shirley Jackson, an AFSCME retiree who worked in New York City for 33 years before retiring to her home state of North Carolina, plans to vote early in person. She’s voted by mail in the past, but this year she wants to “pull that lever” for herself. “You can say, ‘I voted, and I know my ballot, my vote counts.’”
Need help while you think through your options? This AFSCME website has tools that can get you started. Need to register to vote or want to double- (or triple-) check your registration? We’ve got you covered. Want to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot? Deadlines are coming up, so now’s the time to get started.
The most important step you can take is to make a plan to vote – and to follow through!
Lumm and Jackson have made their plans to vote – have you?
