This November, voters across the nation will head to the polls to choose their representatives in Congress, in governors’ mansions and in state houses. Tragically, dear reader, you probably won’t be one of them; after all, fewer than 20 percent of eligible Americans 18-29 cast a ballot in 2014. That makes our cohort the least likely of any age group to vote — that is, according to the statistics.
Here’s what we say to that: fuck the statistics.
Voting is the most important way in which you can engage in the political process. Unless you’re a billionaire super PAC sugar daddy, the ballot is the most powerful tool in your civic arsenal, especially during election time. If you don’t like ’em, the ballot is how you vote ’em out. If you do like ’em, it’s how you keep ’em in. And if nothing else, the past month has made clear that elections and their victors have enormous import on the path of the nation.
But! You cannot vote if you are not registered to vote. And this Friday is the last day you can register in the State of New York. Cornell students, you’re not planning on voting by absentee back at home, or if you’re not registered at all, you need to register in New York, and you need to do it by Friday, Oct. 12.
There are a few ways you can register. If you have a New York driver’s license, you can do so online, at https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/electronic-voter-registration-application. If not, you have two other options. You can fill out the standard voter registration form (available here in English and Spanish http://www.elections.ny.gov/votingregister.html) and mail it to the Tompkins County Board of Elections. Or, if you’re feeling mobile, you can go directly to the county board, located at the Court House Annex, 128 E. Buffalo Street, and fill out the form in person.
Whichever method you choose, you must do it not later than this Friday, Oct. 12. After you register, read up on the various candidates — in The Sun and elsewhere — so you can make an informed decision on Nov. 8.
Voting is important, folks. Don’t just be another statistic.
EDITORIAL: Oct. 12 Is Your Last Chance to Register to Vote in NY, So Get It Done
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