”You really just need to vote, seriously” -Leslie Knope (if she were around today)

We’re officially ONE MONTH AWAY from the midterm elections, which means it’s time to put your politics pants on!

The midterms might seem really unimportant, but they are NOT. I won’t give you a full ‘politics 101’ lesson, but basically the midterms determine WHO the senators and congresspeople from each state are, and whether they’re majority democratic or republican. These people have a lot more power than you may think- they can actually influence the president!

So, regardless of your party, you NEED to make sure you vote so that this country reflects YOUR beliefs (and even if it currently IS reflecting your beliefs, there’s always the possibility of that changing (if you aren't voting, someone who disagrees with you is!). Moral of the story: NOBODY has an excuse not to vote. ~rant over~

Anyhow, with only a month left until the big day, we ALL need to make sure we’re registered to vote. And I know it sounds like something that would have a long, boring process attached to it, but IT ISN’T. It’s actually super easy. It took me, like...15 minutes (if that).

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Step 1: Go to vote.gov and enter the state you live in (when I was in college out of state, I put the state where my family lived since that was my permanent address). This will tell you whether your state allows you to register online, or if it must be mailed in.

Step 2a: If your state allows online registration, click on “start your online registration” and then click “register or pre-register to vote.” Then just fill in your personal info as it asks you!

Step 2b: If your state only allows mail-in registration, click on “download the form” and print it out. Just fill it out and mail it in (you will need a stamp), and then you’re all set! The form comes with specific instructions based on your state, and it explains the different sections so you don’t get confused. Thanks, America!

Step 3: VOTE ON NOVEMBER 6TH!!!! If you don’t know who to vote for, isidewith.com lets you take a quiz to figure out which candidates you most agree with. AARP also gives a great list of candidates based on your state, so you can read more about them and their views.

Voting is a rite of passage for being an American. It’s like how crying in the studio is a rite of passage for architecture majors, or crying in the library is a rite of passage for….most other majors. But it’s a lot more enjoyable than crying! It makes you feel like a real-life Leslie Knope. Or Ben Wyatt. Whoever you identify with more. PLEASE DO IT.

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