Adult Necessity: Registering to Vote

As a political science grad, the changing leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, and back to school sales signal more than the changing season.  It means that ELECTION SEASON is approaching.  Election season is every year, folks, not just during presidential elections.  We have the opportunity to vote for our Senators and Representatives as well as State and Local officials.  This year in Boston, we're voting for all sorts of fun things, including a new Governor, expansion of the bottle deposit system, and the indexing of the gas tax!  You can check out Rock the Vote to see what's on the ballot where you live.

But in order to get in on the fun, you need to be registered to vote first!  In most states (including Massachusetts and my original habitat, New York) you need to be registered 30-60 days in advance of an election to vote.  That gives you time before Election Day to get involved.  How do you register? If you live in MA, you got a voter information booklet in the mail with a registration form inside.  Fill it on out and mail it on in!  Forms are also avalible at your friendly neighborhood DMV/RMV or online.  Literally google "Register to vote in [your state]" and print it out, and mail it in.  Don't own a printer?  Still no excuses, you can call the number on the site, which will likely be the website of the Secretary of the State/Commonwealth and they can mail it to you.  You can also keep your eyes peeled for voter registration drives, often on campus, at the train station, outside the grocery store, or your local library.  

Important to know!

Students are legally permitted to vote in either the state of their permanent residence (mom and dads house) OR the state where they attend school.  It is up to you, chose for whatever reason you want.  One is a swing state, you want to vote for a favorite politician, you'd like to vote on the school budget in your hometown, absentee ballots seem like a pain in the butt (though I will post on these later!)

In some states, proof of residence is required (this can be a bill or lease with your name on it, you license or passport, or if you live on campus, you schools Housing people can give you an official letter stating that you live there)  You will need this in MA, but only once, either the first time you vote, or you can send it in with your registration.  Some states require photo identification, either at the polling place or when you register.  Look into what is required in your state.  

When you are selecting a party, follow your heart!  But there are a few things you may want to keep in mind.  For many people, the most important thing about choosing a party is voting in primaries (yeah, you also have get to vote to pick who you can vote for in general elections,  Democracy is not a spectator sport.)  The difference this makes depends on the type of primaries you have in your state.

Closed Primaries- registered Republicans can only vote in Republican primaries, same with Democrats, if you register No Party you can't vote in primaries at all.

Semi-Closed Primaries- The Parties in states with these types of primaries can pick if they want to allow non members to vote or not.  All parties may not have made the same selection.  The Democratic Primary may be closed, the Republican may be open.  If you live in a semi-closed primary state, you're going to have to do a little extra research if you're not sure what party to register with.  

Open Primaries- When I changed my registration to MA, I was thrilled to be in an open primary state, because I am registered with no party affiliation.  In open primary states, you get to pick each time what primary you want to vote in.  You do, however, have to do every office in that party, you can't vote for a senate candidate of one party and a presidential candidate of another.

If you want to register without party affiliation you should consider the primary situation, but also note that your state likely has a party called something like Independence.  It is super easy to check this off when you want to be "Independent" and I know a lot of people who have done it.   So just double check.

Also remember that its easy to change your registration, your address, your party, even your state.  If you move to a new state, you simply register in your new home state and fill in the area that asks about where you were last registered.  They will take care of the rest, so don't worry that the Feds will come knocking on your door accusing you of voter fraud.

So get out there and register to vote.  You can literally do it during the commercial breaks while you catch up on all your shows that are back for the fall.

Why amateur adults?

I remember, at seventeen, feeling that when the clock struck midnight and I was eighteen I would be a bona fide adult.  I mean it was the law.  I would literally be the law that I was an adult, you can't argue with that!  On my eighteenth birthday I drove my parents car to the mall, took the last twenty five dollars out of my checking account and got a piercing all on my own.  I didn't feel like an adult, I felt broke and like my new earning was kind of cute.  Six months later I went to college thinking maybe this would be what it took to make me an adult.  Long story short, I cried a lot, I changed my major, I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. My debit card got declined at a convenience store. I didn't feel like an adult, I felt overwhelmed and lonely and broke. It got better, I loved college, I learned and grew in ways I had never imagined. I worked hard.  I got an apartment with my friends. I felt independent and fabulous and loved and challenged (and broke.)

By the next milestone I had figured out, for the most part, that everyone is just winging it.  On my twenty first birthday I bought a dress that looked like judy jetson in da club, wore tall shoes, and went to bars with my friends.  We sat on the floor of that same apartment eating french fries and singing hymns.  I started to realize the switch I had imagined would never flip, and instead I might just start to feel like an adult a growing proportion of the time.  I got some great babysitting jobs and killed it at school.  I felt full and capable and, with a growing savings account, fabulously wealthy. Then I graduated college and began to feel like I was suddenly playing for keeps.  I went on vacation with my boyfriend, bought throw pillows for that apartment, one of my student loan payments bounced.  I feel like an adult sometimes, other times I stare at the dishes in my sink and then go back to bed.  With the help of my very wise mother, and some great articles on impostor syndrome I'm realizing that this whole adult thing is a process, and I'm not in some strange extended adolescence, I'm just new to this.  An amateur adult, but an adult nonetheless.

I don't think that my experience is unique.  I believe that most of us trying to navigate this time in our lives are a little lost.  amateur adults is a spot for me to take this journey with whoever wants to join me.  To reflect as well as share what I've learned about the practicalities of living independently.  Why do I feel like an impostor in my own life?  What the heck is the deal with  renters insurance?  How do I file my taxes?  I'm figuring all of that out, and I want you to join me!