Hey Omaha, are you ready to take action? We’re talking about voting.
I had the fortunate opportunity of working as an intern at the Douglas County Election Commission during a few different election cycles during college.
The experience reinforced the power we all hold with our votes.
Elections are a chance for us to make our voices heard. And trust me when I say that I saw first hand how every single vote is counted—and how much each one matters.
We aren’t talking about certain candidates or political parties, but we did want to use our platform to emphasize the importance of the act of voting itself.
Maybe you’ve been negatively impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic—whether that’s economically or with your health. And as we all try to navigate the conversations and actions surrounding racial inequity issues, YOUR voice matters so much right now.
ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3
Here are a few steps you can do between now and then to prepare.
Ensure you are REGISTERED to vote. And that your mailing address is current. There’s a statewide website to check this. It’s the easiest thing you’ll do today!
If you find you’re not properly registered, go to the Nebraska Secretary of State website where you can find more info and get registered. Do this ASAP. And, ask your family and friends in person or digitally—are they registered? Maybe you can simply share the website on your social media feed to encourage others to do their due diligence.
Because in addition to all of the other adjectives we may have for 2020, it’s a very important year.
If you live in either Douglas or Sarpy Counties and registered, you probably already got your early voting ballot application postcard. If and when you do receive an early ballot, fill it out right away and put it in a secure dropbox for your respective county.
If you want to wait and vote in person, make sure you know where your polling place is. Did you also know that you can vote early in-person at your county election office 30 days ahead of time in a general election?
What about ways to educate yourself?
Vote411.org is one non-partisan and really practical source of information to educate yourself. You can search by state, candidates, or issues so that before you see your ballot, you know who and what will be there.
It is easy to forget, but it’s not just a presidential election here. Our ballots will contain so many other races and issues that will impact us on a hyper-local level.
If you have certain leans because of your faith, age, race, or another orientation, you may want to examine the issues through those lenses to see which candidates are most favorable to what’s most important to your family.
Last tip: Here’s a friendly reminder that it’s also okay to leave the little bubbles on certain races or issues BLANK on your ballot if you don’t feel very educated or passionate about an issue. It’s best to do your research, but please know that you need not fully complete your ballot for it to be counted. Because also remember, every single vote counts.
