Very important elections are coming up this fall. Unfortunately, many states are restricting or putting qualifications on who can vote and it may affect you. These restrictions which are imposed, some say, to prevent fraudulent ballots or to clean up the voting list, are inadvertently impacting older Americans who may not realize they're no longer registered.
If you haven't heard about these new laws in states across the nation you're not alone. Many people take voting for granted and will be caught by surprise this year. A list of states with changed voting laws is available at the Brennen Center For Justice. Maybe you've skipped voting a few times. Your inactivity may have caused your name to be deleted from the list of eligible voters. Perhaps your state issued drivers license or ID card isn't up to date. 34 states now require current photo ID in order to vote. These things didn't matter in the past but this year they may determine whether or not you can cast a ballot.
It's easy to be daunted or discouraged by these new requirements but start today and hopefully you'll have no difficulty voting this fall. Contact your state elections officials (or US State Department if you're traveling) to confirm that you're registered to vote and update your government photo ID to ensure your ease at the polls. Did you know that older generations have specific voting rights protections ? Review your rights and research your candidates. We're older, yes, and we're also wiser and our voices need to be heard in the coming election!
