Best Results Organizing

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

There’s a piece of paper out there that allows you to actively participate in our democracy, but first you have to be organized and obtain it.

Paper Doll doesn’t mind stirring up a little controversy when it comes to organizing issues (binders vs. hanging folders, the relative merits of “junk” drawers vs. the uselessness of “miscellaneous” labels).  However, this is one post where I hope to deliver an unbiased and balanced perspective.

As such, it would be disingenuous (read: a big fat lie) for me to say I don’t care for whom you vote, but whichever candidates you support or side(s) of the issues you take, I’d hate for disorganization to get in your way.

So first, let’s step back in the Paper Doll Time Machine.

Do you remember Beverly Hills, 90210?  No, not the new spinoff premiering this week; the old one with Kelly and Brenda and…wait, that sounds suspiciously like the new series.  I mean the one with Dylan’s disaffected Rebel-Without-A-Cause sideburns and Brandon’s earnestly pinched brow.

Way back in 1992, that 90210 had a storyline about upcoming elections.  Dylan, having just turned 18, becomes involved with a clean water initiative and wants to vote.  He arrives at the Peach Pit and dejectedly informs the gang that it’s too late to register to vote and tries to commiserate with the only other of-age member of the group.  Oft-ditzy Donna Martin surprises them all with her organized preparation–she’d already registered to vote months prior!  Ha!

Why this callback to the heydey of Fox, boy bands, babydoll dresses and heavily-teased hair?  Because we’re closing in on the deadlines for registering to vote on November 4th.  In this one instance of life, I urge you all to be Donna Martin and get a voter registration card of your very own.

If you’re an American citizen over the age of 18 who cares at all about any of the following national issues (couched in the most balanced terminology I could create):

• The Economy
• Healthcare–costs and availability, medical research funding, ethics issues
• Energy– costs and availability of domestic and imported fuel
• Foreign Policy–Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, Sudan, Darfur…
• Veterans’ benefits
• The Environment
• Immigration
• Reproductive and Family Issues

and you are not yet registered to vote, please take heed.  There’s not a lot of time left for you to get that voter registration card! So:

1)Know your state’s voter registration deadline!

In most states, you have to register to vote at least 30 days prior to the election–and Monday, October 6, 2008 is coming up quickly.  In others, you can register by mail until a week prior to Election Day, and in Idaho, New Hampshire and Wyoming, you may register to vote on Election Day at your polling place (though Paper Doll discourages you from waiting that long).  Only North Dakota does not require registration to vote. (But if you’re new to town, I advise quickly making friends with people at the local diner in your precinct so you won’t be challenged.)

2)Know your state’s voting eligibility requirements. 

You have to be a citizen of sound mind and over the age of 18.  Most states have a residency requirement for the county or community, and many states have regulations regarding the voting eligibility of convicted felons.  Assumptions are not organized–do your due diligence.

3)Fill out the paperwork.

Registering to vote is pretty easy.  Call or drop by your Board of Elections to request an application, or get started online at Rock the Vote (or see the resources listed below for citizens abroad).

4)Take note of the information provided with your card.

In most cases, your voter registration card will inform you of your voting precinct (which determines WHERE you vote) and districts (i.e., Congressional, State Senate, State House, school district, county/city district, etc.) for individual campaigns and referenda.

5)Keep your voter registration card in a safe place.

You don’t need to carry your voter registration card around in your wallet; just file it with your VIP papers in your family files, and make a notation on your calendar to bring your card to the polls on Election Day (or on early voting days, if your state allows voting in the days prior to an election).

Have other concerns?  Perhaps you’re thinking:

• “I don’t care about national issues.”

Maybe you don’t, although I think such a reason might be akin to whining that we don’t need to eat vegetables because we have good genes, when the truth is we just hate cauliflower.

We professional organizers try to persuade our clients that acquiring and keeping things “just in case” merely contributes to clutter.  That’s true in most cases, but there are certain things we need to keep “just in case” to preserve our safety and security.  This includes (but is not limited to):

• driver’s license or identification cards
• Social Security cards
• credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies
• health care records
• passports
• emergency funds

A voter registration card is like all of the above, allowing you to preserve your hard-fought, hard-won right to have your voice count.  You may truly not care (enough) about any of the national political issues I mentioned, but you never know when you’ll care about a school board vote that impacts your kids, a pothole on your street or a neighbor‘s teenage beau boosting Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” at maximum decibels every night.  Preserve your right to have a say in how your community (school district, town, city, state and nation) will be governed.  Get a voter registration card…just in case!

• “I don’t identify with just one party.”

Not 100% in the red or blue column?  Good for you.  While many states require you to register with a particular party to vote in various primaries (i.e., to narrow the field to whomever will eventually be on the ticket on the Big Day), you do not have to be a member of a political party to vote in general and many other elections.

Also, there are other parties besides the Democrats and Republicans.  For example, the Green Party, the Constitution Party and the Libertarian Party are all fielding candidates in the 2008 presidential election, and there are many, many other parties at the local and state levels.

And, of course, you can be like Paper Doll, and register as an Independent!

• “I’m a U.S. citizen, but currently live outside of the U.S. or am deployed in the military”.

If you are an American citizen reading Paper Doll from somewhere outside of the U.S., avail yourself of following nonpartisan sites to help you register and vote from abroad:

Federal Voting Assistance Program
Overseas Vote Foundation
Youth Vote Overseas
Election Assistance Commission (Military Voters)

• “I’m not going to be in my political district/precinct on Election Day.”

If you’re away at college, traveling, disabled or recovering from a medical procedure on Election Day, you can submit an absentee ballot by mail, but you must still be registered to vote by your state’s deadline.  Register to vote, then contact your county’s Board of Elections or your state’s Secretary of State for an absentee ballot.

Your voter registration card is your E-ticket to the thrill-ride of participating in our democracy.  Organize your corner of society — register to vote!