Tuesday, November 2, is Election Day. This time, we’ll be choosing the governor, U.S. Senator, members of the U.S. House, and the Pennsylvania legislature.
Elections are important because government officials – the ones we elect and those they hire – decide how much taxes we pay and how those taxes are spent. They determine whether we go to war, whether to build or repair our roads and bridges, what our schools teach, and what social services to provide, and to whom.
Government decisions favor the rich instead of the poor because rich people vote more than poor people do. People least likely to vote are new voters, people with lower incomes, with disabilities, with criminal records, African-Americans, youth, and women. According to the US Census Bureau, people who earn more than $100,000 per year vote at a rate of nearly three to one over those who earn less than $30,000.
The government social safety net has seriously diminished during the past ten years. Federal government officials have transferred more and more of the human service responsibilities to the states, without the money to pay for them. Family income has decreased, millions of jobs have been lost, and more than 40 million people have no health insurance. As of yesterday, 5,780 Americans, and countless civilians, have died in our two wars.
So, if you don’t like these conditions, you CAN change them. Voting is just the beginning. Be informed about the issues important to you. Contact your elected officials, either on your own or as a group with your friends, neighbors, family, or co-workers. Join an organization that works on things you care about. If there isn’t an organization, start one.
State and federal laws protect your voting rights. You cannot lose your job, or your benefits, or be evicted for voting. People with felony convictions, who are registered, can vote in PA once they are no longer incarcerated. Homeless people who are registered can vote. People with disabilities can get help from the person of their choice in the voting booth. No one can harass or threaten you at the voting station.
If you haven’t decided how to vote yet, you can visit the candidates’ Web sites. You can get impartial information from ontheissues.org or votesmart.org. You can confirm your registration, find your polling place, and see a list of all candidates at the Pennsylvania Department of State website. If you don’t live in Pennsylvania, you can get the information at usa.gov.
The Allegheny County Election Division supervises all elections in the county. There is a Judge of Election at each polling place to help you if there is a problem with your registration. An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge will be on duty Election Day to handle voting disputes. Call 412-350-5463 to report a problem. If you are not permitted to vote, insist on a provisional ballot.
All polling places are open on Tuesday, November 2, from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Take your children, so they can learn about voting. You do not need your voter registration card to vote, but you do need to show ID if this is your first time voting at your polling place. All of the standard forms of ID are accepted.
If you’ve never voted before, don’t worry. There is a large sample ballot hanging on the wall of the room. You can look at it all you want and chat about it with anybody working the polls (inside or outside) or other voters who might be there. Take your time. Think about what’s important to you. Don’t worry about using the new voting machines. If you can use an automatic banking machine, you can operate a voting machine. There’s a demonstration video online. The poll workers will help you if you ask.
So vote. Believe me, you’ll feel great afterward.
For more information:
- Learn About Elections and Voting
- Your Voting Rights
- On The Issues
- Project Vote Smart
- Confirm your registration
- Find your polling place
- Allegheny County Elections Division
- Voting machine demonstration video
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