This article originally appeared on TheHumanist.com
By Isabella Russian
The American Humanist Association (AHA) is excited to announce multiple separate and nonpartisan efforts that you can directly get involved in related to voting and voter registration. We’re proud to partner with organizations that have pulled together voting resources and mobilized people passionate about getting people to the polls. With elections coming up soon, now is the time to take steps that ensure voter turnout.
Voting, as well as helping register others to vote, is an integral part of our democracy and a critical way to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table; however, we need to do more than just vote. Making voting easier and more accessible to others is the first big step towards building the world you would like to see. Take the lead: help inform your community about the importance of registering and voting, and spur them into civic engagement. You can get involved in any or all of the following opportunities.
Action 1: Sign—and widely share with your family, friends, and networks—the Civic Center’s Youth Voting Rights Act petition. The Youth Voting Rights Act (S.4500 and H.R.8341) would expand youth access to voting by uplifting university voter registration opportunities, requiring states to allow preregistration for those sixteen-years of age, codifying the right to vote from a college campus, and establishing grant programs for youth election participation, among other changes. Signing this petition informs your elected officials in Congress that you support this legislation and want to see it become law.
Action 2: Host—or help encourage the creation of—a nonpartisan High School Voter Registration Drive at your local high school as part of the Civic Center’s High School Voter Registration Week, September 19th–23rd. The project encourages students to host their own voter registration drives. This is a great opportunity to educate young people about voting and get them involved in important civic processes in their communities.
• Step 1: Are you a student or educator? Sign up for a virtual High School Voter Registration Workshop to learn how to run a drive. Not a student or educator, but want to get involved and encourage the creation of drives? Sign up for the virtual Volunteer workshops. Both of these Zoom workshops can be found here, in the calendar under “Train Up”. Multiple trainings are provided for each workshop, so you can choose a time that works best for you. These meetings will provide all the knowledge and resources you need, and organizers can help answer any questions you may have.
• Step 2: After you’ve trained in the workshop and are ready to move forward with your drive, register your drive on the Civic Center’s website. You’ll receive a ‘Democracy in a Box’ toolkit filled with goodies like stickers, posters, pens, clipboards, and more.
• Step 3: Host your drive, and share it widely on social media using the hashtags #HSVoterRegWeek #HSVRWeek
Action 3: Celebrate Vote Early Day, held this year on October 28th. This is a national, nonpartisan effort encouraging people to vote early and know their voting options. Voting early helps ensure that you have the tools and ability to get your vote counted, and avoid potential barriers to voting, such as long lines at the polls, voter disinformation, and last-minute emergencies.
• Suggestion 1: Check out the Vote Early Day website to learn how and where you can register and vote early. Then encourage your family, friends, and community to do the same!
• Suggestion 2: Sign up to be a Vote Early Day Partner under the pertinent category, and host an event. The organizers of Vote Early Day hold frequent informational Zoom webinars, and have other supports available to help you plan your event.
Voting early, holding voter registration drives, and advocating to strengthen our democracy are all great ways to get involved and stand up for your rights at the polls. In addition to the three actions above, take just a few minutes now to check out the Humanist Action Headquarters to contact your elected officials in Congress and let them know how you feel about passing election and voting reforms. You can also take a peek at some great online voting resources, like Ballotpedia, Vote Smart, and Vote 411.
