You surely know Election Day is approaching. I couldn’t begin to count the number of pleas for campaign donations and campaign attack ads that increasingly intrude into every hour of every day. As we look ahead to Election Day, I’m guessing most of us are mostly anxious for all this ugly chatter to end. November 3 can’t come soon enough.
But this run-up to Election Day feels different this year. Worse. Questions keep surfacing in the news about mail-in ballots, and whether the post office will deliver them, and which ones can be counted. You’ve probably seen some speculation that armed ICE or other officers might be deployed near polling places. I personally have been invited to multiple events seeking to prepare clergy and communities for instability in connection with this election.
All this in a year when we’re celebrating our independence, our democracy, “We the People.” I have a poster in my office that says “Our vote is sacred.” I believe that. I want our votes to count. I’m convinced that in God’s beloved community, everyone has voice, and a role to play, in a kind of equality that I used to think was a shared commitment in our nation.
So, I’m looking ahead to Tuesday, November 3 with more trepidation than usual. And it’s got me thinking about a question we all ought to be asking ourselves and one another:
What’s your voting plan?
I’ve never thought much about planning ahead where voting is concerned. This year, I am planning ahead. And I feel some urgency that we all need to.
What does that look like?
First, check your voter registration. Some legislative changes in recent years may cause your registration to lapse under certain circumstances. If you’ve moved or had a name change, it’s worth checking. Here’s a link to check your registration; it’ll just take a moment, and it will also tell you your polling place.
Second, make a plan to vote. Maybe you’ll wait and vote on November 3; if so, put it on your calendar. Maybe you want to vote ahead of time. In Iowa, in-person absentee voting begins October 14 at your County Auditor’s office and a week later at some satellite voting locations. Here’s a link to a great summary of all these details at the Ames Public Library website. Voting early and in person may be especially appealing if you’d rather not rely on the mail.
Need help making the necessary arrangements? We’re part of a church, and a community, where we can support one another in this sacred act of voting! If you need transportation to the polls on November 3 or to a voting location ahead of that date, there are people here at Collegiate/Wesley who could assist you. Reach out to our office, or to me, and we’ll see what we can arrange.
Finally, have this conversation with others! Ask a friend, neighbor, family member, or someone else you may encounter: “What’s your voting plan?” Share this post and its links, so they can take those same steps, and initiate these conversations with people in their lives.
It matters that we exercise this hard-earned right. It’s not about party or position. It’s about what it means to be part of a nation grounded on “We the People.”
So, again, what’s your voting plan?
