Hey, I figure that service members and vets risk their lives for us, and to thank 'em, the least we can do is register to vote and then actually vote. It's patriotic, and it shouldn't be hard for eligible voters to do.
As I've said before, anytime there's upcoming elections, we've all gotta be aware of our rights. There are some bad actors trying to stop people from voting, but there's definitely some encouraging stuff going on. And we've got the infographic to prove it.
Here's the deal: my team and I polled 1,006 Americans over the age of 18 about their perception of voting in this country. The consensus was that we should be doing better.
Some politicians have tried to manipulate voting laws for their benefit, that's not right. This is a nonpartisan issue. And a pretty timely one, too. Just the other day, lots of voters in Arizona faced voter suppression, and there's a WhiteHouse.gov petition to have the Obama Administration investigate all the folks who were turned away or given provisional ballots. Another example of how this is a nonpartisan issue, unfortunately, here and here.
To help encourage more legislation that supports free, fair, and accessible to all eligible Americans, we've released the results of the voting poll in the form of an infographic, with the help of the Brennan Center.
- 6x more Hispanic than White voters report a 30+ minute wait time to cast their vote.
- 4x more African American than White voters report a 30+ minute wait time to cast their vote.
- 50% of Millennials describe themselves as political independents, and because of this, are unable to vote in a state with closed primaries or caucuses.
- 11 states have closed primaries or caucuses. This means that only voters who are registered as Republicans or Democrats prior to the primary date can participate in the nomination process for their candidates.
- 16 states have voting restrictions in place for the first time in presidential race in 2016.
Example: The only ID issuing office in Sauk City, WI is open from 8:15am - 4pm on the fifth Wednesday of each month. There are only 4 fifth Wednesdays in 2016.
The point is, it's up to all of us to ensure the integrity of our voting process by getting registered, speaking up against voter ID laws and the attack on voting rights, and encouraging everyone to vote, regardless of ethnicity or gender. Register to vote here.
And please take some time to spread the word by sharing this infographic.
(Folks, I also wrote an op-ed about this for the Daily Dot, which you can read here.)