Prepare to vote

The 2018 elections may still be a couple months away, but that is absolutely no reason to put off preparing to vote.

Before anyone feels the need to move on to the next article and is expecting 500 words of political screed, let me ease your fears. I want United States citizens to know where to find information on candidates and to be sure they can vote or register themselves.

In short, prepare yourselves. This article may be denser and less argumentative than others, but its argument may be the most important of all.

We should always utilize our right to vote, and this piece contains just about everything you need to know to get started on preparing for the 2018 general election.

The first thing you must do is figure out if you have previously registered to vote. If you are not sure if you are registered to vote, the first thing you should do is go to Idahovotes.gov and click the “Am I registered to Vote?” tab from the “Voting” or “Help” dropdown menus. Within minutes, you will know if you need to take extra steps to get registered.

If you voted in the May 15 primaries or registered previously, then obviously the difficult part is over. For those that still need to register, there are a few options available.

Jonah Baker | Argonaut

Unregistered citizens can register online or by mail by completing the Voter Registration Form. The form and online applications require only basic information that can all be found on your driver’s license or whatever form of identification you can offer. If registering at the polls is your intent, then you will need to bring some form of photo identification, such as a driver’s license or student ID card in order to register and vote.

This is where an important distinction comes in. Idaho does allow for election day registering, but everyone else planning on registering before Nov. 6 must finish registration 25 days prior, which is Oct. 12.

Since many of us come from all over the state, absentee ballots or updated addresses will be necessary to ensure that our votes count. To get an absentee ballot for your county, you must either obtain one in person at the county office or mail in an Absentee Request Form, which can be downloaded and printed. Absentee ballots requests must reach your county clerk’s office by Oct. 26, and the ballots themselves must make it back to your county clerk’s office by 5 p.m. Nov. 6. Clerk office addresses can be found at Idahovotes.gov.

It is also possible for students to vote in Latah County on election day if they are previously registered in another county. If you plan on voting here in Moscow, you must update your registration to reflect the University of Idaho as your current place of residency.

Absentee ballots require a little more paperwork, but they are probably the better option for students that can deal with deadlines that are further off. However, changing addresses to vote here is a viable option for students who forget or cannot fulfill an absentee ballot for whatever reason. More information regarding student voting can be found at Campusvoteproject.org/Idaho.

In truth, voting season started back in mid-May when both parties held their primaries, but there is plenty of work left to be done. There are two significant ballot measures, one congressional seat, and 10 state positions to decide on.

The big races to watch and invest the most research into are the U.S. House seat and the gubernatorial race. Republican Rep. Mike Simpson is coming up on his 20th year in office and will be defending his seat against Aaron Swisher. Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter is retiring at the end of the current term, leaving an open office. Republican and current Lieutenant Governor Brad Little and Democrat Paulette Jordan have led the polls so far to replace Otter.

Information for all candidates are available at their respective websites, and a holistic overview of Idaho’s elections can be found at Ballotpedia.org. More information regarding registration, absentee ballots and voting procedures is available at Idahovotes.gov.

For most of the year and most of our lives, government feels like somebody else’s problem that keeps getting worse and harder to understand. Nov. 6 is the best opportunity most of us get to have a little say in what happens. Our democracy does not work if we do not utilize that right.

Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker