Plan your vote for an important election

Sullivan's Salvos

By Rod Sullivan
Posted 9/30/20

A lot of people are going to spend a lot of time telling you the 2020 election is the most important in our history. Obviously, the only way we will know for sure is with the gift of hindsight. But …

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Plan your vote for an important election

Sullivan's Salvos

Posted

A lot of people are going to spend a lot of time telling you the 2020 election is the most important in our history. Obviously, the only way we will know for sure is with the gift of hindsight. But my guess is that the 2020 election will not be in the top five most consequential US elections.

Don’t get me wrong; it is important! Life-and-death important for many people. And it is likely the most important US election since 1940, when the vast majority of Americans were not even born.

But consider some of these elections when you think about “most important in our history”:

1940: With WWII raging, the US is split as to whether we should get involved. FDR becomes the first (and only) President elected to more than two terms and sets about preparing for war — which comes to him on Dec. 7, 1941. It is entirely possible that if FDR does not seek a third term here, the course of human history is changed forever. And not for the better.

1932: With the Great Depression raging, FDR is elected for the first time. They develop what we have come to know as the “Social Safety Net”, and about 125 million people slowly go from starvation to sustainability.

1860: The institution of slavery was on the ballot. Lincoln won, the southern states seceded, and the Civil War began.

1800: Almost everything we take for granted as Americans was shaped by this election. Could we have a peaceful transfer of power? Would we follow the Constitution? How do we do elections? What is the role of the Supreme Court? What is the role of state governments? What is the role of the military? The US quadruples in size. Free public education and political parties arrive on the scene.

Yes, the 2020 election is important. Critically important. But the elections listed above were pretty darned important, too.

Plan Your Vote!

We have established the fact that this election is important. So I am going to ask you to do something. Please plan your vote. That might sound silly, but it is actually really important.

Start by deciding on a method. You have three choices: Vote by mail, vote early in person, or go to the polls on Election Day. Obviously, any of these is ok. If you want to do the most you possibly can to help your candidate and to help those running the election, choose one of the two early options.

So, let’s say you want to vote by mail. What do you need to do? Well, you know all those absentee ballot request forms you have been getting? Send one in. You will get a ballot mailed to you that should arrive Oct. 6 or 7.

All you need to do is fill out the ballot, seal it up, and either drop it in the mail or return it to the Auditor’s Office. Hint: Vote as soon as you can! Just in case there is anything wrong with your ballot, the Auditor’s Office will have more time to help you fix any problems.

Let’s say you want to vote early in person. The county will offer drive-thru voting from Oct. 5-Nov. 2 from 8-5 p.m. on weekdays and slightly modified hours on the last two Saturday and Sundays in October.

Decide what date you want to go, and what time of day. Pick a less busy time (think weekday early afternoons) if possible. Again, get it done earlier in the month helps both the campaigns and the Auditor’s Office. And be sure to bring ID!

Finally, Election Day. Research your polling place; they sometimes move. Once you know where you are going, pick a time, and figure out how you are getting there. And be sure to bring ID!

By planning your vote, you can help both the campaigns and the Auditor’s Office.