Are You Registered To Vote, Time Is Running Out!

It doesn't matter who you vote for, just that you exercise your rights!

It has been a long hard road for many people to have the right to vote, here's a look back thanks to Massvote.org... 

"1776: Although the Declaration of Independence has just been signed and the United States’ independent status has not yet been recognized by many countries, the right to vote begins in America as a legal privilege almost exclusively available to white, property-owning, Protestant men."

It was almost a hundred years later that the Fifteenth  Amendment is passed in congress and allows all male citizens the right to vote. Did you catch that, male citizens, not women, not  immigrants or Native Americans. If you take a second to think about that fact, it's a tad insane. Native Americans are the only true Americans, they were here first. If you are not Native American you are an immigrant; we all came from somewhere else. I won't even step up on my soap box about the fact that women could not vote. Which leads me to my next fact...

"1919-20: The Nineteenth Amendment is adopted by Congress and ratified by the states into law. The right to vote is now guaranteed to all citizens regardless of gender."

That is a beautiful statement "all citizens"; because of that I vote! It took along time for all of us to have the right to vote, and I for one will not waste the time and fight that went into the work to make it possible.

With my move from Detroit to Kalamazoo, things have been crazy! Trying to sell my house, unpack, learn the local t.v. stations an in general get organized. In the midst of all of that I forgot that I needed to register to vote! So I did some google searches and found some handy information to get myself registered.

At first I was hoping that I could do an absentee ballad, but I do not qualify for that, according to Michigan.gov...

"You must appear in person to vote in the first election in which you wish to participate.  This requirement does not apply if you: (1) personally hand deliver this form to your county, city or township clerk’s office instead of mailing the form, (2) are 60 years of age or older, (3) are disabled, or (4) are eligible to vote under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. "

So Mlive had some great advice on getting registered to vote..

• You can register at the city or township clerks office
• You can register at the county clerks office
• You can register at the DMV
• You can register online

With all these options, and history how could we not vote?! Besides, you can't complain about an outcome in an election if you don't vote (just my thought).