It’s public service announcement time here at Art for Art’s Sake Press. We want everyone to exercise their right to vote. To do that, we’ll add special posts to give readers a heads-up on when their states open the window for early or absentee voting.
So first out of the gate, if you are in Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, Vermont or Illinois, pay attention! Below is a table with your options for early voting for the fortnight commencing Monday, September 14, 2020.
Watch out for tricks and stumbling blocks in the process. Your state may require you to apply for early voting privileges. It may give you a very short window before that early voting day. If you request an absentee ballot, you may have to also return it in a very short window of time. Decide not to vote early or absentee after requesting permission to do so, and you could face hassles at your polling station on actual election day.
Read the fine print at the links below.
| Sept. 18 | Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming |
| Sept. 19 | New Jersey and Virginia |
| Sept. 21 | Michigan and Vermont |
| Sept. 24 | Illinois |
These links come from a calendar of early voting access, state by state, published by The New York Times. For which a huge thank you! There’s also information about mail-ballots in NPR’s article Mail-in Voting Rules by State.
What else can you do? In addition to voting yourself, see if you can help someone else vote — maybe by driving them to the polling station (wear your masks!). Offer to help register under-represented citizens. Volunteer to be a poll worker if you’re young and healthy enough to do so. Join a campaign in your state for permanent mail-ballot voting, as we do here in Washington, or perhaps making Election Day a national holiday.
This week’s Vote Now photographs…
Top: Badlands National Park, near Wall, South Dakota
Bottom: Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk and amusement park, New Jersey
Both: L. J. Cameron