If you are over the age of 16 or you just turned 16, you are eligible to pre-register to vote.
Okay, so I get it, you plan to do it when you turn 18, no need for super boring adult stuff just now. Go live life, you say, have fun, c’est la vie, whatever. Yeah that’s all well and good, but did you know that it takes about three weeks to actually become a registered voter? If you put it off until you’re actually 18, you could very well miss the election, and it could be a super important one.
In 2019, about half of the U.S population is registered to vote, but about only 60% of those registered actually vote. That’s a surprisingly low number of votes, and that the highest it’s been in almost 30 years. If you want to keep or change the way our government is run, the first step is registration, and the second is actually going out there to vote.
Registering to vote is actually super simple, it’s online and if you have your permit or driver’s license handy, it will take about seven minutes to register/pre-register. In Massachusetts, going to this website is the easiest and most universal way to register. All it takes is entering some simple contact information, your political alignment, and the number on your license. That information will then be sent to your local election official, where they will process the information. Withing 2-3 weeks you’ll be sent a letter to let you know if you were approved to vote, and they will inform you of your nearest polling place.
It’s so easy. If you truly want to be a productive citizen of the United States and want to create change in our government, you’ll take this first step to voting. I hope to see you all at the polling place next election time!