Today is the last day of September and thus the last day of Voter Registration Month.
The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) established this recognition to encourage civic participation. Simply, the more people who are registered, the more people who vote. Recognizing this effort for a full month draws even more attention to National Register to Vote Day, held annually on the fourth Tuesday of September.
The first National Voter Registration Day, in 2012, saw 300,000 Americans register. While the numbers for this year are not yet finalized, the 2018 effort registered more than 800,000 voters. Clearly the effort is paying off. But registering is only the first step in a lifelong commitment that citizens need to take seriously.
According to CBS News, an estimated 113 million voters cast their ballots in the 2018 midterm election, a record turnout. However impressive, that number is still only 48 percent of citizens who are eligible to register to vote. And presidential elections, which bring out more voters, typically only have 55 to 60 percent of eligible citizens cast ballots.
Registration is becoming easier in most states. Many have online registration. At the very least, finding out if you’re registered and where to register has gotten much easier.
Just because September is ending doesn’t mean you can no longer register. Go to https://iwillvote.com. You can sign up to get alerts for all upcoming elections in your area. You can also text “VOTER” to 26797 to get alerts. See? Easy. Do it today.