Today is primary day here in the Evergreen State! To all my Washington friends, don’t forget to drop off your ballots. It’s also primary day in Arizona, Michigan, Kansas, and Missouri too.
If you’ll allow me a moment on my soapbox. Primary elections and local elections aren’t sexy. They don’t often get a ton of attention and hype but they have the most sway over your day to day life. Local elections influence your neighborhood schools, the taxes you pay, the public transit in your city. Local elections are a much bigger deal considering the attention they get most of the time.
Also if you are a US citizen and over 18, you should be a voter. I don’t really care who or what you vote for but rather that you just do it. Of course, I have political preferences and opinions but if you aren’t voting, let’s just start there. You can register to vote here if haven’t yet.
If you’re already registered to vote, do you have a voting plan for your primary? Jess Keys wrote a post all about how you can make a voting plan here. She includes how to find your primary date, your neighborhood polling place, what to bring, and even how to ask for time off from work to go vote. It’s a great place to start.
Here in Washington, we vote entirely by mail and I can’t tell you how great it is! Your ballot is mailed to you well in advance (ours arrived mid-July) along with a voters pamphlet with all the issues and candidates detailed inside. All you do is fill out your ballot, sign it, and stick it back in your mailbox (no postage required) or into an official ballot dropbox. It really takes a lot of the complexity out of voting.
So if you are in Arizona, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri, or Washington get out and be a voter today!
xo – Ana Luiza
