We, at Peaceworks, are concerned, even though we don’t, as an organization,
endorse candidates. We do endorse learning where the candidates stand,
registering and voting, and hope all reading this who are eligible will
exercise their franchise on November 8.
Wanna Vote? Make Certain You’re Registered
In order to vote on Tuesday, November 8 or prior to this during the absentee
voting period, one must be registered by Wednesday, October 12. If you were
registered for the last election, and haven’t moved, this should not be a
problem, but to be certain, you would do well to check on-line to make sure you
are still on the rolls and that all info, including possible address and/or
name change, are current.
If you live in Boone County, you can do this via the County Clerk’s webpage at https://www.showmeboone.com/clerk/. Just scroll down
to “Check Your Voter Registration.” If you live in a different county, you can
contact your county clerk’s site or call their office. Note, if you moved
within the same county you can correct the address after the registration
deadline, but, if you moved from one county to another, you need to make this
change by the Oct. 12 registration deadline.
Making Sure Your Friends and Family are Registered:
Each of us gets but one vote, but we can significantly amplify our impact by encouraging others to register in a timely way. It would be great to also encourage these folks to vote—including voting for pro-climate candidates—but unless they are registered in time, urging them to get out and vote won’t help.
While many people think their vote doesn’t matter, in point of fact, elections have consequences and every vote counts. If you doubt this, let us remind you of the 2022 Columbia Third Ward City Council election this past April. In case you didn’t hear, it was a TIE. That’s right, the incumbent, Karl Skala, and the challenger, Roy Lovelady, each received 1,102 votes. If just one more voter came out to vote, whichever candidate they voted for would have prevailed. Instead, a redo was required, which meant lots more time, effort and money was expended.
What About College Students?
If someone is living in Columbia and attending school here, they have the options of being registered here, or of keeping their registration at their parents’ home, wherever that may be. There are advantages to voting here. The biggest is that one doesn’t need to make a trip home on election day, which is a school day, or to request, receive, fill out and send in by mail an absentee ballot. This saves time and expense. And often students who plan to make the trek home, find, as the day approaches, that they don’t have the time to travel. Being registered locally makes it easier for students to vote for the candidates and ballot issues of their choice.
So, if you know students, you might want to encourage them, if registered elsewhere, to consider changing their registration to their CoMo address before the Oct. 12 deadline.
Changing Rules:
New state election law means there are new requirements for voter ID. This will make it harder for some to vote. The new law, however, is not all bad, as it provides for an extended period of no-excuse absentee voting. This and other changes are summarized in this graphic from Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon’s webpage. Be aware and please share.
