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Two weeks ago, my friend was driving her 3-year old daughter to school under the eerie orange sky in San Francisco. “I don’t like fires, Mommy,” she said. “The mommy trees and the daddy trees are hurt. Why are people making it so hot?”  My friend didn’t know how to respond as her child watched the world burn around her. “There are some people who are trying to make it less hot,” she offered.  Her daughter let out a huge sigh. “Okay, that is good," she said. In the rearview mirror, my friend could see her little shoulders relax. This election, we get to be the people who try to make it less hot. Let’s do this.

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For Everything You Need To Vote, Go To Vote.org

That’s it. That’s the newsletter. The rest is just gravy.

Go to vote.org to:  Check your registration status—deadlines are sooner than 2 weeks in some states!  Register to vote Learn your state’s rules and deadlines Request an absentee ballot  Find your polling place  Volunteer as a poll worker Or check out Stephen Colbert’s state-by-state voting guide. Yes, even you there in Idaho, "ya votin’ potato!"

Voting In Person

This year the election isn’t on November 3, it ends on November 3. Six in 10 voters plan to vote before election day, and early voting has already started in many states. Some saw lines out the door!

If you vote in person, see if you can vote early in your state, and learn your voting rights: It's illegal to intimidate you or try to stop you from voting Learn what to do if you're told you're not on the voter roll Know the ID laws for your state Learn when to use provisional ballots Is it safe? Voting in person carries about the same risk as grocery shopping if precautions are taken—read in The Atlantic.

Voting By Mail

If you're worried about COVID-19, or have to work or care for a loved one that makes it difficult to vote in person, voting by mail is a great option. Make sure your vote is counted by avoiding mistakes.

Prevent your ballot from being rejected

Washington Post found that more than 534,000 mail ballots were rejected in primaries this year for issues like not signing in the right place, missing witness signatures, or not using double envelopes. Every state has different rules. This mail-in voting guide suggests:  Follow the instructions carefully Learn about signature matching Avoid stray marks and tears on your ballot (the ripping kind and the crying kind) Return ASAP to a mailbox or ballot drop box

Track your ballot like a package ordered online

In a bonkers year like 2020, what else have we got to obsess about? Forty-six states plus DC offer websites to track your ballot’s journey through the mail, and whether it’s made its way into the loving hands of your local election officials. Use this guide to see if and how you can track your ballot

But what about voter fraud?

It’s 40 times more likely that someone would get hit by lightning than it is the person would commit voter fraud. So, there's that.

Your Personalized Practice Ballot

It's like online shopping for the democracy of your dreams!

BallotReady shows you the ballot questions you’ll see when you vote. Learn about every candidate and referendum in advance, save your choices, and print or email your choices to yourself or friends.  Get started

How To Persuade Reluctant Voters to Vote

Historically, most eligible voters aged 18-29 don’t vote. Some people, regardless of age, don’t understand the process, or think their vote won’t matter. But in this election, every single vote matters.

How do we break through?

Reassure them the process is easy and send them on over to vote.org for everything they’ll need to vote. Help them make a voting plan. You could offer to vote together in person, drop off your ballots together.  Talk about why voting is important. Trusted conversations about the issues at stake can help change minds.  Nag Remind your friends to vote. Just until they do it. Then you can stop.

Ask Your Friends: What's Your Voting Plan?

Bask in the glory of online engagement I tried this on Facebook and have over 70 comments and counting. Is it because I’m fabulously popular? Of course. But also because some of my friends ❤️ democracy, and now the ones who weren’t going to vote 👎🏼 see how easy and important it is 🤩. You can do it too! 💪

For Social Sharing

Tweet: For everything you need to vote, go to vote.org. To help you vote safely during the pandemic, watch and share this 20-second video from @HarvardCCHANGE. http://ow.ly/AtUv50BAhwG

Disinformation About Results

Let’s all be The Avengers of calling out fake information on Election Night and beyond, shall we? I call Black Widow.

This week the FBI warned that cybercriminals are likely to spread disinformation about election results—by creating new websites, changing existing websites, and sharing social media—in an attempt to discredit the electoral process and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions.

Here’s what we can do:  Expect a week or longer to count every vote; early results may change the longer it takes. Help your friends expect the same Seek info from trustworthy sources, like election officials Verify reports about problems in voting or election results with multiple sources Don’t share posts on social media if they are not from legitimate sources Report suspicious posts using in-platform tools

Ask Candidates About Climate Change

Do you believe in science? 🤦🏻‍♀️ How will your climate plan improve health in my community? How are you taking actions to reduce your climate footprint? What’s your plan to address health disparities in environmental justice communities?  What are the biggest climate threats facing our community and how do you plan to address them?  Get more questions on climate, health, and equity

Doctors Prescribe Voting For Health

Doctors are frontline witnesses to how climate change harms patients, and are working to keep our planet—and democracy—healthy by getting out the vote.

A Boston-based physician launched VotER to send hospitals democracy kits to help patients register to vote, a doctor in Rhode Island will provide emergency ballots to ER visitors on Election Day, and Health Voices for Climate Action is helping doctors record their climate and health story in 1-minute videos designed to encourage voting.  Please share with the health professionals in your life!

STAY CONNECTED

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