Coming out of my cave (cue the Killers) with this little reminder for all my US mutuals.
-Early voting is still going on in many states. If you can’t make it out on Tuesday, try to make some time for it this weekend if that’s an option in your state and you can.
-A lot of places don’t actually have those crazy lines. Sure, a lot of them do, but don’t assume voting in your area will also be a 5 hour adventure. Some local supervisor of elections office websites have live estimated wait times at each polling location that you can check before heading out. I went last Friday and it was pretty quick and painless (and honestly felt amazing).
-Your vote matters. FiveThirtyEight (my preferred group of political statistics nerds) has identified the following states as swing states this year: FL, GA (!), AZ, IA, MI, MN, NV, NH, NC, OH, PA, TX (!), and WI. Despite the importance of these states, I still think your vote matters regardless of where you live. Almost half of eligible voters in the US didn’t vote in 2016. If enough people believe their vote can make a difference, I truly think it can shift things in some other places, too (see also: GA and TX, once solidly red, are now considered swing states). Admittedly, I come from a swing state, so I probably have a different perspective on this than someone in a solidly blue or red state. But I mean, it can’t hurt.
-if you can’t make it to early voting, Tuesday’s the day. Go and make your voice heard!
