Sept. 22 is National Voter Registration Day, and if you're not registered to vote yet, we're here to tell you that signing up is a lot easier than you might think. You don't have to become a member of a specific political party if you don't want to, and on average, voter registration takes two minutes (or less!) to do. So, how do you register to vote? Many states offer downloadable and printable versions of their voter registration forms, but Rock the Vote is making it even easier — the nonprofit organization is offering online voter registration signups directly through its website. Just click on your state, fill out your name and contact information (and the political party you'd like to join, if you're not registering as an independent voter), and you're set!
If you've gotten a driver's license or other form of ID from the DMV, you might already be registered to vote. But if you haven't voted in previous elections or signed up as a registered voter in the past, you should definitely visit Rock the Vote's website. And if you've recently moved states or changed your address, now's a great time to make sure your registration is up to date, so that you'll be able to vote in the 2016 presidential election.
Your voice deserves to be heard in next year's election, so you should exercise your right to vote for the presidential candidate you want to lead the United States. In a statement about National Voter Registration Day, President Obama called the right to vote a "cornerstone of what it means to be a free people." Obama encouraged all American people who are eligible to vote to exercise that "essential right" — because if you can vote, why wouldn't you?
Obama also shared the harsh reality of America's voting system, noting that among countries with "free societies," the United States has "one of the lowest voting rates." According to Obama, Americans "disenfranchise themselves by disengaging from our political process too often." But with millennials accounting for 36 percent of eligible voters in the 2016 election, it's up to us to change that fact! And after you've registered yourself to vote in next year's elections, why not spread the word and encourage your friends and family members to make sure they've completed their voter registrations, too? Your vote can make a difference, but only if you use it.
