Two big events happen 25 September, and I'd like your help celebrating both.
It's my mom's birthday.
Help her celebrate it by checking out National Voter Registration Day and committing to register and committing to vote. Take a look at their Facebook page, too. And to see what people are already Tweeting about the day, check out #925NVRD.
My deal is that people across the world remind me that the U.S. really is "the shining city on the hill."
I really feel seriously that this is our civic duty, a shared responsibility to our communities and families to vote.
Some politicians have tried to manipulate voting laws for their benefit -- that's not right. We need integrity in our elections and voting that's free, fair and accessible.
If I've ever helped you find a job or a place to live, I don't need or want anything for myself, just please pay it forward this way.
Register to vote, and commit to vote.
I personally recommend choosing the option to vote by mail, which you can do in most states. That's how I've voted for pretty much twenty years, sitting down with some extra info, like what's the deal with city and state propositions.
The easiest way to get this done is to use one of the easy online registration systems, either based on TurboVote (via Voto Latino or Google) or Headcount, or RockTheVote. (The latter is focused on Millennials, and I'm old, really old.)
The TurboVote stuff even includes forms and stamped envelopes, and that costs around a buck.
The Election Protection Hotline, 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683), will be answered live from trained volunteers on National Voter Registration Day from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. Voters can call the hotline to ask questions about voter registration, early voting, requesting an absentee ballot, or any another voting-related question.
Anyway, please help me celebrate mom's birthday, and to stand up for the country, and to stand up against politicians who don't believe in electoral integrity.
More to come ...
(Note to self: call mom, tell her I love her.)